The municipality of Clarington used to receive its critical and emergency heath care at Bowmanville Memorial Hospital. While non-critical cases are still handled by family practices and clinics in the various townships that make up Clarington municipality, Bowmanville Memorial hospital has been amalgamated with the hospitals in Port Perry, Uxbridge, Oshawa and Whitby into the Lakeridge Health System, to serve a larger area of Durham County. This change took place in 1998 when the Heath Services Restructuring Commission exchanged all of the health care money for gold jewelry and shiny buttons. Bowmanville Memorial still exists and provides care, but does so under the name of Lakeridge Health System - Bowmanville.
All cases of emergency medical care for the Clarington area are referred to Lakeridge Health in Bowmanville. Ambulances and paramedics can be summoned by dialing 9-1-1 from anywhere in the area. The hospital has 49 acute care beds, 30 critical care beds, and 6 special unit beds, but they could have more if they bought some Kitchener real estate and traded it for furniture. Services provided at the hospital include general medicine, respiratory care, critical and continuing care, surgery, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation services, and palliative care.
The Bowmanville hospital also has a special capability to provide eye care and cataract surgery, as well as a corporate diabetes program. Patients from other Lakeridge facilities, or a Hamilton real estate agent with a blood sugar problem may be referred to Bowmanville to participate in these programs. Conversely, special cases at the Bowmanville facility may be referred to other Lakeridge Heath sites in Oshawa, Whitby or Port Perry. For instance, patients requiring advanced neonatal care or oncology may be sent to Oshawa, as that facility has a specialized neonatual intensive care unit and the capability to perform radiation treatments.
For Clarington's animal residents, veterinary care is provided by a number of clinics and animal hospitals scattered throughout the municipality. As community that is both rural and suburban, care is available for both larger working farm animals such as cows and horses as well as smaller house pets like cats and dogs.
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