(Warning: This story shows photos that some people may find unsettling.)
A patient at a Chatham health clinic under public scrutiny is sounding the alarm on other potential issues at the centre.
A medical alert was sent out by Chatham-Kent (CK) Public Health earlier this month for anyone who received a medical procedure at the Chatham Skin Clinic over a 16-month period.
This was due to a lengthy lapse in sterilizing and reprocessing medical equipment, though the clinic has refuted this, claiming the issue stemmed from a lack of documentation.
One of these patients was Jenny Hornick. She visited the clinic in July 2025 after cutting her leg on a cardboard box. Hornick was at the clinic to get her wound debrided, which ultimately meant removing dead skin.
She told CK News Today the first red flag she spotted was in the clinic's kitchen. She said she was allowed entry to the kitchen there after asking for a glass of water.
"There were brown paper towels on the counter with all the instruments laid out, and I thought that was kind of odd that they were out on the counter like dishes," she explained.
Hornick then had a consultation with a doctor at the clinic, who told her they could do the debriding if she stayed. After a couple of hours, she underwent the procedure.
She explained that the first issue happened immediately.
"He proceeds to cut into my leg, and I'm like, 'What are you doing?' and then he's like, 'maybe we should freeze it'," Hornick said.
After receiving multiple needles, Hornick explained that the doctor started to work again on her cut. It didn't take long before she started bleeding profusely, with the doctor and another worker at the clinic struggling to get it under control.
"I was starting to think they weren't real doctors or knew what they were doing," added Hornick.
Before the procedure was done, Hornick said she was given a document to sign. She did, but did not know what she signed, as she was more concerned with the amount of blood on her leg and the doctor.
After this painful experience, she went to another clinic to double-check that the procedure was done properly. Hornick said two nurses were in shock when they saw her wound. It took multiple visits over four months to this new clinic before her wound finally healed.
The entire experience forced Hornick to seek counselling.
"The whole thing was traumatizing and sketchy. I'll never forget the scalpel in his hand and the blood everywhere," explained Hornick.
She decided to share her story after learning about the medical alert from CK Public Health.
Hornick believes the clinic has a documentation issue, as she claims she's been unable to get information from them about the procedure, only the consultation. She also isn't 100 per cent convinced there wasn't a sterilization issue after seeing the medical equipment in the kitchen.
While Hornick didn't immediately make a formal complaint, she has since done so with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
CK News Today has reached out to the doctor in question, who is registered in both Ontario and Alberta and is not the primary healthcare professional at the clinic. We have not received a response at this time.
We've also reached out to the Chatham Skin Clinic about the concerns raised by Hornick, but have also not received a response.
Hornick added she's not looking for any money by sharing her story. She noted that she just wants to make sure others don't have the same experience she did.
