People living in the Cowichan Valley will now have a new health-care option with the opening of an Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) in Duncan.
The Cowichan UPCC, located at 940 Government St., officially opened its doors Monday.
The B.C. Ministry of Health says the new UPCC will provide same-day urgent care and, eventually, long-term primary care attachment for residents across the region.
“People in B.C. deserve timely, high-quality care that they and their families can depend on,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne.
“This new UPCC is vital for rural communities in the area and means people living throughout the Cowichan Valley will have increased access to same-day primary health care closer to home.”
Access to the new clinic will be by appointment only, with nurses or clinicians assessing patients over the phone.
The centre will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for urgent appointments and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday for patients attached through the Health Connect Registry.
The UPCC will eventually be staffed by more than 30 full-time-equivalent health-care professionals, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, mental-health clinicians and administrative staff.
“This new UPCC is great news for people living in and around Duncan,” said Debra Toporowski (Qwulti’stunaat), MLA for Cowichan Valley and parliamentary secretary for rural health.
“It is especially significant for the Cowichan Tribes, Penelakut Tribe, Halalt, Lyackson, Stz’uminus, Malahat, Ts’uubaa-asatx and Ditidaht First Nations, who will have access to care that’s closer to their homes and communities.”
The new facility includes a multicultural room, 12 patient-exam rooms, and five consultation rooms for mental health, substance use and social work support.
The project is being funded by $6.9 million in annual provincial operating budget and $860,000 in startup funding, with another $5.4 million from the province and $2.8 million from the Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District for tenant improvements.
The opening of the Cowichan UPCC comes as some rural parts of the region continue to face severe family doctor shortages.
In Lake Cowichan, both of the town’s physicians left their practices earlier this year, leaving thousands of residents without access to primary care. The community, home to about 6,600 people, is now working to open a nurse practitioner-led clinic on Cowichan Lake Road to help fill the gap.
The nurse practitioner’s waitlist already tops 1,000 people. Until the clinic opens, volunteers continue to drive residents to appointments in Duncan, a 30-minute trip each way.