Trail enters 2026 with new community health centre
Published 2:00 pm Monday, December 29, 2025
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a year-end series reviewing notable local developments from 2025 as the community looks ahead to 2026.)
Trail closed out 2025 with a significant addition to its health-care landscape, as the Lower Columbia Community Health Centre officially opened in September, expanding access to team-based primary care in the Lower Columbia.
Located at 106–1101 Dewdney Ave., the centre is expected to eventually connect more than 7,200 patients with a family doctor or nurse practitioner once it reaches full capacity.
The non-profit facility, operated by the Lower Columbia Community Health Centre Society, is part of the Kootenay Boundary primary care network and was developed to address long-standing gaps in local access to primary care.
Following a soft opening July 21, the centre hired about 10 full-time-equivalent staff, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers and community health workers.
An open house on Sept. 20 marked its broader launch.
Executive director Rita MacLeod said the centre was built on years of local volunteer effort and collaboration.
“Our team is already providing accessible, responsive and individualized care,” MacLeod said at the time.
The centre is slated to grow to nearly 18 full-time-equivalent clinical staff, plus relief workers and leadership positions. Provincial funding includes more than $2 million in startup support, with $1.63 million committed annually for operations.
As the calendar turns to 2026, the clinic stands as a sign of progress in a region that has struggled with access to primary care.