Now is the time to find a family doctor in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows<\/p>\n
Published 6:00 am Sunday, December 28, 2025<\/p>\n
A record-breaking year of physician recruitment is expanding access to long-term primary care<\/p>\n
For many people in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, accessing health care has meant relying on walk-in clinics or urgent care for years. While those services play an important role, they can\u2019t replace the long-term relationship and continuity that comes from having a dedicated family doctor or nurse practitioner.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s exactly the gap the Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice<\/a> is working to close.<\/p>\n One of the Division\u2019s goals is simple but powerful: helping people in the community who don\u2019t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner find one. Success is measured where it matters most \u2013 when residents who need ongoing primary care are successfully attached to a provider and supported over time.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout that ongoing connection, people miss out on preventive care, chronic disease management, and the trust that builds when a provider truly knows your health history,\u201d Board Chair member Melodie Prem-Smith explains. \u201cThere is an abundance of evidence that shows having a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner improves overall health outcomes for the individual.\u201d<\/p>\n Following efforts by the Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice in recruitment efforts, there\u2019s a rare and important opportunity. After several years where demand far exceeded availability, Ridge Meadows has seen an influx of doctors and nurse practitioners who are actively accepting new patients. That window may not stay open for long.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the moment,\u201d Melodie says. \u201cSix months from now could look very different. There are doctors in the community right now who are able to take on new patients although six months from now could look very different.<\/p>\n The most important step residents can take is registering on the Health Connect Registry (HCR). By signing up, individuals, families or those caring for others can be matched with a local family doctor or nurse practitioner as spaces become available.\u00a0<\/p>\n