The $8-million, six-storey building at 2101 Sitka Court will also contain suites for health-care professionals.<\/p>\n
Construction is set to begin on an $8-million, six-storey \u00adbuilding that will house a new Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Sooke, along with suites for health-care \u00adprofessionals.<\/p>\n
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait said a building permit has been issued for the development, which is expected to open in 2028 in the middle of town at 2101 Sitka Court, formerly 6651 Wadams Way.<\/p>\n
Clearing of brush, \u00adbramble and alder trees on the \u00adundeveloped parcel of land is expected to begin in coming weeks.<\/p>\n
The Health Ministry said work on the building will begin before the end of the year.<\/p>\n
The UPCC will be on one floor of the complex \u2014 in a space that\u2019s about 5,000 square feet \u2014 and will be owned and operated by Island Health.<\/p>\n
The building will also include market and below-market residential rental housing that Tait said is much needed in the region, and will offer a dedicated residential floor for health-care providers, who will be able to \u201ctake the elevator to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complex is being \u00addeveloped by not-for-profit \u00adCatalyst Community \u00adDevelopments on land provided by the District of Sooke.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s announcement is the culmination of a 10-year effort that began with the idea of a community health centre with modern diagnostics in the district, home to about 17,000 people.<\/p>\n
Tait said the idea was \u00adproposed in about 2016 and former premier John Horgan, then MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, gave it the province\u2019s approval in March 2023 as one of his last acts in office.<\/p>\n
With then-health minister Adrian Dix, they held a news conference on the empty site at what was then 6671 Wadams Way.<\/p>\n
After the 2024 provincial election, the district issued a request for proposals for a builder, with the goal of opening in 2025.<\/p>\n
Tait said the hope was to have shovels in the ground within a year \u2014 \u201cand then we waited.\u201d<\/p>\n
That wait ended Monday when officials took those ceremonial shovel photos.<\/p>\n
Tait said the development will give residents access to urgent care closer to home and take pressure for walk-in care off the primary care clinic in town, West Coast Family Medical Clinic, while providing rental homes for people and families.<\/p>\n
She said district staff have been pulling out \u201call the stops\u201d to get the development rolling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now the signs are in the ground [that] the UPPC is coming,\u201d said Tait. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the original vision, but we need space for doctors, and we need health care to attach patients to a clinic, so that\u2019s great \u2026 that is a win for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The province has opened 48 UPCCs, including 12 on Vancouver Island, Health Minister Ravi Kahlon said Monday, prior to the snap election being called.<\/p>\n
The province said the UPCC will have a team including doctors, nurses and other health professionals, though other UPCCs have promised the same in the past and have not been able to find a full complement of health professionals.<\/p>\n
NDP Leader David Eby promised Wednesday to beef up efforts to recruit health-care professionals from the U.S. if the party is re-elected.<\/p>\n
As a result of the province\u2019s recruitment campaign so far, it says more than 700 U.S. health-care providers have accepted jobs in B.C., including 171 physicians, 445 nurses, 78 nurse practitioners and 44 other health professionals.<\/p>\n