B.C. unveils new urgent and primary care centre in Victoria
A new urgent and primary care centre is open in downtown Victoria, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced Wednesday.
The centre opened on July 19 near the corner of Pandora and Cook streets. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for urgent care, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday for longitudinal care.
The centre will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays for longitudinal care, and closed on Sundays and holidays for non-urgent care.
Urgent and primary care centres (UPCC) provide medical services for urgent needs that require medical treatment within 24 hours, such as minor cuts or burns, sprains, ear infections or urinary problems.
NEW PRIMARY CARE NETWORKS
The UPCC is part of the larger introduction of four new primary care networks to the Greater Victoria region, which will serve approximately 200,000 people across Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay.
Primary care networks are teams of health-care workers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners and counsellors, who work together to provide primary care.
It's an alternative to the traditional family doctor system, which is based on a sole practitioner rather than a team, according to Dix.
Primary care networks make it easier for patients to access care while maintaining continuity of care, says Dix, compared to having a sole family doctor.
"These four new primary care networks will deliver, first of all, more resources and care in the next few years," said the health minister at a news conference Wednesday.
The primary care networks will also include an Indigenous health team and two mobile medical vans.
The indigenous health team will include eight full-time Indigenous health-care providers, and the mobile care vans will focus on community outreach and senior outreach.
One of the vans, run by the Cool Aid society, is already in use serving vulnerable people in the capital region.
Through urgent and primary care centres, patients will be attached to their centre, instead of to specific doctors. The move ensures that patients can continue to receive care even if their usual doctor is unavailable, according to the province.
Dix says that primary care networks also provide benefits for health-care staff, such as expanded resources and streamlined referral processes.
He adds that more full-time health-care workers will be joining the networks over the next four years.
In total, roughly 96 full-time health practitioners will be added to the region, including family physicians, registered nurses, physiotherapists, and mental health counsellors.
Moving forward, the primary care networks will also have a focus on mental health and addictions services in the Greater Victoria area, including for vulnerable communities, according to Dix.
While primary care networks emphasize team-based care, the networks will also work to connect patients with a primary care provider if they do not have one, which many residents have struggled to find in B.C. in recent years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.