New urgent and primary care centre opens at Gorge Road Hospital in Victoria
A new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) has opened at the Gorge Road Hospital in Victoria. The problem is, few know it even exists.
"I couldn’t believe it," said Justin Henry, who is without a family doctor. "I drove in here this morning and it’s wide open."
Henry is living with advanced Parkinson’s disease. He’s one of nearly 100,000 people in the capital region without a family doctor.
He’s tried numerous times to get into many of Island Health’s new urgent care centres.
"They are very slow," said Henry. "If you go, you have to put at least four to six hours into any one of them if you want to see somebody."
The new clinic at the Gorge Road Hospital opened its doors at 8 a.m. Monday.
On Tuesday morning, Henry was the only one in the clinic when he arrived.
“I came in at 9:30 a.m. and the doctor promptly saw me,” said Henry. “It was first class.”
He found out about the clinic from his daughter but it doesn’t seem like many others know it’s open.
Island Health tells CTV News it’s not yet fully staffed.
The UPCC model was created by the province to ease pressure on B.C.'s strained health-care system.
Another solution to the crisis came last month, when B.C.'s Health Ministry announced a $118-million injection to help primary care providers stay open.
The province says more than 4,500 doctors will receive funding starting next month, with 1,100 of them working in walk-in clinics.
The new clinic is one of six now in Greater Victoria. Most are booked solid daily.
"I can’t get referred anywhere so that’s part of the reason that I came here, to try to get something done without having a family doctor,” said Henry. “I have gotten a little further bit ahead but it’s a pretty intricate system."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.