New urgent primary care health centre in Langford to open November 5

by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News

Friday, October 26, 2018 ~ LANGFORD. On Monday November 5 the new Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre will open in Langford.

The facility that will be open daily 8 am to 8 pm will offer the services of physicians and nurse practitioners (NPs), a registered nurse, dieticians and therapists for a “continuum of care” said Premier John Horgan today during a formal announcement outside the care facility location at 582 Goldstream Avenue.

The new centre cost $3.44 million. Annual operations will cost $4.45 million, with the CRD Hospital District paying 30% over 10 years.

No appointments are required for patients to have access to a team of medical professionals including physicians, nurse practitioners, RNs, and specialists with expertise in mental illness and addictions.

Premier Horgan said over 15,000 people in the west shore are “not attached to a health care provider”. Now about 5,300 new patients will be attached to health care providers at the Langford clinic.

Island Health later confirmed that as a count for the Langford area, and that the fuller west shore region (including Colwood, Metchosin, View Royal, Highlands, and Sooke up to Port Renfrew) is about 30,000 people in need of a primary physician.

“This is the beginning of fastest growing community on Vancouver Island, by having more seniors and young families come here, who need more access to health care,” said Horgan.

“This is the beginning of better health care delivery in the west shore and on south Vancouver Island,” Horgan told the crowd of about 100 people. The 7.9 km to Victoria General Hospital was promoted by Horgan as not that far by ambulance to primary care and acute care. There is an urgent exit direct to ambulance from one of the treatment rooms in the clinic.

Also participating in the announcement was Health Minister Adrian Dix: “This is a very significant day for public health and communities here on the west shore. It suggests where we need to go in all of British Columbia. One in five people are not currently attached to a family doctor,” said Dix.

“The means to care for people. That’s what it’s about,” said Dix. The team-based approach has already been delivered in Quesnel, Kamloops and Surrey. “I am so proud of Island Health for delivering on this vision of health care right here in Langford, the place on Vancouver Island with the most people per capita needing a family doctor is right here in the western communities.”

“To have delivered on this vision in a short period of time is an extraordinary achievement,” Dix told the crowd outdoors on the cool but bright sunny afternoon in central Langford. The facility was started and finished within 2.5 months. The speed of getting permits at Langford City Hall was commended by Island Health.

The primary care plan meets the needs of over 750,000 people across BC who are not attached to a family physician, said Dix.

“Team-based care is the focus of what we’re doing here today,” said Horgan. “This is the beginning of better health care in the fastest growing, best community, on Vancouver Island,” said Horgan, with acknowledgement to Langford Mayor Stew Young in the audience.

The emcee for the event was MLA Mitzi Dean (Esquimalt-Metchosin). She said the 12-hour open-daily schedule will make it easier for people to have access to care. “We appreciate having this here in the heart of our community,” said Dean.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Judy Darcy, told West Shore Voice News regarding the west shore: “We know there is a significant prevalence of mental health and substance use issues — and that there has been very limited access to mental health and addiction supports in this community historically. We recognize that there is a real lack of services for people who are living with mental health and addiction issues. This (new facility) is a really important step forward because mental health and substance use clinicians are going to be part of the team,” said Darcy.

“The facility will be efficient on day one,” said Deborah Cracknell, Director, Community Health Services for Sooke, Esquimalt and the West Shore. She explained that patients will see a primary care physician first, but that with other practitioners on hand that service will be “more nimble and dynamic”.

High ceilings and a bright space are therapeutic and calming, said Cracknell. During a tour she explained that exam rooms, consultation areas, and a practitioner discussion room are appropriately equipped. An urgent care room opens directly to an ambulance loading bay.

BREAKING NEWS (for Langford): During a tour of the facility after the formal announcement, Langford Mayor Stew Young said that there will be a tax exemption for new primary care facilities. “If you build a medical health office — physicians or otherwise — we will never charge you taxes for that,” Stew Young told West Shore Voice News today. That was also welcome news for Island Health and clinic leaders today during a tour after the formal announcement.

Additional primary care physician offices — with about 10 more physicians — will be available in the same building at 582 Goldstream Avenue by around April 2019, said Marko Peljhan, Executive Director, Geography 4, Integrated Health Services, Island Health.

Peljhan said the broader west shore area (including the full range of Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, View Royal, and Sooke beyond to Port Renfrew) sees about 30,000 people without a primary care physician. “That’s one in 83 people on Vancouver Island” being still without a primary care physician, said Peljhan.

The Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre is Phase 1 of a multi-phase approach to dealing with addressing that challenge, said Peljhan. “We’re meeting the overflow need and attaching you to a physician. We need more in Sooke and closer to Royal Bay, and something else in Langford. As we build more housing we need to consider the health care needs.”

“This is the best news for health care in our region for 25 years,” said Mayor Young. With the problems of opioids, health care and addictions… “this is a good first step”.

Mayor Young explained that Langford wants to be part of seeing the provincial government “take care of the other 10,000” people on the west shore who are still without a physician. “We can handle 5,000 out of the 15,000, here in Langford.” That will support an upcoming announcement in the next six months that every person in BC has access to health care, said Langford’s mayor. “So there is not have/have-not in health care.”

“This is a first step and the teamwork approach is really good. We’re going to finish it off and make sure nobody is left behind. So if you build a medical health office (physicians or otherwise) we will never charge you taxes for that. We will make sure that we are part of the solution,” said Stew Young. “We know the need is here. We want to help make that happen. We know how important it is for our community. Public health and safety, looking after young families and seniors is really important.”

BREAKING NEWS (for Sooke): The Sooke community can expect expanded access to primary care physicians and team-based services as well in the coming months, it was announced by Premier Horgan in Langford today. See: Sooke to get expanded health services