Friday, March 29, 2024

New urgent and primary health care centre coming to Esquimalt

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A new urgent and primary health care centre (UPCC) will open in Esquimalt next year.

Opening in two phases, the Island Health-operated UPCC will be located at 890 Esquimalt Road, providing comprehensive team-based primary health care to those in the area.

The UPCC will provide better urgent and primary care services to patients with minor ailments, those who need health screening, reproductive health services and support for those with chronic conditions and mild to moderate mental-health challenges.

Starting June 14th, the centre’s temporary site in the Esquimalt Health Unit at 530 Fraser Street will provide limited health-care services from Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The health-care team at the temporary site will include a registered nurse, a registered nurse with certified practice, a mental health and substance-use consultant and two office staff.

Once the centre opens in its permanent location in December 2021, hours of operation will be extended to include evenings and weekends, and it will offer a full range of comprehensive health-care services.

The centre will be supported by a team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, allied health professionals, and office staff.

The UPCC will work to attach patients to a family physician or a nurse practitioner, either at the centre or in the community.
The UPCC was provided capital funding by the Ministry of Health and the Capital Regional Hospital District.

To date, five urgent and primary care centres have been announced in the Island Health region, including in the Westshore, Nanaimo, James Bay, Esquimalt and North Quadra.
The centre in Esquimalt will be part of the Western Communities Primary Care Network.

“Today, we’re announcing a new UPCC coming to 890 Esquimalt Rd. that will help connect more people in this community with the team-based and comprehensive health care they need,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.

“The centre will be a permanent fixture in the community. It will help address gaps in everyday health care and support a long-term relationship between patients and their health-care providers – bringing health care in this region closer to home.”

Services will be provided by appointment only. For more information, visit Island Health.

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