Northern Health has committed to expanding the Fort St. James Primary Care/Medical Clinic in a way that will improve primary care and community health services for patients and staff, as well as introduce team-based care.
The Fort St. James Primary Care/Medical Clinic is moving to a new location which will undergo renovations to better meet the needs of the community.
Plans for the project include:
- Expansion of the clinic office and exam rooms;
- Addition of services such as tele-health;
- Enhanced space to ensure patient privacy, and;
- Co-location with Northern Health’s community health services to enable a team-based approach to service delivery.
“We know team-based care has the potential to help more people access the primary care they need to improve and maintain their health,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “This Northern Health initiative has recognized this type of care delivered by health-care teams working together can help make sure that people have access to effective supports, which can reduce hospitalizations and improve long-term health outcomes.”
The new space will better meet the needs of the community, staff and physicians as Northern Health moves toward a team-based model of health care delivery. Local health services will be shifted to an integrated primary and community care approach where physicians and other health care providers, such as nurses, nurse practitioners, counsellors and dieticians, work closer together to provide coordinated care.
“As we continue to build our primary & community health services around people and their families, we need to make sure we also have the right space to do that,” said Colleen Nyce, Northern Health board chair. “This is another step in helping us to improve the environment and the care people receive.”
“Making health services more accessible for patients and staff is a priority that will make a real difference in Fort St. James,” said Jerry Petersen, Chair of the Stuart Nechako Regional Hospital District. “This expanded space and the co-location of community care services will better serve our community.”
“Our society has been working diligently with Northern Health to finalize the expansion of our primary care services which include a new space for the medical clinic and integrated health services,” said Ann McCormick, Chair of the Fort St. James Primary Care Society. “We recognize the need of our communities, patients and health care workers to have a space that can provide exceptional health services for our area.”
Primary Care and Community Health Services will be located at 121-250 Douglas Avenue, and the renovation project is estimated to be complete by spring 2019.