The Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) will open today to provide people with same-day access to urgent and primary care.
It will be the second UPCC in the North under the government’s primary health-care strategy.
“We know that for many people in Prince George, same-day access to the care they need has been a challenge” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre will offer patients access to a team of health-care professionals to provide the immediate care they need, and also offer them ongoing care through referrals to a range of community services and supports.”
The centre will offer after-hours care in the evenings and weekends for people with non-life-threatening conditions who need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours but do not require the level of expertise found in emergency departments. Physicians and nurses will provide care supported by urgent access to mental health and substance use clinicians. Follow-up care will be coordinated through scheduled appointments with the appropriate clinician or service.
It’s expected the UPCC will be fully implemented in fall 2019 with expanded hours and will be staffed by a team of health professionals including doctors, a nurse practitioner, nurses and mental health and substance use clinicians. These health-care providers will be able to connect patients with a variety of services and programs, making it easier for patients to receive follow-up care and access to other services they may need.
The UPCC opens today at 1 p.m. and is located in the Parkwood Place Mall, 1600 15th Ave. Suite 143. Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis.
The new Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre was created through a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Northern Health, the Prince George Division of Family Practice and the Nechako Medical Clinic. The centre is a key component of the Prince George Primary Care Network, previously announced in April and builds on the commitment to better access to team-based care.
Quotes:
Colleen Nyce, Chair, Northern Health board
“We’re pleased that the new Prince George Urgent and Primary Care centre is opening to serve residents of Prince George and the surrounding area. This new service will provide much-needed access to primary care for people in this region, including improved access to team-based care for patients and families.”
Dr. Garry Knoll, Board Chair, Prince George Division of Family Practice
“The Prince George Division of Family Practice is very excited to co-lead the development of the Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre with the Nechako Medical Clinic and Northern Health. The UPCC will build on 25 years of service by the Nechako Clinic to bring our community much needed urgent access to team based care resources. This clinic will further develop the solid foundation of integrated Family Practice, accessible to all residents of Prince George that the physicians in this community have been working towards for many years.”
Dr. Brian Hillhouse, Nechako Medical Clinic
“The Nechako Medical Clinic is comprised of a group of over 35 primary care physicians who in addition to running day time Family Practice clinics, have been providing after hours medical care to the Prince George community for the past 25 years. We are excited for the opportunity to integrate our medical practice with this expanded multidisciplinary primary care team. The new resources of the UPCC and the expanded team-based care will allow for greater access to primary care for the community, and provide a higher quality and more holistic urgent and after hours medical care.”