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Vulnerable patient care: Prince George Needle Exchange and UPCC collaborate

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A one-story clinic that is part of a strip mall at sunset.
The Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre.

(Note: This story was written prior to COVID-19, and services may look slightly different now.)

Recently, a vulnerable person accessing services at the Prince George Needle Exchange had some concerns that couldn’t be addressed there. So, the nurse working arranged with the patient to go to the Prince George Urgent and Primary Care Centre (PG UPCC).

The PG UPCC provides after-hours care to:

  • People with an illness or injury that needs to be looked at within 12 to 24 hours, but isn’t an emergency
  • People that have a hard time getting an appointment at their family doctor’s or nurse practitioner’s office in a timely manner
  • People who don’t have a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner

In the end, the two clinics collaborated to ensure the patient was able to access appropriate care for their needs.

It’s important for Northern Health staff and physicians to recognize when they need to refer a patient elsewhere to receive great patient care, as was the case when these two clinics came together!