A new $7-million urgent and primary care centre is expected to open in downtown Duncan next year, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced Wednesday.
Construction of the 10,000-square-foot Cowichan UPCC at 940 Government St. is underway. The $7-million cost includes medical equipment, clinic furnishings and technology.
UPCCs are intended for people who do not have a doctor or nurse practitioner or can’t access their provider and need care within 12 to 24 hours, but don’t require the services of a hospital ER — such as those with sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections.
Cowichan’s UPCC will also offer primary-care services for patients attached to the facility.
Once fully staffed, the UPCC is expected to have approximately 30 full-time-equivalent staff, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, mental-health clinicians and clinical support staff, according to the Health Ministry.
There are seven UPCCs in the Island Health region, including facilities in Langford, North Quadra, James Bay, downtown Victoria, Esquimalt, Gorge Road and Nanaimo. There are 35 UPCCs in the province.
Amid a province-wide doctor shortage, many UPCCs face high demand, with patients complaining of lining up in early-morning hours or phoning ahead only to be waitlisted. There have also been complaints of understaffing.
Operated by Island Health, the Cowichan UPCC is a collaboration between Island Health, the Ministry of Health, Cowichan Primary Care Network, Indigenous communities and organizations, and the Cowichan Division of Family Practice.
Dr. Carole Williams, co-chair of the Cowichan Division of Family Practice, said it was a collective decision to implement a UPCC in Cowichan and continued collaboration will be “critical” going forward.
“This is a facility designed to align with existing services and help to meet the growing need for primary care,” Williams said in a statement.
