VERNON - People in North Okanagan and Shuswap areas will have improved access to care through a newly established primary-care network (PCN), which will add nearly 75 health-care providers to the region.

"I know many people are worried about access to family doctors," said Premier David Eby. "The work we are doing in Vernon and the broader North Okanagan and Shuswap region to hire dozens of primary health-care providers will mean more people will get better access to the services they need."

The PCN will include nearly 75 new full-time health-care provider positions when fully operational and attach approximately 22,500 people to a health-care provider over the next four years.

"We know people in the North Okanagan Shuswap area need increased access to primary health-care services," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. "By investing in the development of a new primary-care network in Vernon and adding more health-care professionals in the community, we are demonstrating our commitment to connecting more people to health-care services."

These health-care providers include family doctors, nurse practitioners and registered nurses, as well as allied health professionals, such as clinical pharmacists and social workers, and dedicated resources for Indigenous patients.

"I hear from people in the region about the need to take more action to help people access health care," said Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee and Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors' Services. "This new primary-care network is great news for our communities. It will help provide better access to care and I look forward to having more health-care workers supporting people in the region."

The PCN will strengthen team-based care and improve access and attachment to primary-care services, including through virtual health services, a teaching network and extended operating hours for North Okanagan communities. In addition, a team of primary-care and allied health professionals will be recruited to support Indigenous health needs, providing more co-ordinated and culturally safe primary-care services for Indigenous people in the area.

For people and families, it means extended access to health-care services during evenings and weekends, and being connected to appropriate services and supports in the community. The PCN will use the Health Connect Registry to help connect people to primary-care providers within its geography.

The network was developed in collaboration with health-care partners through a collaborative services committee with Interior Health, Northern Health, the North Okanagan Division of Family Practice and local Indigenous partners to better meet the specific needs of the communities to include:

• creating an integrated system of care that focuses on patients having access to comprehensive primary-care services;
• better co-ordinated services for people with chronic health conditions;
• making it easier for patients to access urgent and extended hours of care; and
• ensuring culturally safe care for Indigenous people.

Once fully implemented, the Ministry of Health will provide approximately $12.8 million annually for the PCN. In addition, one-time funding of $1.8 million is also being provided, which includes funding to support the transition of services to a team-based model of care, recruitment and training for providers, and patient engagement, among other things.

The PCN is a part of government's ongoing work to enhance access to health-care services within local communities. It supports B.C.'s Health Human Resources Strategy announced on Sept. 29, 2022, which identifies 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers. There are 77 primary-care networks currently and work is underway to establish them in more communities throughout the province over the next two years.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Province's primary health-care strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010

To learn more about the Province's strategy to increase the number of nurse practitioners, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0034-000995

To learn more about the Province's strategy to recruit and retain more family medicine graduates, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0052-001043

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