Rural communities across the province have seen an increase in healthcare demands, and the Village of Ashcroft is no exception.
While they’ve dealt with multiple closures of their emergency department in the past few months, a new facility is expected to ease pressures on the system.
As of today, Interior Health and the Government of British Columbia announced a brand new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) in town.
“A new UPCC in Ashcroft will offer people increased access to the health care they need, when they need it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
“With the support of local health-care teams and through community collaboration, we’re strengthening primary care services throughout the province. In Ashcroft, this means that more people can access same-day, everyday health care.”
The Ascroft UPCC is at the same location as the old Ashcroft Hospital & Community Health Care Centre, but they’re still gradually opening the new facility.
It's expected to first provide urgent primary care services, including connecting patients without a primary care provider to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Urgent care services are available for people with non-life-threatening conditions who need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours but do not require an emergency department, such as sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections.
The primary care services available at the UPCC will include diagnosis and treatment for minor illnesses, as well as provision of harm-reduction supplies and education, reproductive care, vaccinations and injections, early detection, guideline-based chronic disease management, and coordination of services, referrals to community services, pre-and post-surgical care, and ongoing monitoring, including of medication.
“Opening this UPCC in Ashcroft is the first of its kind in Interior Health to stabilize rural health care in a model that provides urgent primary care 12 hours per day close to home, while ensuring the network connection to Royal Inland Hospital when a higher level of care is required,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health.
“I am also impressed with the recruitment of staff to support rural care; it indicates to me the passion health-care staff have for team-based rural medicine.”
Starting Sept. 27, the Ashcroft UPCC is open seven days a week, 8 am until 8 pm, with nursing and allied health teams providing team-based primary care services.
