More people in Richmond will have better access to team-based, everyday health care, with a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) coming soon to the city.

“A new urgent and primary care centre is on the way for people in Richmond. We’re working hard to keep people safe during the pandemic, while meeting the health-care needs of growing communities throughout our province,” said Premier John Horgan. “The centre in Richmond is one of five new UPCCs in the Vancouver Coastal Health area that will deliver better health care for people, closer to home.”

The UPCC in Richmond will open in two phases to better provide urgent and primary care services to the people living in the region.

“Timely access to everyday health care can be challenging for the thousands of people living in Richmond,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The new Richmond UPCC will provide a real solution, as residents will be able to benefit from increased access to same-day appointments for urgent needs and comprehensive team-based care when they need it, closer to home.”

Starting April 1, 2021, the centre’s temporary site in the Community Health Access Centre at 7671 Alderbridge Way will provide urgent primary care services in evenings and on weekends. The centre will open Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday and statutory holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It is anticipated the health-care team at the temporary site will comprise 10 full-time equivalent health-care workers, including general practitioners, registered nurses and a social worker. The team will deliver urgent primary care services to people who need to see a health-care provider within 24 to 48 hours but do not require a trip to the emergency department.

Once the centre opens in its permanent location in November 2021, hours of operation will be extended. It will also add full-service long-term primary care services, including mental health and social work, as well as medical diagnostics.

At that time, the centre will also work to connect patients without a family doctor to a physician or nurse practitioner for ongoing primary care - either at the UPCC or in the community. As doctors and nurse practitioners are recruited, attachment will be provided by collaboration with the Richmond Division of Family Practice.

“Embedding mental health and addictions care into urgent and primary care centres across B.C. is vital to removing stigma and barriers to care,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “I’m encouraged that, along with so many other B.C. communities, people in Richmond and the surrounding area will now be able to connect to the mental health and addictions supports they need and deserve.”

The UPCC in Richmond is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Richmond Division of Family Practice. It is part of the Richmond Primary Care Network.

This is the 24th UPCC announced under the government's primary care strategy. Of those, five are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, including Richmond, Vancouver City Centre, REACH (East Vancouver), North Vancouver and Vancouver Northeast.

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

A backgrounder follows.