Health
People and families in the Oceanside area are now benefiting from better access to primary health-care services with the opening of the Flowerstone Family Health Clinic in its permanent location at 744A Memorial Ave. in Qualicum Beach.
“The family health clinic in Qualicum is making a difference in the lives of families living in the area by registering more residents without a primary care provider," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The clinic is a strong example of how our primary care strategy is working to improve access to everyday health-care services throughout the province. It’s an important hub for the Oceanside Primary Care Network, which we announced last year, and it’s delivering co-ordinated and comprehensive team-based health care for people closer to home.”
The Flowerstone Family Health Clinic provides Oceanside residents with more opportunities to get attached to a nurse practitioner or a family physician as their regular primary care provider and to receive the primary care they need. The clinic offers access to preventative and primary health-care services for patients with complex medical and social needs, mental-health and addictions challenges and co-ordination of specialist care.
In October 2020, the clinic opened temporarily for primary care services. To date, it has recruited five full-time equivalent (FTE) nurse practitioners, two FTE medical office assistants and an interprofessional health team, including a 0.5 FTE registered nurse and a 0.3 FTE pharmacist. Flowerstone is recruiting an additional FTE practitioner and two FTE physicians to join the multidisciplinary team.
“We know how important it is for people in our community to have access to primary care, and opening a primary care clinic in Oceanside will make a real difference,” said Adam Walker, MLA for Parksville-Qualicum. “Team-based care helps people address health issues in a comprehensive way, and this clinic will make it even easier for people to get the care they need.”
As of Jan. 21, 2022, 2,150 patients have been registered at the clinic. People who do not have a primary care provider and who live in Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Oceanside rural, which includes the Errington, and Coombs to Bowser areas, can register online through the Health Connect Registry (HCR).
Patients can book virtual appointments with nurse practitioners Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In-person and same-day, team-based primary care appointments are available when necessary.
The B.C. government will provide annual operating funding of approximately $1.9 million when fully staffed. $1.4 million has been provided for startup costs.
The clinic was developed as part of the Oceanside Primary Care Network, with Flowerstone Health Society, and in close collaboration with the nurse practitioners working in the clinic.
The Flowerstone Family Health Clinic is one of several initiatives being implemented through the Oceanside Primary Care Network, announced in September 2020.
Other key strategies specific to the Oceanside network include a patient medical home attachment clinic, an Indigenous health team, and a primary-care priority response team to prevent hospital admissions and readmissions among Oceanside’s priority populations.
Learn More:
People interested in the Flowerstone Family Health Clinic can register with the Health Connect Registry (HCR) online. New patients will be called on a first-come, first served basis off the HCR. Click here to register: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry/oceanside
To learn more about the Province’s primary 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
For B-roll: https://www.dropbox.com/s/e2mglkt1xqfolj7/Flowerstone%20B%20roll.mov?dl=0
Two backgrounders follow.
