More people in Richmond will have better access to team-based health care with a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) opening on April 25, 2022, at its permanent location at 110-4671 No. 3 Rd.

The centre replaces the temporary location, which opened in April 2021.

"The new Richmond City Centre UPCC will connect residents in Richmond with quality same-day, everyday health care when they need it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. "We are working with our partners to meet the growing primary care needs of people in the Lower Mainland and throughout British Columbia. The Richmond City Centre UPCC builds on Vancouver Southeast, Vancouver City Centre, Northeast Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Research, Education, and Action for Community Health, known as REACH services.”

The Richmond City Centre UPCC is the 24th UPCC announced under the government's primary care strategy. The Richmond City Centre UPCC is a collaboration between Vancouver Coastal Health, the Ministry of Health, the Richmond Division of Family Practice and other community partners. It is part of the Richmond Primary Care Network.

This UPCC will serve two purposes. First, it will provide urgent primary care 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 centre will be full service, including on-site and outpatient access to X-ray services. The health-care team at the permanent site will be made up of approximately 33 full-time-equivalent health-care workers, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and a social worker.

Urgent care will be available Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Statutory holidays will follow the same service hours.

Second, centre staff will work with the Richmond Division of Family Practice to help attach patients to a regular primary care provider. It will provide ongoing wraparound care for unattached patients while they arrange for patients to be connected to other local practices for their longitudinal care.

“I’m excited that many people and their families living in Richmond will have better access to team-based care, including mental health and addictions,” said Aman Singh, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough. “It’s also important that they get attached to a primary care provider if they do not have one.” 

Longitudinal primary care services are expected to begin by fall 2022 and will be available Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. These services will include allied health services, such as social work, dieticians and mental-health supports, as well as medical diagnostics.

“Timely access to everyday health care can be challenging for many people living in Richmond,” said Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond-Stevenson. “The new Richmond City Centre UPCC provides a real solution for our community’s families, with more same-day appointments for people with urgent needs, and comprehensive team-based care closer to home.”

Henry Yao, MLA for Richmond South Centre, said: “As someone who has used the urgent and primary care centre in Richmond already, I know people appreciate having access to an UPCC, and will continue to benefit. Having same-day, everyday access to primary care services in Richmond will improve the lives of many people throughout the community.”

People in need of support for complex and chronic conditions, including mental-health and substance use supports, will have better access to the right care from the right provider with improved connections to specialized services provided by the health authority, particularly opioid agonist treatment.

Since Feb. 3, 2022, Vancouver City Centre, Northeast Vancouver and REACH UPCCs have reported a total of 163,251 patient visits.

Quotes:

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions –

“The centre’s mental-health and addictions care is vital to removing barriers to and stigma about care. I’m proud that people in Richmond, along with so many other B.C. communities, will have better access to critical mental-health and addictions supports.”

Vivian Eliopoulos, president and CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority –

“Vancouver Coastal Health is pleased to enhance access to care for more people in the community of Richmond. The new Richmond City Centre Urgent and Primary Care Centre allows us to provide urgent health-care services as well as primary care to seniors and clients with medically complex, mental-health and social-work needs. Residents can expect expanded health-care services with extended hours when we open the permanent UPCC.” 

Michael Sandler, CEO, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC –

“Nurses and nurse practitioners of B.C. are pleased to see that the knowledge, skills and expertise of the entire health-care team will be utilized to improve access to health care for all British Columbians through urgent and primary care clinics. We believe that this approach will be pivotal in ensuring B.C. families can access health-care services, and we are excited to see the opening of another urgent and primary care clinic in B.C."

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.