Penticton gets new urgent and primary care centre

People living in Penticton and surrounding communities have better access to team-based everyday health care with a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) that is now open at 101 – 437 Martin Street.

A team of 14 full-time equivalent (FTE) clinical health-care professionals is currently working at the centre, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals.

The team is first providing long-term primary care services for people with mental health and substance use needs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. These services include complex care management, mental health and substance-use health care, opioid agonist treatment, women’s health support and counselling referrals.

This is the 22nd UPCC to open under the government’s primary care strategy. Of those, six are in the Interior Health region, including in Castlegar, Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon and West Kelowna.

“The opening of the Penticton UPCC is excellent news for people living in the region,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The centre will help connect more people with the health care they need when they need it most. Area residents who currently do not have a primary care provider will benefit from increased access to same-day appointments for urgent needs and ongoing primary care.”

The centre is expected to be fully operational by the end of April 2021. At that time it is anticipated that approximately 19 FTE health-care workers will be recruited, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative staff. Beginning April 12, the UPCC will increase urgent primary care services, Monday to Thursday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday noon to 6 p.m. with services on Friday and Sunday coming later.

This means more access to same-day care for people who need health care within 12 to 24 hours, but don’t require an emergency department, such as people with sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections.

The UPCC will help attach patients to regular primary care providers by connecting patients to health-care providers in the community, in collaboration with the South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice. In addition, the centre will provide ongoing care for unattached patients while they work on connecting patients to other local practices for their long-term care.

“This expansion of service for South Okanagan residents is exciting because it will provide greater access, closer to home,” said Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. “People in communities throughout the South Okanagan region will benefit from more patient-centred, team-based care. The opening of the Penticton UPCC provides one more avenue to lower the barriers for those seeking care in rural communities like ours.”