New Urgent and Primary Care Centre Opens in Duncan to Serve Community

Residents in the Cowichan Valley can now access timely health services with the opening of the new Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) in Duncan. The facility, located at 940 Government St., officially commenced operations on October 16, 2023. This centre aims to provide same-day urgent care and will eventually offer long-term primary care attachment for the local population.

Josie Osborne, the Health Minister of British Columbia, emphasized the importance of the UPCC, stating, “People in B.C. deserve timely, high-quality care that they and their families can depend on.” She noted that this facility is essential for rural communities, enhancing the access to same-day primary health care for residents throughout the Cowichan Valley.

Access to the clinic is by appointment only, with assessments conducted via telephone by nurses or clinicians. The UPCC operates daily from 08:00 to 20:00 for urgent appointments and from 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday for patients registered through the Health Connect Registry.

The facility is set to employ over 30 full-time equivalent health-care professionals, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and mental health clinicians. “This new UPCC is great news for people living in and around Duncan,” said Debra Toporowski (Qwulti’stunaat), MLA for Cowichan Valley and parliamentary secretary for rural health.

The UPCC is particularly significant for local Indigenous communities, including the Cowichan Tribes, Penelakut Tribe, Halalt, Lyackson, Stz’uminus, Malahat, Ts’uubaa-asatx, and Ditidaht First Nations. These groups will benefit from having access to health care that is closer to their homes and communities.

The new facility features a multicultural room, twelve patient-exam rooms, and five consultation rooms specifically designed for mental health, substance use, and social work support. Funding for the UPCC comes from a combination of sources, including $6.9 million in annual provincial operating budget, $860,000 in startup funding, and additional investments totaling $8.2 million for tenant improvements from the province and the Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District.

The opening of the Cowichan UPCC addresses significant health care challenges in the region, particularly the ongoing shortage of family doctors. Earlier this year, both physicians in Lake Cowichan left their practices, leaving approximately 6,600 residents without primary care access. To mitigate this issue, the community is working to establish a nurse practitioner-led clinic on Cowichan Lake Road, which already has a waitlist exceeding 1,000 individuals.

Until this new clinic becomes operational, volunteers are assisting residents by providing transportation to appointments in Duncan, which is a 30-minute journey each way. The establishment of the UPCC represents a significant step forward in improving health care access for the Cowichan Valley community.