September 15, 2020 | People living in the Kootenay Boundary region will have better access to primary health care with the creation and implementation of a primary care network in the region.
“Team-based care that responds to the needs of each community is going to be the backbone of the new primary care system in B.C. and will transform how patients' everyday health-care needs are met today, tomorrow and beyond,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “By establishing new primary care networks, as part of our primary care strategy, we are strengthening health care supports to address long-standing gaps in everyday health care for people in B.C., including those living in the Kootenay Boundary region.”
Government will provide $5.3 million in annual funding to the Kootenay Boundary primary care network when fully established.
Over the next three years, residents will benefit from approximately an additional 33 full-time equivalent (FTE) health-care providers who will provide better access to primary care in the communities. This will include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, allied health professionals, a clinic pharmacist, an Aboriginal health co-ordinator, one manager and one administrative support staff.
The Kootenay Boundary primary care network is a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Interior Health, Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice, the Ktunaxa Nation, and the Okanagan Nation Alliance.