In the News

New Westminster: If you haven’t yet managed to get a flu shot, good news: Two outdoor flu clinics are coming to New Westminster. To help meet high demand for flu shots this season in the face of COVID-19, the Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice is offering outdoor clinics in parking lots in New West and the Tri-Cities.

Voiceonline: Fraser Health is opening a second test collection centre in North Surrey on November 12. This centre is a component of Fraser Health’s planned expansion to provide timely access to COVID-19 testing for those who are experiencing even mild symptoms.

Delta Optimist: Thousands of Deltans will have the volunteer hours of Delta medical practitioners to thank for answering the increased call for flu vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delta Division of Family Practice, in partnership with the City of Delta, Delta Police, Fraser Health and Public Health have coordinated four mass vaccination clinics at the Harris Barn in Ladner. There are two more clinics left which will be held from 12 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 7.

Delta Optimist: They’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes trying to improve South Delta residents’ access to local primary care, increase local physicians' influence on health care delivery and policy as well as provide professional support for physicians, especially now during a pandemic. Formed about seven years ago by physicians in South Delta and Doctors of B.C, formerly called the B.C. Medical Association, the Delta Division of Family Practice is a membership organization supporting local physicians.

Alaska Highway News: The Peace River Regional District will be surveying nurses to help address challenges and increase recruitment to the region. The PRRD board approved establishing a survey at their Oct. 22 meeting, which will be created in partnership with Northern Health and the BC Nurses’ Union.

Tri-City News: Tri-City doctors and pharmacists are ramping up the distribution of flu vaccines and will be vaccinating the public at two outdoor clinics — one each in Port Coquitlam and Port Moody — beginning Nov. 2. The goal is to encourage people to get their shot by making it easy and to provide safer ways for people to get it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tri-City News: A local group of family physicians is looking for residents to participate in a series of surveys to improve how health care is delivered across the Tri-Cities and New Westminster. The nine surveys aim to capture a variety of perceptions and experiences of people dealing with chronic pain, cancer and challenges with mental health and substance use. Other surveys focus on how pregnant mothers have interacted with health care services and how families or patients have navigated end-of-life care. 

Vernon Morning Star: Flu season is here and there is an increase in people looking to get immunized, so a Kelowna clinic got creative in how it prepares people for the seasonal flu. CGB Medical director and family physician Dr. Janet Evans said with physical distancing and disinfecting requirements, coupled with an increased demand for vaccinations, giving people the flu shot in the office just wasn’t ideal.

Castanet: A Kelowna doctor has come up with an innovative way to immunize her patients with this year's influenza vaccine with a drive-through vaccination clinic. CGB Medical family physician Dr. Janet Evans says her team needed an alternative way to vaccinate this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. As their office doesn't allow for separate entry and exit points, or the social distancing required to accommodate large numbers of patients, the team instead took inspiration from an Australian clinic who gave the concept a go. 

Times Colonist: COVID-19 assessment and test collection is now available at the Powell River Complex Clinic, a new site opened by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Powell River Division of Family Practice (PRDoFP). Located on the upper level of Powell River Recreation Complex, the clinic will provide additional capacity to assess local residents for COVID-19.

Parksville Qualicum Beach News: Qualicum Beach is going to have a new health care facility. The Flowerstone Family Health Clinic, located at Unit 1B-219 Fern Road is set to open this month and will use a nurse practitioner-led model that offers patient-centered, continuous, comprehensive and co-ordinated care with a focus on all life stages of care.

Delta Optimist: Online booking for all Fraser Health COVID-19 test collection centres is now available for people who want to make an appointment for a COVID-19 test.Testing is available for those who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, and those who have been sent for testing by a physician or Public Health.

Powell River Peak: As COVID-19 has arrived in our community, we have entered a new phase of the pandemic, and it’s one that requires each of us to find courage, patience and tolerance when that is perhaps the most difficult thing to do. We learned last week that Dr. Bonnie Henry is not only experiencing harassment from some members of the public, but also death threats. While Dr. Henry is internationally recognized, both for her expertise in public health and her compassionate leadership, she was reportedly not surprised by these abuses. Her famous saying: “Be kind, be calm and be safe” no longer appears to be simply an inspiring slogan; it’s also a warning.

Voice Online: Fraser Health said on Wednesday that COVID-19 testing continues to be available at the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Test Collection Centre to ensure timely access to testing for those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. The test collection centre was previously co-located with the Ridge Meadows Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC), which has moved to its permanent location in the Ridge Meadows Wellness Centre.

Penticton Herald: Penticton’s loss could be Summerland’s gain. As the City of Penticton continues dragging its heels on a request to make good on a 14-year-old promise to build new indoor tennis courts, the District of Summerland has an opportunity to corner the market, council was told at its meeting Monday. “There’s no indoor tennis anywhere in the South Okanagan. There are facilities in Kelowna, there’s a facility in Vernon, there’s a facility in Kamloops, but there’s nothing (in Summerland) and to the south of us,” said Bill Everitt, past-president of Summerland’s Lakeshore Raquets Club

Voice Online: In partnership with the Abbotsford Division of Family Practice, the City of Abbotsford, and the University of the Fraser Valley, Fraser Health has relocated its Abbotsford test collection centre to a new location in Abbotsford that will increase the testing capacity by almost five times. This expanded test collection centre will meet the needs of the community by providing timely access to COVID-19 testing for those who are experiencing symptoms. The new test collection centre opens on Wednesday.

Castanet: Planning is now underway to establish a Primary Care Network (PCN) within the Osoyoos Indian Band. The Syilx Okanagan Nation Chief’s Executive Council announced their support of the province’s recent implementation of PCNs  in a press release on Sept. 25 — which noted planning is underway to bring a network of primary care service providers to South Okanagan and Similkameen Indigenous communities. 

Vernon Morning Star: To help ensure access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fraser Health is encouraging people to use Fraser Health Virtual Care to connect them to health services in their communities. Fraser Health Virtual Care provides a gateway to phone and videoconference-based health services, helping people find the right service in a timely manner from the comfort of their own home.

Vernon Morning Star: The Okanagan Nation Alliance is celebrating the announcement of a new set of Primary Care Networks (PCN) in several of their communities, something they say is crucial to the ongoing health of their members. This comes after B.C. Minister of Health, Adrian Dix, announced Sept. 15 that numerous primary care networks would be implemented in parts of B.C. over the next three years.

Tri-City News: The only COVID-19 testing clinic operating in the Tri-Cities is shutting its doors next week, citing a lack of staff and resources. The Influenza Like Illness Assessment Clinic in Port Coquitlam is set to close Friday Oct. 2 at a time when active cases of the virus have reached levels not seen since the pandemic first started in British Columbia.