This evening Colwood Council voted unanimously to advance the Colwood Clinic pilot project with the goal of increasing community well-being by providing residents with access to a family doctor.
"We know from our Household Prosperity Survey that the single most important issue for many Colwood residents is that they don't have a family doctor," said Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi. "This council is committed to supporting the health of residents by creating opportunities for healthy living, social connection, and recreation, as well as by removing the barriers that allow citizens to access family physicians."
69% of Colwood residents surveyed in December 2023 identified the need for a family doctor as their top priority. The business case for this initiative confirms the Colwood Clinic will connect 10,000 Colwoodians with a family physician by the fifth year of operation, with no ongoing impact on municipal tax funding.
This pilot project represents a new way of delivering care within the existing medical system, made possible by forward thinking improvements made by the Ministry of Health in 2022 with the introduction of the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model.
"Doctors have told us that family medicine expects them to have two full time jobs: be a doctor, and be a business owner, and that just doesn't work." said Kobayashi. "The Province has created an innovative pathway with the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model that allows municipalities to take on the business aspect so doctors can focus on well-being."
At the meeting on Monday, September 23, Colwood Council directed staff to partner with Aroga Lifestyle Medicine to take on the role of Medical Director, and to enter into a lease agreement with Pure Pharmacy to make use of the existing empty clinic space on Latoria Boulevard in Royal Bay.
Council authorized the hiring of up to eight physicians, as well as a Medical Clinic Office Manager, and up to four Medical Office Assistants. These positions will be paid as municipal employees, funded by Provincial revenues billed by the clinic through the Ministry of Health in the same way that physicians in other clinics bill for their time and office assistants.
To document Council expectations and monitor progress to ensure the initiative meets community objectives, the City will create a new medical clinic service delivery area with details to be presented as part of the upcoming 2025 Service Review.
Learn more
More details are available at The Colwood Clinic
Residents should ensure they are registered on the Provincial Health Connect Registry. The Province will provide patient lists to the clinic.
Physicians interested in working within a supportive medical team in a forward-thinking community that is focused on heath and wellbeing should contact ColwoodClinic@Colwood.ca.
Media Contact
Sandra Russell, Communications Manager srussell@colwood.ca
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