Regional board to explore ‘out of the box’ pilot project for rural healthcare

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  The regional district is looking outside the box for healthcare solutions by exploring duplicating a community clinic pilot project on Vancouver Island. 

During the May 1st regional board meeting of the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), the directors discussed a community clinic established by the City of Colwood on Vancouver Island, and the possibility of a similar solution for northeast B.C. 

The pilot program, known as the Colwood Clinic, sees physicians hired for a medical clinic as municipal employees, receiving pensions, benefits and paid by the municipality. 

The costs are covered by the local health authority, and the clinic has pulled local patients from the Health Connect Registry. 

When discussing if this was an ‘out of the box’ opportunity for healthcare in northeast B.C., the directors shared their cautious optimism. 

“I’m definitely in support of having staff look into it…we’re just continuously quadrupling taxing our taxpayers,” Danielle Veach, mayor and director of Pouce Coupe, said. 

“It’s like ‘pay the health authority through the province and then pay us,’ it’s a lot.

“But if this is something where we could go to the health authority to have them cover [it], that’s a different story.

“As I see, all these diversions, or service interruptions, let’s call it what it is, it’s affecting our residents, it’s affecting the rural residents, and I don’t think we can always rely [on Northern Health],” Darryl Krakowka, mayor and director of the District of Tumbler Ridge, said. 

“This may be an opportunity where we look outside the scope and it’s actually a benefit to the Peace River region.” 

The directors ultimately voted to have staff explore and research the Colwood Clinic and bring a report with more information to a future board meeting for another discussion.