New urgent and primary care centre for Victoria-Fraserview in Vancouver
The newest additional urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) opening in Vancouver will be within the Victoria-Fraserview neighbourhood.
The provincial government announced today it is opening the healthcare facility at 5880 Victoria Drive — near the northeast corner of the intersection of West 44th Avenue and Victoria Drive, within a 5,150 sq ft space previously used for an acupressure and therapy business. About $3.8 million is being spent to renovate and equip the space.
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Vancouver Southeast UPCC, the name of the facility, will open on March 29, 2022. The facility is strategically located very near several public transit bus routes, pharmacies, and a LifeLabs laboratory testing location.
Operating hours will initially be set from 8 am to 10 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 9 am to 5 pm on Sundays and holidays. It will open daily, 365 days a year.
Location of Vancouver Southeast UPCC at 5880 Victoria Drive, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Inside the North Vancouver Urgent and Primary Care Centre at 221 West Esplanade. (Bowinn Ma/Twitter)
When fully staffed, there will be about 22 full-time equivalent clinical healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, and social workers.
Like other UPCC facilities, the facility serves to provide care for people with non-life threatening conditions who need to see a healthcare provider within 12 to 24 hours, but do not require an emergency department visit. This includes treating patients with sprains, cuts, high fevers, and minor infections, which will reduce the volumes of patients seeking treatment for minor ailments at emergency departments.
As well, it will help link patients to a regular primary care provider.
“We look forward to the integration of the Vancouver Southeast UPCC in hopes it will strengthen primary care in the community. Doctors of BC has a strong interest in ensuring people have access to the health-care services they need,” said Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, the president of Doctors of BC.
“We also emphasize the importance of measures that strengthen the long-term relationships between patients and their family doctor. These relationships have been shown to improve health outcomes, help avoid preventable illness and reduce the cost of health care.”
The facility is a partnership between Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the BC Ministry of Health, and the Vancouver Division of Family Practice.
This will be the 27th UPCC location announced by the provincial government, and the sixth within VCH’s jurisdiction.
According to the provincial government, since early February 2022, there have been a combined total of over 163,000 patient visits to the UPCC locations of Vancouver City Centre, Northeast Vancouver, and REACH UPCC.