The Northern Island community is about to get a new way to access healthcare.
A health centre that has been in the works since earlier this year is opening its doors for patients next week.
A soft opening is set for Tuesday, Aug. 8. On that day, the clinic will have two doctors in office ready to help the community. From then on, the location should be fully operational, only adjusting to physician availability or holidays.
“We’re all going to need a doctor at some point in our lives. It’s really, really important that we do this and develop this. It’s about a whole wellness lifestyle, not just going to the doctor to cure an illness,” Helen Owen, the interim executive director of the project, said in an interview.
Additional doctors are expected to come on board later in the summer. A third family physician will be coming in on Aug. 21, and Owen said additional services will also be offered.
“We’ll have an addiction specialist, we’re having a chiropractor, an occupational therapist, and there is an internal medicine specialist from the Lower Mainland who will also be doing work here,” Owen said.
This coming fall, there will be a second and official grand opening. At which time Owen said the clinic will be more polished, with things like the decor and room dressings fully completed.
Hours of the health centre as of next week, are as follows: Monday and Tuesday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.
Walk-in hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
With regard to the somewhat limited walk-in hours, Owen said that the walk-in service is an extra, something secondary to the main purpose of the clinic. There are no current plans to expand those hours in the future.
The health centre is located in the Thunderbird Mall, 8950 Granville St., Unit 119.
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