Island Health has reached an agreement with Dr. Marshall, Dr. Forester and Dr. Horn; and with the landlord of the building housing the Ucluelet Medical Clinic, which will support continued operations of the primary care practice for up to 18 months while work continues on the development of a Primary Care Network for the West Coast.
Under this agreement physician services will be provided as follows:
- Monday – Two physicians providing in-person services
- Wednesday – One physician providing in-person services
- Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – Physician services will be provided virtually
Island Health will contribute to the overhead costs of the leased space; including utilities, janitorial services and office and medical supplies.
This provides health authority Community Health Services staff the ability to work out of the community with dedicated workspace, and for storage of equipment and supplies. Currently these staff work from offices, and have equipment and supplies stored, in Tofino.
The physicians will utilize Island Health’s group purchasing abilities for medical and office supplies.
In the weeks and months ahead, Island Health, the Long Beach Chapter of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, and local Indigenous communities and patient partners will work collaboratively to develop a service plan for the Ministry of Health to establish a Primary Care Network for the region.
A primary care network links together family practitioner offices in a local community with a range other health-care professionals – including nurse practitioners, nurses, mental health consultants among others – to provide patients access to a comprehensive range of primary-care services from a team of health-care professionals working together to better meet the needs of individual patients and the community.