Northern Health to launch Virtual Clinic, expanding health care options for remote communities in Northern BC

British Columbians in remote and underserved communities of the Northern Health Authority now have a new option for medical care, with the BC Ministry of Health introducing a new approach to primary care in the North, through a Virtual Clinic.

The new service was announced Tuesday by Health Minister Adrian Dix who outlined the scope of the new program.

“Every person in British Columbia deserves to have the health care they need, as soon as they need it, wherever they live. People living in rural and remote communities in B.C. have faced challenges in accessing health care for too long. The launch of the virtual clinic will mean that people will be able to see a primary care provider and have access to efficient, same-day health-care services, in their own home, virtually.”

The clinic is designed for communities without a family physician or nurse practitioner or those in need of medical care after business hours will be able to speak to a health care provider between 10 AM and 10 PM seven days a week and on holidays.

“This virtual clinic will make a meaningful difference in addressing our large geography and service availability in small remote communities. Since we launched the virtual clinic at the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve heard from many people about the difference an accessible virtual service is making in their lives.” -- Cathy Ulrich, CEO, Northern Health Authority

The virtual clinic has 28 full-time equivalent health-care providers made up of telecare and front-line nurses, clinic co-ordinators, administrative staff, a telecare team lead and a program specialist, with plans to expand in the future. 

The virtual clinic will serve patients experiencing a variety of symptoms, such as skin rashes and infections, asthma and mild breathing difficulties, sprains, earaches and flu-like symptoms. The clinic will also offer care for those experiencing mental health challenges or wanting substance use treatment, such as opioid agonist therapy.

The program builds on the success of the COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information line launched in 2020, with funding of 3.8 million dollars from government the virtual clinic will be a permanent program to deliver primary and community care.

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice noted how the new service will help to address health needs that currently may not be met.

“Many people living in the North lack a family physician or nurse practitioner, and many communities don’t have walk-in clinics, so health-care needs often go unmet, Thanks to this new virtual clinic, northerners will now have access to expanded primary care.”

The Phone number for the Virtual clinic is 1-844-645-7811

Further background on how the new initiative will work can be explored here.

More on Tuesday's announcement can be found here.

For more notes on Health care in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.