Golden residents will soon benefit from expanded access to team-based primary care and public health services with the opening of the new Golden Primary Care Centre.

The new facility brings several local services together under one roof, making it easier for people to receive coordinated, community-based care close to home.

The Golden Primary Care Centre will be home to the East Kootenay Primary Care Network team as well as the maternity program, public health nursing, dental hygiene, newborn screening, and chronic disease management.

This new site reflects the collaborative efforts of the East Kootenay Primary Care Network—a partnership between Interior Health, Ktunaxa Nation, and the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice—demonstrating a shared commitment to improving community health and delivering seamless, well-coordinated care for the region.

“The opening of this centre improves access to primary care for people in Golden by expanding the local care team and strengthening coordinated services. The relocation of public health and chronic disease management into the new primary care centre also gives Golden District Hospital the opportunity to optimize the spaces where hospital-based acute care services are provided,” said Lindsay Hetu, East Kootenay Executive Director, Clinical Operations, Interior Health.

“With continued and growing demand for acute care services the team will be able to care for patients in the best space possible based on individual care needs.”

“This new primary care centre in Golden is an exciting next step forward for team-based care in our community,” said Dr. Allison Clare, Golden Family Physician.

“Co-locating the primary care network, maternity care, and public health services allows our health-care teams to collaborate more easily, strengthen continuity of care, and better support patients and families across all stages of life. For the Golden community, it means more coordinated, accessible care delivered in a space designed to meet local needs. It will also free up much needed space in the Golden Medical Clinic allowing for more physician availability to the community in addition to the services provided at the new primary care site.”

Located at Suite 130 – 901 7th Street North in Golden, the new space makes it easier for residents to access coordinated health-care services in a modern, convenient setting. The space includes one treatment room, two exam rooms, two consultation rooms, and workstations supporting up to eight clinical staff.

The primary care team is a multidisciplinary group of health professionals working in partnership with physicians at the Golden Medical Clinic to provide comprehensive care for the community. Team members include registered nurses, a mental wellness clinician, a social worker, a registered dietitian, a pharmacist, a respiratory therapist, and a physiotherapist.

Having these primary care services in one location makes it easier for people to get the care they need, and it also creates space at Golden District Hospital to better support patients who need acute care.  As demand for hospital services continues to grow, the Golden Primary Care Centre helps ensure patients are cared for in the right place, at the right time.

Interior Health extends thanks to the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District, the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice, Ktunaxa Nation, the Province of B.C., and all other partners who have made this new primary care location possible.

How to access Golden Primary Care Centre Services:

The primary care network team and maternity services are accessed through family physician at the Golden Medical Clinic, 250-344-2211.

Public health nursing and chronic disease management services are accessed directly at the new Golden Primary Care Centre by calling 250-344-4460.

A Primary Care Network is a team of health-care professionals who collaborate to address primary care needs of a community, such as:

•        providing better access to a primary care team or provider;
•        providing better access to chronic disease and chronic pain management;
•        improving access to mental-health and substance-use services;
•        helping to coordinate services for vulnerable people with complex health issues; and,
•        providing comprehensive services for people living in poverty.

These networks connect local primary care providers and community service organizations to meet the health needs of specific populations, improving access to care, enhancing patient outcomes, and addressing the unique challenges and health care needs of each region.

The East Kootenay Primary Care Network supports coordinated health care that begins with the person. The EKPCN is designed to maximize health-care roles and resources in a way that optimizes the primary care team’s time, works to their strengths, and supports the patient’s health journey. This involves collaborating across different sectors and addressing social factors affecting health.

More information can be found at www.ekpcn.ca.

Lead image: Golden Primary Care Centre ribbon cutting (L-R): Rachelle Robichaud, EK Primary Care Network Lead, EK Divisions of Family Practice; Councilor Faro Bonsoyne, ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation; Dr. Allison Clare, Golden Family Physician; Roberta Schnider, Board Director, Kootenay East Regional Hospital District; Mayor Ron Oszust, Town of Golden (holding scissors); Elder Alfred Joseph, ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation (holding scissors); Lindsay Hetu, Executive Director, EK, Interior Health; Councilor Janice Alpine, ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation; Deb Fisher, Region 4 Minister, Métis Nation British Columbia; Don Devlin, Health Director, Kenpesq’t-Shuswap Band; Elder Elizabeth Hodgendoorn, Métis Nation Columbia River Society BC; Shannon Statham, Primary Care Director, EK, Interior Health; Nicole Gleeson, Primary Care Manager, EK, Interior Health. Interior Health photos

Interior Health

Article Share