STEPS North Shore Community Health Centre aims to serve 4,300 without family doctors

Photo: Josh Dawson

The STEPS North Shore Community Health Centre opened its doors on May 15 at 202B-780 Windsor Ave. on the North Shore.

A new health centre has swung open its doors on the North Shore, with the goal of connecting thousands of Kamloops and area residents to a primary-care provider.

The health centre opened on May 15 at 202B-780 Windsor Ave. and plans to connect 4,300 people in and around Kamloops without a doctor or nurse practitioner with a primary-care provider when fully operational.

“The STEPS North Shore Community Health Centre brings us closer to our goal of providing everyone in B.C. the high-quality health care they need, when and where they need it,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne.

“The centre is expected to facilitate more than 30,000 patient visits each year in a culturally safe, trauma-informed environment.”

Since opening, the centre has hired 0.2 full-time equivalent family physicians, one FTE registered nurse, one FTE mental-health therapist, 0.8 FTE community-health worker and one FTE executive director.

Once fully operational, the centre is expected to have a full compliment comprising of more than a dozen healthcare workers, including two family physicians, three nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, community health workers, a physiotherapist and support staff.

The health centre aims to be open six days a week, including some morning and evening hours, and interviews for additional clinical positions are currently being conducted.

STEPS is a non-profit society that has provided interdisciplinary, team-based primary health care in the Thompson region since 2017, and will operate the health centre.

STEPS president Colin O’Leary said the company is focused on strengthening relationships between patients and health-care providers.

“These relationships have been shown to improve health outcomes, help avoid preventable illness and reduce the cost of health care,” O’Leary said.

“The new North Shore Community Health Centre will expand on the network of care we have built in the Thompson Region and enhance primary-care services for underserved populations in our community.”

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown said in a news release that IH was expanding access to primary care by working with community partners like STEPS.

“This means more people will be supported in staying healthy through early intervention, personalized care plans and a broad team of health professionals focused on long-term health and well-being,” she said.

The province said is has committed more than $2.6 million in annual operating funding and over $2 million in additional start-up funds, including more than $1.3 million for tenant improvements for the health centre.

The centre will also be part of the Thompson Region Primary Care Network.