A municipal-run medical clinic on Vancouver Island is up for discussion at the Tuesday, April 1 meeting of Prince George’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs.
A report attached to the agenda states that the City of Colwood, located southwest of Victoria with a population of around 19,000, is expected to open the Colwood Clinic later this year.
This clinic will have one physician employed in its first year and is expected to go up to eight in its second year. According to the report, the clinic will have the capacity to care for 10,000 residents when fully staffed in year five of the projects.
The clinic will be run through the Longitudinal Payment Model introduced by the BC government in 2022.
That means that the doctors, the office manager and the assistants will be municipal employees with benefits, vacation, pension and salaries provided by the city but funded through the Ministry of Health.
An article from Colwood’s website attached to the agenda states that a company called Aroga Lifestyle Medicine will partner with the city as medical director and the space for the clinic is being leased from a local pharmacy.
Another document, a list of answers to frequently asked questions provided by the city, states that the clinic is expected to be revenue positive within five years, with start-up costs paid for initially by municipal taxes being recovered.
The clinic will prioritize locals currently without a family doctor before expanding when capacity is increased.
“Doctors will be recruited from throughout Canada and the international community such as the U.K.,” the document said. “The intention of the recruitment plan is not to recruit doctors from other family practices in Greater Victoria. The Colwood Clinic also represents an opportunity for local doctors who have left family practice for other opportunities such as telehealth to come back to family practice.”
The FAQ page also said the model of the clinic will appeal to physicians who want to help patients without having to manage the administrative work of owning and running a business.
The City of Prince George’s report does not say whether it or the committee are considering establishing a similar clinic here.
