New nurse practitioner primary care clinic coming to Surrey

NEWS RELEASEFor Immediate Release2020HLTH0247-001487Aug. 7, 2020

SURREY – People and families living in Surrey will soon have access to more quality primary health-care services with the opening of a new nurse practitioner primary care clinic.

Patients can register to be attached to the clinic on Monday, Aug. 10, which will open Sept. 8, 2020.

The Province is launching Axis Primary Care Clinic, in collaboration with the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC, Fraser Health and the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice, to provide team-based primary care services to residents.

“Nurse practitioner primary care clinics are developed and run by nurse practitioners and are an integral part of our government’s comprehensive strategy to transform B.C.’s health-care system,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The clinics are a patient-centred solution to improving access to the everyday health care, and we know that compared to other jurisdictions in Canada, B.C. has not made the best use of nurse practitioners. The Axis Primary Care Clinic will help connect more people with the care they need, when they need it, closer to home.”

Located at 5795 176th St. in Surrey, Axis Primary Care Clinic will offer team-based primary care services to Surrey residents. This includes attaching approximately 6,800 people without a primary care provider to a nurse practitioner in the next three years.

The clinic will also provide access to primary health-care services to patients with complex medical and social needs, mental health and addictions challenges and co-ordination of specialist care.

Hours of operation will be Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

When fully staffed, 10 full-time equivalent health-care staff will work at the primary care clinic, including nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers and mental health clinicians.

“The Axis Primary Care Clinic would not be possible without the dedication of the Association of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC, Fraser Health, Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice and other partners,” Dix said. “We will continue our collaborative work to make sure that these clinics become an integral part of health care throughout the province.”

Once the clinic is fully operational, the B.C. government will provide annual operating funding of approximately $2 million, as well as one-time startup costs of $754,400.

Ministry of Health

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This is the second nurse practitioner primary care clinic to be announced in the province under the primary care strategy. The first clinic opened in Nanaimo in June 2020.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Province’s primary health-care strategy, visit:https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010

To learn more about the Province’s strategy to increase the number of nurse practitioners, visit:https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0034-000995

To learn more about the Province’s strategy to recruit and retain more family medicine graduates, visit:https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0052-001043

Two backgrounders follow.

What people are saying about team-based care

BACKGROUNDER 1For Immediate Release2020HLTH0247-001487Aug. 7, 2020

Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama –

“The new nurse practitioner primary care clinic in Surrey is an exciting step forward for the community. Thanks to this new approach, even more people will get access to team-based care and be attached to a primary care provider, which is much needed in the region. It will make a real difference in the lives of residents.”

Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton –

“Surrey is one of the fastest-growing communities in B.C., and the new nurse practitioner primary care clinic will help take demand off Surrey Memorial Hospital’s emergency department and connect more people to a consistent primary care provider.”

Michael Sandler, executive director, Association of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC (NNPBC) –

“Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC are pleased to have helped lead the process of conceptualizing and opening these NP Primary Care Clinics with strong community support. It has been with the diligence and advocacy of the NP Council of NNPBC and, in particular, our director of NP provincial initiatives Danielle Daigle and project manager Patricia Telford, whose detailed knowledge of the inner workings of NP practice within the larger health-care delivery context has been key to getting where we are today. We applaud this approach to team-based care that taps into the expertise of nurse practitioners as primary care providers as well as all health-care staff. This clinic is key to ensuring B.C. families can access timely health-care services when they need them, and we are thrilled about the opening of the first NP-Primary Care Clinic in Surrey.”

Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health –

“We are proud of working with the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC and the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice to co-ordinate health services to support patients and their families. This clinic will help people further manage their existing health conditions, avoid unnecessary hospital visits and remain healthy and independent as long as possible.”

Dr. Elaine Jackson, co-chair, board of directors, Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice –

“The Surrey-North Delta Division is supportive of this effort to improve access to quality health care and values the opportunity to partner with Fraser Health and Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC to launch a new nurse practitioner primary care clinic in Surrey. This clinic

Ministry of Health

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Ministry of Health Communications 250 952-1887 (media line)

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will serve patients who have difficulties accessing primary care, it will strengthen the existing network of primary care services in the community and will create an alternative employment opportunity for health-care teams wanting to provide care in Surrey.”

Axis Primary Care Clinic

BACKGROUNDER 2For Immediate Release2020HLTH0247-001487Aug. 7, 2020

Nurse practitioners are health practitioners who can work on their own, or with physicians and other health professionals, to provide care across a person’s life span. This includes diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting tests, prescribing medications and performing medical procedures.

Facts about the new Axis Primary Care Clinic:

• Patients will be received via referral and through community partners, walk-in, outreach, online or phone.

• Patient intake will start Aug. 10, 2020. Information on applying can be found here: www.npclinics.ca/axis/

• Axis Primary Care Clinic is located in Cloverdale, but will provide access to primary care services for residents of Surrey.

• Approximately 31% of visits to the Surrey Hospital emergency department could be dealt with in a primary care setting.

• Of the total Surrey population (approximately 589,000), 88,000 or 15% are 65 years of age or older.

• 41% of Surrey residents are living with illness and chronic conditions. The top five identified conditions in Surrey are hypertension, asthma, diabetes, osteoarthritis and episodic mood and anxiety disorder.

• More than 100,000 patients in Surrey-North Delta are considered unattached (16%). Of those, 15,000 live in Cloverdale.

• The available services will include:◦ new client intake and screening visits◦ regular/followup visits with clients concerning:

▪ new symptom or diagnosis▪ chronic disease management, including diabetes, asthma and heart disease▪ pregnancy/prenatal/postpartum care▪ contraception advice and treatment options▪ mental health assessment/treatment/ support▪ substance use and addiction treatment/ support▪ medication prescription refills▪ screening, e.g., sexually transmitted infections, well child checks, cervical

cancer/PAP smears▪ treatments/procedures, e.g., intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, cerumen

(ear wax) removal)▪ referrals to medical specialist and social services and completing forms▪ outreach to local community partners, and

Ministry of Health

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▪ harm-reduction strategies• Axis Primary Care Clinic will work with the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice

and Fraser Health to support the planning and development of a primary care network in the Cloverdale neighbourhood in Surrey.