Press Release
Sept. 17, 2024
SURREY – More than 248,000 people have been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since the Health Connect Registry launched provincewide in July 2023.
Hundreds more people are getting matched every day. In total, more than 570,000 people have been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since the launch of the primary-care strategy in 2018.
B.C. has also added 835 new primary-care family doctors who are taking on patients since launching its new physician pay model in February 2023, all part of strong actions to recruit thousands of health-care workers and connect people to the care they need.
“We want B.C. to be a place where health care is always there for you, which is why we’re taking action to hire more family doctors and health professionals than ever before,” said Premier David Eby. “We’re starting to see some good results, but there’s a lot more we need to do. We can’t afford to slash health-care budgets when we need to be hiring even more doctors and nurses so B.C. families get the care they need when they need it.”
The pace of matches through the Health Connect Registry is accelerating following improvements implemented in April 2024. At this time, around 4,000 people per week are connected to a family doctor, which is up from 2,700 per week at the same time last year, a 52% increase. It is expected that about 160,000 more people will be matched in the next six months.
“To meet growing demand for health-care services driven by B.C.’s aging and growing population, as well as a global shortage of care providers, we are investing in a multi-front approach that supports the people who need care and the health-care providers who offer it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With the work we’re doing, more of our neighbours and loved ones are getting high-quality care that’s closer to home.”
The Province continues to look for new ways to support the recruitment and retention of health professionals. In partnership with Fraser Health Authority, the Province has also identified a new BC Builds site in Surrey to deliver rental homes prioritized for nurses and health-care workers and their families. The site is near the second hospital being built in Surrey and will allow workers to live close to where they work.
“Delivering homes for the people who provide the services we rely on and drive our economy forward is why we launched BC Builds,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “Through this BC Builds initiative, we will be able to build first-of-its-kind housing to help health-care workers and their families find homes they can afford, and help people get the health care they need.”
These homes are part of a $19-billion housing investment by the B.C. government. Since 2017, the Province has more than 84,000 homes that have been delivered or are underway for people in B.C., including nearly 1,900 in Surrey.
Increasing access to primary care for people in the province is part of the primary-care strategy launched in 2018. Recruiting, retaining and training more health-care workers is part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy launched in 2022.
Quotes:
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin, president, Doctors of BC –
“Increasing access to family doctors for thousands of British Columbians will drive better health outcomes. Improving our primary-care system through strategies like the Health Connect Registry and the longitudinal family physician (LFP) payment model for community-based and facility-based care help to ensure that patients can receive timely and consistent care. These are significant steps toward healthier communities for everyone.”
Scott Wheatley, executive director, Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce –
“The positive impact of new homes next to the hospital on the business community cannot be overstated. By offering new residents the opportunity to establish roots and live, work and play locally, this project will help Cloverdale thrive. With Surrey’s rapidly growing population, this development is a win all around.”
Quick Facts:
Learn More:
To learn more about B.C.’s actions to strengthen health care, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/health-care/
To read about B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCHealthHumanResourcesStrategy-Sept2022.pdf
To learn about the Province’s primary-care strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/bcs-primary-care-system
To sign up to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner on the Health Connect Registry, visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry
To learn more about B.C.’s actions to deliver more homes for people, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Housing
To learn more about the BC Builds program, visit: https://bcbuildshomes.ca
Two backgrounders follow.
Contacts:
Office of the Premier
Media Relations
premier.media@gov.bc.ca
Ministry of Health
Media Relations
250 952-1887
Ministry of Housing
Media Relations
236 478-0251
BC Housing
Media Relations
media@bchousing.org
BACKGROUNDER 1
What to know about primary-care strategy update
Contacts:
Office of the Premier
Media Relations
premier.media@gov.bc.ca
Ministry of Health
Media Relations
250 952-1887
Ministry of Housing
Media Relations
236 478-0251
BC Housing
Media Relations
media@bchousing.org
BACKGROUNDER 2
What to know about BC Builds homes for health-care workers in Surrey
A new site next to the new Surrey hospital has been identified to deliver homes that will be prioritized for health-care workers and staff who provide the care people count on. This site is a result from a partnership between the Province, through BC Builds at BC Housing, and Fraser Health.
The site is located at 18050 James Hill Dr., near the second hospital being built in Surrey, and will allow workers to live close to where they work.
BC Builds homes have a goal of ensuring households with middle incomes are spending no more than 30% of their income on rent. Additionally, at least 20% of units will have rents at least 20% below market rate for projects in partnership with non-profits and First Nations.
The site is in early development. Specific details, such as unit counts, planned design elements, project funding and construction timing, will be made public when finalized.
This site, in addition to 16 other BC Builds sites and projects that have so far been announced since the program launched in February 2024, are expected to have more than 2,000 homes underway or delivered for people with middle incomes over the next two years. These include more than 130 units that have already broken ground in Whistler and Gibsons.
All of these are part of the 8,000 to 10,000 homes for people with middle incomes that will start construction during the first five years of the program.
Contacts:
Office of the Premier
Media Relations
premier.media@gov.bc.ca
Ministry of Health
Media Relations
250 952-1887
Ministry of Housing
Media Relations
236 478-0251
BC Housing
Media Relations
media@bchousing.org
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