Additional staffing at the Cranbrook Urgent and Primary Care Centre has allowed the facility to expand operating hours, according to Interior Health.
The new operating hours were made possible due to the addition of a family physician, a nurse practitioner, two registered nurses and three medical office assistants.
The Cranbrook UPCC, located at the Baker Street Professional Centre at 1311 2nd St. N, is open Monday to Friday from 9 am - 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on statutory holidays.
“By extending the hours of operation, we’re helping more people in Cranbrook quickly connect with a practitioner to best treat their condition,” said Adrian Dix, Health Minister. “The additional seven health-care providers are crucial to the urgent care team and providing quality services.”
The facility now boats a complement of 19 health care professionals, according to Interior Health, and has a planned build out to a staff of 28. The UPCC staff operates in a team based environment where patients are connected with the health care professional who can best treat their injury or illness.
“We are excited to have more health-care professionals joining the team at the Cranbrook Urgent and Primary Care Centre, working together for people in Cranbrook and area,” said Susan Brown, Interior Health president and CEO. “This centre came together with great support from our partners with the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District, the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice and the Ktunaxa Nation. It’s rewarding to see it expanding, so that people in the community have more access to health-care services they need.”
The Cranbrook UPCC is the seventh such facility in Interior Health and the 28th in the province.
READ: New primary care health centre opens in Cranbrook
A $3 million project, the the facility is located in converted space in the old Baker St. Mall, and has health care professionals available to treat patients for non-emergency injuries or illnesses that require same-day or next-day attention.
Since opening, the Cranbrook Centre has seen more than 1,300 patients and many have been treated by more than one health-care provider.
Additionally, 438 people have been added to a waiting list to join the clinic for a primary care provider, with patient connections expected to be made by the fall. Maternity care services are expected to be added this year, according to Interior Health.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.com
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