In an effort to improve access to healthcare, the City of Colwood is preparing to launch a pilot project that will create a new medical clinic with up to eight family doctors.
In partnership with Aroga Lifestyle Medicine and Pure Pharmacy, the city hopes to open the new municipal clinic in 2025, which they say, when fully staffed, will have the capacity to provide family doctors for 10,000 Colwood residents.
If given the go-ahead, the Colwood Medical Clinic will be located at 345A Latoria Blvd. in Royal Bay, which will be leased and managed by the city. The eight family doctors will all be recruited and employed by the city.
Councillors will discuss these plans at a meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.
"The clinic will open with one doctor and will continue to ramp up to eight physicians by the end of year two," explains a report, posted to the city's website ahead of the upcoming meeting. "Doctors will be recruited from throughout Canada and the international community. The intention is not to recruit doctors from other family practice clinics in Greater Victoria."
"The clinic will first prioritize Colwood residents without a family doctor. When there is further capacity in the clinic, there may be an opportunity for residents with family doctor outside of Colwood to change to one at the Colwood Clinic."
According to the report, the doctors will be paid through the city, funded by provincial revenues billed by the clinic through the Ministry of Health.
