More than half a million dollars has already been raised toward a $3.5-million project that will dramatically improve the availability of primary care on Salt Spring — and a partnership between one of the island’s newest healthcare advocates and one of its oldest aims to expand on that initiative.
On Friday, Oct. 24, the Island Community Clinic Society (ICCS) and the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation (LMHF) announced a collaborative response to the critical shortage of family doctors and primary care health workers on Salt Spring: attracting and retaining practitioners by transforming the existing Salt Spring Island Health Centre into a non-profit team-based community health centre, backed by the land-owning Gulf Islands Seniors Residence Associations’s commitment to long-term tenure.
“Since arriving on Salt Spring, I’ve watched our physician-to-population ratio decline due to two major barriers: insufficient clinic space and an outdated model,” said Dr. Christopher Applewhaite, ICCS chair, “that forces doctors to juggle admin, HR and accounting to operate a clinic.”
Applewhaite said physicians are practising beyond their core training into areas like social work, and that by expanding the centre’s facilities and shifting to a professionally managed clinic, things will improve for doctors and patients.
“Our vision is to make Salt Spring a flagship for modern primary care in B.C.,” he said.
Organizers said an expanded clinic would also relieve pressure on Lady Minto Hospital — by diverting non-emergency visits and increasing the pool of physicians available to staff the Emergency Department.
“Everyone deserves primary care,” said LMHF executive director Eric Jacobsen. “Prevention and early support aren’t luxuries — they are the foundation of a healthy community.”
Team-based community health centres — where physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and mental health clinicians work together under one roof — are recognized by the B.C. Ministry of Health as the province’s preferred model, he said, for improving access, continuity and patient outcomes — and that structure also helps recruitment efforts, as new practitioners can join an established clinic rather than have to build an independent business from the ground up.
“Expanding primary care isn’t just about improving the health system, it’s about supporting our neighbours, friends and families in real and tangible ways,” said Jacobsen. “Our goal is simple: the right care, available when people need it most. This expansion is the single most powerful step we can take toward that commitment.”
Organizers said funding from both the Salt Spring Island Foundation and the LMHF has secured the funds to hire an executive director to lead the next phase of development in the coming year. ICCS said it had also invested in business planning and model-of-care design, drawing on successful examples from other communities — including Whistler 360 — and adapting them to Salt Spring Island’s unique needs.
A rezoning application for affordable housing at the Kings Lane property awaits third reading from Salt Spring’s Local Trust Committee, and if advanced would also lift current restrictions to expand the number of practitioners allowed.
Funding for 11 full-time-equivalent primary healthcare positions has been earmarked by the provincial government for Salt Spring Island through the primary care network of the South Island Division of Family Practice.
The LMHF Primary Care Fund has raised $600,000 so far to advance the $3.5-million expansion, according to the foundation. For information on how to contribute, visit ladymintofoundation.com/projects/primarycare.