Another Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) has opened in the region, giving residents of Kamloops and the surrounding area access to team-based health care.
The new North Shore UPCC has opened at units 21–22 inside the Northills Centre at 700 Tranquille Road. It will provide urgent and primary care seven days a week (including statutory holidays) from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and is the 10th UPCC to open in the Interior Health region.
The first Kamloops UPCC opened at 311 Columbia Street (Royal Inland Hospital) in 2018, and sees about 36,000 patients a year. Other UPCCs operate in Ashcroft, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Penticton, Rutland, Vernon, and West Kelowna.
All UPCCs offer primary care services for people who need support for their health concerns within 12 to 24 hours, but who do not require an emergency department. Conditions such as sprains, cuts, high fevers, and minor infections are appropriate for the UPCC.
They are available to people who do not have a primary care provider, as well as those who are unable to schedule an appointment with their primary care provider within a convenient timeframe. People who are seeking a family physician or nurse practitioner can get support at UPCCs to register with the Health Connect Registry through the Provincial Attachment System.
The North Shore UPCC will be staffed by family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, and administrative staff. When fully staffed, people will be cared for by approximately 30 full-time equivalent health care practitioners.
"We are excited to welcome patients to the second urgent and primary care clinic in Kamloops at Northills Centre, where it will be co-located with our laboratory and medical imaging departments," says Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. "This convenient, comprehensive access to care will help reduce the need to travel for different services."
"There is a great need for additional health care capacity in the Kamloops area, and this urgent and primary care centre on the North Shore will benefit many people in the Thompson-Nicola region who are seeking care," says Mike O'Reilly, chair, Thompson Regional Hospital District. "Our board welcomes this new facility, and we were pleased to contribute to capital costs."
The Kamloops North Shore UPCC can be accessed by walking in during the opening hours, or by calling the Kamloops UPCC central phone line at (250) 314-2256. The phone line opens at 10 a.m., and people can call to book an appointment at the new North Shore UPCC or the Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre at 311 Columbia Street.
The Ashcroft UPCC is open seven days a week (including statutory holidays ) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can book an appointment there by calling (250) 453-2211, and walk-ins are also accepted, but walk-in availability is limited and prioritized by urgency. If you are not able to be seen that day, an appointment will be booked for you at a future date or you will be directed to alternate services as appropriate.