Richmond will finally get its first-ever community health centre, after a deal was struck to rent space in a renovated City Centre building.
As Richmond is one of the few Lower Mainland communities without a CHC (community health centre), the move sent a ripple of excitement through the local healthcare community, which is acutely aware of the need for such a facility.
The centre will be based in 27,000-square-feet of space in a refurbished, three-storey building on the corner of Alderbridge Way and Lansdowne Road and is expected to open sometime late in 2018, after Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) signed a lease agreement last week.
When fitted out, it will complement the new home of the Richmond Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Teams and the Anne Vogel Clinic, both of which are set to open on June 6. (The Anne Vogel Clinic provides assessment/treatment and primary care for people dealing with opiate dependence.)
However, given the restricted space, it’s unlikely Richmond’s CHC will be in a position to deliver as wide a range of healthcare services that other such facilities offer across the region.
And although it’s early days in terms of determining exactly what services will be provided in the centre, Richmond’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Meena Dawar, anticipates the focus to be on the city’s increasing seniors population.
“We’re only at step one, but it is very exciting. We know in Richmond that the seniors population is growing very fast, so we would likely want to look at strengthening services for that group,” Dawar told the Richmond News.
“In general, however, community health centres tend to provide a solution for the community it is in. Some of the centres in Vancouver, for example, have very different nuances.
“I foresee this centre in Richmond having a focus on seniors and people with chronic health conditions.
“We would have to first figure out what kind of services make sense in there. And we need to hire a project lead.”
VCH Richmond said it received dedicated project funding and approval of $16 million — plus operating costs — for the new CHC, although the extra costs, say VCH, are largely transferable via the shifting of services from one location to another.
Other community health centres in the region host primary care and are often a one-stop shop for health providers, including social workers, physios, OTs (occupational therapists), home and community care workers.
The building in Richmond, however, doesn’t have the capacity to provide all of that.
“The need for this CHC is well documented and is especially important as we continue to shift services from acute to community,” said Jennifer MacKenzie, chief operating officer, VCH Richmond.
“As the fourth-largest community in B.C. with one of the fastest-growing senior’s populations, our new CHC will sit as the cornerstone of this healthy, thriving community.”
The new CHC, added MacKenzie, will increase VCH Richmond’s ability to bring complimentary programs and services together under one roof.
Although many services will remain at VCH Richmond’s headquarters at 8100 Granville Avenue, the new CHC will provide a second service hub; allowing Richmond to develop community-based services, with the hope of taking some pressure off the likes of hospitals, doctors’ offices and medical clinics.
According to VCH, the services at the new CHC will also focus on the care required by vulnerable populations.
“Launching Richmond’s first CHC is an incredible opportunity for us to work together, to re-imagine how acute and community work together, and to apply innovative solutions wherever and whenever we can for the benefit of our patients and clients,” MacKenzie added.
VCH Richmond is currently recruiting for a CHC project lead and project team. Next steps in the planning process include envisioning what community programs and services will be located in the new CHC; development of the Clinical Services Plan and development of a functional program.
The planning process will engage key stakeholders.
