March 3, 2026
The Land Use and Development Committee received and approved (pending Council's final decision) the Catalyst development permit for its six-storey building on Lot A. It will feature the Urgent and Primary Care Centre on its ground floor with 80 units of below-market (middle income) rentals above (including 14 housing units reserved for medical staff who must be recruited and retained) and a 38-car parkade (matched with 78 surface parking spots.) See agenda pp. 68-178.
Update - February 2026
All systems almost go to start construction of the Urgent and Primary Care Centre on Lot A in the spring.
From Council agenda of Feb. 23, pp. 39-41
"At the November 24, 2025 Regular Meeting of Council (see agenda pp. 129-177), a motion was passed to approve the Ground Lease Agreement between the District of Sooke and Catalyst Community Development Society for Lot A Wadams Way. The intent of the lease is to enable Catalyst to construct and manage a mixed-use building on the southeast corner of Lot A. The lease is for 63 years and outlines what the expectations are for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the proposed building and landscaping.
Catalyst has applied to subdivide the southeast corner of Lot A from the remainder of the property and has applied for a form and character Development Permit. The subdivision is in the process of being finalized by the District lawyers and the Development Permit application will be reviewed at the March 3, 2026 Land Use Development Committee.
Once the Development Permit has been approved, Catalyst will be able to apply for the building permit and it is hoped the building permit will be approved by late April 2026 and construction will begin shortly thereafter.
On October 15, 2025, the Ministry of Health committed to release $840,000 to this project which shows they are committed to funding the Urgent Primary Care Centre in this building. The Ministry of Health has done design drawings for the UPCC space and have agreed to a sublease of the 6,500 sq ft with Catalyst.
The sublease identifies the rent the ministry will pay and their commitment to fund the construction of the offices and facilities. The Ministry has also committed to hiring all the staff for the UPCC space as well as all the ongoing costs of running the UPCC including paying for ongoing maintenance of the offices, rent of the offices and staffing of the offices.
On February 12, 2026 BC Builds provided Preliminary Project Approval for the development which is step 1 of 2 for financing approvals by BC Builds and allows the project to make formal application to CMHC for financing. This will secure funding for the project."
Update - October 2025
Urgent and Primary Care Centre on Lot A
Progress reported in this Aug. 11 press release from the District. <clip> "Catalyst Community Developments Society is the successful proponent to develop the proposed health centre and housing project at 6651 Wadams Way. Catalyst is a BC-based non-profit developer and operator of rental housing and community servicing spaces. Catalyst has a proven track record of delivering high-quality health care spaces and housing co-located together in one building. The proposed six-storey, mixed-use building will include 80 rental apartment homes (30% of which will be rented at 20% below market rates), a health centre and additional medical services space. This innovative project will integrate rental housing affordable for middle-income households with integrated health services to support the needs of the Sooke community."
* Now patiently awaiting word from the BC Ministry of Health re: annual operational funding and staffing for the health centre. (Example: Aug. 2024 announcement of the Cowichan Urgent Primary Care Centre in Duncan, a 10k sq. ft space for family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, mental-health clinicians and clinical support staff.) Scroll down this page for details as announced by the Province on March 16, 2023. Since then, of course, a disruptive new us president is waging a trade war, BC's debt has ballooned, and the Province is tightening staffing and its financial belt in the face of "fiscal headwinds" and a possible recession.
* Most UPCCs operate from 8 AM to 8 PM year-round. Guidelines as per our nearest UPCC at 582 Goldstream Ave. in Langford:
"Do you have a health concern that needs attention but isn’t an emergency? You can visit this clinic with these conditions, which should be seen within 12 to 24 hours:
Common Illnesses
- Coughs, colds, sore throat
- Ear infections
- Urinary tract infections (also available through pharmacy)
- Allergic reactions or asthma (if you have trouble breathing, call 911)
- Skin conditions (rashes, skin irritation, minor wounds or itchy spots)
- Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation
- Minor illnesses, fevers or infections in children
- Infections or abscesses
- Mental health concerns such as low mood, anxiety and depression
- Sprains and strains
- Stitches for cuts
- Suture removal
- Stabilizing you for hospital transport if needed
- Pregnancy testing and options
- STI testing and treatment
- Support and care after sexual assault"
* Seven UPCCs currently operate in the Island Health region: Westshore, Nanaimo, North Quadra (Victoria), James Bay, Downtown Victoria, Esquimalt and Gorge Road.
The Gathering Place
- Included here since shared spaces are critical for personal and collective health and wellbeing ...
Update from Sooke Region Communities Health Network, July 2025
<clip> "SRCHN originally envisioned a project that included 75 subsidized rental apartments for seniors with an integrated seniors’ drop-in centre to be built on Wadams Way’s Lot A, which is owned by the District of Sooke. BC Housing was to provide the funding for the housing part of the project as well as provide a contribution to partially fund the seniors’ centre portion of the project. Unfortunately, prior to project approval BC Housing changed the project funding rules. This meant the seniors’ centre portion would cost an estimated $5.1 million. The SRCHN Board realized raising that amount of money for the seniors’ centre was not realistic.
SRCHN presented the District of Sooke with a more cost-effective option for the seniors’ centre to be built on Lot A. We proposed a stand-alone single story seniors’ centre with a threshold target for fundraising at $2 million. We requested that Sooke council approve in principle the construction of a Seniors Drop-In Centre as a stand-alone building on Lot A. Having land on which to build the centre is a critical component of our fund-raising strategy."
Council received this request in-camera and it remains a priority now that the approved Development Permit for SRCHN's original proposal has lapsed and the full $250k in public funding for the project has been spent.
One critical mitigating factor is the size of the footprint on Lot A that will be required for the health centre. As stated above, the District provided an update on this BC Builds project in a press release dated Aug. 11, 2025.
Foundry BC
* A Sooke satellite office of The Foundry West Shore to be based in Langford is on track for 2027. Led by Thrive Social Services, it will offer mental health and addiction counselling, physical and sexual health care, and peer support to youth and young adults aged 12-24. Foundries are a proven model already established in 16 communities across BC.
An exceptionally good application and the realities of a growing West Shore population ensured we were part of the next wave of these centres announced by the Province in March, 2024. Sooke's office (location TBD) will be a "spoke" of the Langford HQ, currently planned to be a 10,000 square foot space ideally near the new RRU Langford/John Horgan Campus and with adjoining office space for other youth-serving non-profits. Also in the plan is an affiliated Port Renfrew office.
The development team is led by former Island Health veteran Kathy Easton in collaboration with Thrive's Scott Bradford. Thrive's Leadership Advisory Circle includes reps from Island Health, the Ministry of Child and Family Development, indigenous nations and local governments, The Village Initiative, two individuals with lived experience as youth with mental health or substance use issues, one individual as a parent/guardian of an impacted young person, and a representative from Foundry BC. I've been representing Sooke at these meetings, moved and highly impressed by the vision and work of all involved in their dedication to helping vulnerable young people meet their challenges and find their feet in these frankly insane times.
* Foundry West Shore-Sooke Briefing Document + FAQ
* Foundry Impact Report 2023/24
* Foundry Service Model Guide (2024)
* Thrive Resource Page
* Foundry BC Virtual Services
* "Celebrating a decade of youth health care at Foundry" - St. Paul's Foundation, Vancouver 2025
SKA'PEȽ I'SOT ALEṈ T'Sou-ke Community Complex and Health Centre
- T'Sou-ke Nation announcement upon centre's Sept. 15 opening. <clip> "The CCHC serves as a cornerstone for community life with a spacious hall for large gatherings and community events, a fully equipped kitchen for providing meals and training opportunities, and several meeting and community rooms to conduct business and host community activities. The building is home to the Nation’s administration, children and families, health, and lands and environment departments. A key highlight of the CCHC features brand new doctors’ offices and laboratory and medical equipment required to provide holistic health services to T’Sou-ke community members. It provides a well-equipped space to deliver programs to address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs of the community ... The Community Complex and Health Centre stands as a powerful testament to the T’Sou-ke Nation’s strength, resilience, and vision. It will serve not only as a place for governance and health, but also as a vibrant heart of culture, learning, and connection for generations to come."
- News Mirror coverage of opening
- T'Sou-ke website health centre page
- "$14m T'Sou-ke Nation Centre Takes Inspiration From Sooke River" - Journal of Commerce
Ayre Manor Seniors' Housing
Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012) at Ayre Manor stalled in 2017 but Island Health recognizes that Sooke needs more long-term care beds. Sooke currently provides 40 beds per thousand people over the age of 75 in our community. This ratio is well below the current provincial average of 58 beds/thousand (and well short of the 77 beds/thousand in 2015).
[As of the 2021 census, there are 2,215 individuals aged 65+ in Sooke, with 880 of them aged 75+. Ayre Manor operates 31 long-term (complex care) rooms in addition to its 25 assisted living units and 18 independent living cottages. It's recommended that future residents file applications at least two years prior to anticipated occupancy.]
In recent years Colwood, Nanaimo/Lantzville and Campbell River have had the lowest such ratios on Vancouver Island, and it was those three communities that received funding in 2023 for new long-term care facilities due to open in 2027. We're among the communities next on the list for new beds, Island Health's VP of Community Clinical Operations & Support Programs James Hanson acknowledged at a UBCM meeting arranged by Sooke council. He intends to work with Ayre Manor to develop a business plan that could logically be based on the shovel-ready plans developed a decade ago.
Ayre Manor qualifies as a "campus of care" given that it "provides a range of housing, meals, support and care options, including independent living, assisted living and residential care." (see Ministry of Health page on residential care options). The website Senior Care Access explores why these "continuing care retirement communities" or "continuum-of-care environments" are so effective.
BC's Seniors' Advocate Dan Levitt pointed out the urgent future needs for new beds provincially in a report titled From Shortfall to Crisis: Growing Demand for Long-Term Care Beds In BC that his office released this summer. <clip> "Over the past ten years, the waitlist for long-term care in B.C. has ballooned. Between 2016 and 2025, the number of people waiting to be admitted to long-term care rose from 2,381 to 7,212, an increase of 200%. The provincial average wait time has grown by 98% over the past eight years, from 146 days in 2018, the first year data was collected, to 290 days in 2025." Levitt renewed his concerns in a recent Times Colonist article.
- Seniors' Advocate: Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory 2024
<clip> "The British Columbia Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Directory contains information on 298 long-term care facilities that have 28,364 publicly-subsidized beds, 112 facilities (9,250 beds) are operated directly by a health authority and 186 facilities (19,114 beds) are operated by a contractor (for profit or not-for-profit) with funding from a health authority." Includes data on wait times and quality-of-care indicators.
Advocate's report page includes ...
* Annual Report 2024/25
* Aging Matters: Listening to BC Seniors (June 2024) + PDF
* Reframing Ageing: British Columbians' Thoughts on Ageism (March 2025) + PDF
* Resourceful and Resilient: Challenges Facing BC's Rural Seniors (Feb. 2024) + PDF
[Following council's meeting with Levitt at the 2024 UBCM convention, I invited him on a Sooke tour this spring that featured stops at the Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, the Contact Loan Cupboard, Ayre Manor and the library, where SRCHN reps shared their work on the Gathering Place and Community Health Centre. Cllrs. Pearson and St-Pierre attended alongside reps from all these organizations. Levitt expressed strong support for these grassroots, largely volunteer-driven initiatives. Writing after the fact, he said: "I was very impressed with the array of services offered for seniors and the dedication of many people involved in serving older persons. Sooke is exemplary in offering seniors with the supports needed to age with dignity in a community that truly values older adults."]
The Village Initiative: Sooke/Westshore
Launched by SD 62's tireless and inspiring Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities Coordinator Cindy Andrew in 2020, The Village Initiative (TVI) is "is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 70 organizations sharing a commitment to the vision of healthy and thriving children, youth, and families across the Sooke and West Shore communities ... it recognizes that their health and wellbeing is best supported through an all-hands-on-deck approach – a Village."
* 2024 Annual Report and Looking Ahead to 2025
- Current priority: Securing stable, three-year or more funding for a full-time TVI coordinator from regional local governments and other partners as recommended by the organization's Municipal Leaders Advisory Team. This team includes elected reps from Sooke, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, the JDF Electoral Area, SD #62, Island Health and the Community Social Planning Council, among others. (I'm Sooke's representative on behalf of Mayor Tait.)
Sooke-based TVI members include the District of Sooke, Rotary Club of Sooke, SEAPARC, Sea to Tree Health and Wellness, Sooke Family Resource Society, Sooke Food Bank, Sooke Region Communities Health Network, Sooke School District, Sooke Shelter Society, Vancouver Island Regional Library and WorkLink Employment Society. See the complete list here.
Upcoming events
- Third Annual Child and Youth Service Providers Networking Event (speed-date format, Oct. 16, 2 PM at City Centre Park in Langford + participating organizations include EMCS Society, Sea to Tree, SEAPARC and Sooke Family Resource Society.
- Child & Youth Mental Health Conference - Nov. 20/21 at Royal Roads University + conference program
A recent TVI membership survey revealed the following results that align with TVI's priorities:
"What’s Working …
~ Cross-sectoral networking and relationship development that involves the public, private and non-profit sectors.
~ Convening events like the Art of the Possible, annual gathering of Child & Youth Service Providers, Youth Health Symposium (Adolescent Health Survey) enable members to come together to learn about the latest data impacting their work, exchange views and share solutions which benefit community.
~ Community of Practice for frontline service providers.
~ Serving as a catalyst in helping to develop a Foundry model to serve our unique region.
What’s Not …
~ Whether it’s enabling cross-sectoral collaborations or finding more affordable, accessible and appropriate programming spaces, Village network members need help to move from ideas to concrete actions.
~ Most network organizations lack the extra leadership bandwidth to coordinate new opportunities, so work needs to be done to provide the organizational capacity to support meaningful action.
~ 61% of survey respondents are concerned about the financial sustainability of their community service organizations."
- Project Plan for Sooke-Westshore Shared Space Network and System (March, 2022)
- Space survey results (2021)
- See full list with links of member organizations at end of this post
- Sooke/Westshore Community Health Profile (2022)
Saunders Family Foundation
Work is underway to develop a Sooke Region Resilience Plan as coordinated by Dave Saunders, health care consultant Valerie Nicol (South Island Division of Family Practice, South Island Primary Care Network) and West Plan Consulting Group's Mark Holland following an initial community meeting in December, 2024. This is being done independently of the District. I was invited to sit in on a small group online meeting in the spring and await word about what's next.
- Recruiting and Retaining Healthcare Workers - Island Social Trends, June 12, 2024
- Developing a Sooke Region Resilience Plan - Sooke News Mirror, Dec. 10, 2024
- The Foundation's Healthy West Shore initiative has led to publication of its Playbook and Toolkit encouraging municipalities to support healthcare and emergency workers in BC communities. BC Health Minister Josie Osborne noted at the UBCM conference this year that the Ministry is endorsing this work and will be urging local governments to explore its recommendations.
- Local Government Community Healthcare Support Policies for Consideration
- Creating a Municipal Healthcare Committee
- Community Healthcare Support Pilot Project (2022)
Miscellaneous
* Carol Fenton has been appointed Chief Medical Officer for Island Health's South Island region, replacing retiree Dr. Murray Fyfe + Medical officers across province (listing as of June 2024)
* Minister of Health Josie Osborne appointed Nov. 18, 2024 + mandate letter from Premier Eby
* Bill 19 introduced in legislature on Oct. 7
- Legislation Would Let School District's Provide Child Care - Times Colonist (Oct. 8)
* Sooke is part of the Western Communities Primary Care Network ~ "a community-based network of health care professionals and clinics who plan and deliver the health care needs of a community." + listing of associated clinics (includes West Coast Family Medical Clinic)
* Island Health: Western Communities Health Profile (updated June 2025; mental health and substance use stats on pg. 23/24)
* Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions Report (Hermione Jefferis, March 2023 for Sooke Region Communities Health Network)
* Challenge and Change: A Public Health Response to Our Perplexing Relationship with Psychoactive Substances (Dr. Reka Gustafson, Island Health Chief Medical Officer, 2024)
* Better At Home website, Sooke region services through SRCHN ~ "Helping older adults with simple non-medical, day-to-day tasks so that they can continue to live independently in their own homes and remain connected to their communities. United Way British Columbia Healthy Aging administers the Better at Home program throughout BC, supporting over 85 non-profit organizations who deliver Better at Home in over 260 communities. This community-based approach ensures that local agencies are responding to local needs."
* Trendsetting first: City of Colwood's municipally funded The Colwood Clinic at 346 Latoria Dr. opened in Feb. 2025 with family physicians recruited and employed by the City itself + CBC news story + Victoria News update, June 2025 + CBC interview with Mayor Doug Kobayashi
* Province of BC international doctor recruitment program through the Provincial Health Services Authority + Province secures 780 applications in two months from qualified US physicians (July 2025 Ministry press release)
* Emergency room closures across the Province remain a top concern. Between 2023 and mid-April 2025, BC ERs were closed for over 16,453 hours, with 29 of the province's 77 ERs experiencing at least one unplanned closure. Encouraging news from the Minister of Health: There's been a 37% reduction in closures this year compared with 2024. Keeping ERs open is a top provincial priority.
* Island Health, as directed by Province, has reducing its expenditures by 1% while cutting 117 non-contract jobs from its roster of 2,500 such employees - Times Colonist, July, 29, 2025
* United Nations: "More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls." (Not sure if these reports was released before or after a certain malevolent, blowhard us president’s toxic address to the assembly). + World Health Today annual report + Mental Health Atlas 2024
* The BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions updated its resource page on Sept. 25 ... links to emergency call lines and counselling services for youth and adults.
Recent Reports
Healthy Aging CORE BC resource page (updated frequently)
* The Real Face of Men's Health - UBC and Movember Institute of Men's Health (Sept. 25, 2025) + PDF
* National Volunteer Action Strategy - Volunteer Canada (July 2025)
* Understanding the Factors Driving the Epidemic of Social Isolation - Canadian National Institute of Aging
* Elements for the Successful Community Engagement with Older Adults - Healthcare Excellence Canada (2025)
* Navigating Home Care and Seniors Housing - Seniors First BC (Aug. 2025)
* Aging In Place Toolkit - United Way British Columbia (July 2025)
* From Loneliness to Social Connection - World Health Organization (June 30, 2025) + Plain Language Summary
* Elder's Guide 2nd Edition - BC First Nations Health Authority (Aug. 2024)
* Benefits Wayfinder: A Tool for Low and Modest-Income Citizens - Prosper Canada (2025)
* Greater Victoria Hoarding Education and Action Team Infographic - Island Health (June, 2025)
* Changemaker Wellbeing Index - Future For Good (2025)
* World Happiness Report 2025 - Oxford University
* BC Summit on Aging 2024 Final Report - United Way BC (Nov. 2024)
* Enabling Aging In Place - Better At Home Program Promising Practices - United Way
* Malnutrition in Canada - Canadian Malnutrition Task Force (Oct. 2024)
* Sharing Our Space: A Toolkit for Developing Intergenerational Spaces - Generations United (2024) + Toolkit
* United Way Healthy Aging Reports Archive
Mental Health
* The Attention Economy - Centre for Humane Technology
* My Social Truth - website with youth submissions detailing "the biggest challenges young people are facing on social media platforms that profit from our outrage, confusion, addiction and depression."
* United Nations report on the Attention Economy
* Information Overload - The Decision Laboratory biggest challenges young people are facing on social media platforms that profit from our outrage, confusion, addiction, and depressio
Updates - October 2024
* BC Health Coalition ~ BC Election 2024 - A Platform for Public Health Care
- Primary issues: anti-privatization, primary health care reform, seniors’ care.
- “Six Solutions” infographic (Oct. 2024)
April 29, 2024 - BC Builds program to pair CHC/UPCC with middle-income affordable (CMHC definition) housing
- SRCHN announcement + District of Sooke press release
- Public Opportunity Notice – Sooke
- Video of the May 9, 2024 BC Builds Housing Development Opportunity presentation led by Lisa Helps
November 1, 2023 District press release re: new Standing Committee on Community Health Care featuring three members of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) and Council appointees Beddows, McMath and Pearson.
May 2023: SRCHN releases its Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions report authored by consultant Hermione Jefferis. See the four-page summary and the full report. Conclusions and recommendations on pp. 51-53. One disturbing finding: "Sooke Region’s community members, youth especially, are experiencing higher rates of depression and mood and anxiety disorders than the rest of BC.”
March 16, 2023: Red letter day!
New Integrated Health Care Centre Coming to Sooke (BC Ministry of Health press release)
"Improving access to health-care services for people in B.C. is a key priority for our government. This centre will be critical to meeting the health-care needs of people living in Sooke and surrounding areas, now and in the future, and I am proud that people in the region will soon benefit from being able to access the care they need, close to home." - Premier John Horgan, MLA, Langford-Juan de Fuca
“Approval of the proposed community health centre/urgent primary care centre is fantastic news for Sooke! The proposed health centre will undoubtedly increase access to primary-care services for people living in Sooke and the surrounding communities. A big thanks to Mayor Maja Tait for initiating discussions between the District of Sooke, Island Health, the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, and the Sooke family physicians that ultimately led to the development of this proposal; to the volunteers of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network who did all the hard work in drafting the proposal; and to the Honourable John Horgan, who was willing to listen to our concerns and advocate on our behalf for improving the delivery of primary health services in Sooke.” - Dr. Anton Rabien, West Coast Family Medical Clinic
"Today’s announcement is a culmination of the work of many people who remained steadfast to ensure the residents of Sooke have access to the health-care services they deserve. Thank you to all project partners, including the Province of British Columbia, Island Health, the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, the Primary Health Care Service Working Group, and the doctors and care providers of the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, who, through collaboration and innovation, are working together to ensure our residents have access to medical services closer to home.” - Mayor Maja Tait
Original post: Nov. 28, 2022
The Mayor will be in Ottawa for Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings next week, and I've been enlisted to be her stand-in at a meeting involving the Island Health Board of Directors and representatives from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, Sooke Shelter Society and West Coast Family Medical Clinic, among others.
This will be followed by an Island Health public information session at the Community Hall from 2:30 to 4 PM on Thurs. Dec. 8. All are welcome as per this invitation:
- Get an update on health and care delivery from Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil and meet local Island Health leaders.
- Meet your local Medical Health Officer, Dr. Murray Fyfe, for an update on public health and wellness.
- Enjoy a presentation from local Island Health staff and community organizations.
- Have your questions answered. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing [email protected] or asked by those attending the in-person event.
At time likes this, of necessity, interest and the fact that I'm a relative know-nothing on the subject, I do what I always do: Pull all that's health-themed from my groaning file cabinets, pepper Google with inquiries and trust I'll reach some fake-it/make-it degree of armchair knowledge by the time I'm required to say a few words on behalf of the boss next week.
The critical need identified long ago and very much front-and-centre now: A hybrid Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre for the Sooke region. Outside of limited weekday hours, residents without their own local doctors and sometimes even so must trek a half-hour to the west shore when emergencies strike, braving unpredictable traffic in the process. CHC's continue to open in BC, including this clinic in Colwood. Ours would provide significantly expanded quarters for the West Coast Family Medical Clinic team of physicians, nurses and nurse practitioners now operating from its current Evergreen Mall location. They'd be joined by an additional cohort of health-care professionals who'd provide emergency services.
The District has reserved the southeast quadrant of the nearby Lot A for this purpose (as per this paragraph from the 2019 Lot A Charette final report: "5-or-6-storey Health Centre with limited-size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. This quadrant would include an underground parking component ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2.") That's the concept, which would be subject to variation based on real-world negotiations as the Sooke-owned property is integrated with the rest of Evergreen Mall (owned by Guelph-based Skyline Group of Companies.)
Dedicated planning and advocacy work by the District's Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) has kept this vision on the front-burner with Island Health and the Ministry, and there it remains. Meeting routinely, the group pairs the Mayor, local physicians, reps from the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN) and other health professionals.
The CHC/UPCC project on Lot A is being coordinated by SRCHN's Mary Dunn, Rick Robinson and Annemieke Holthuis with Island Health, BC Association of Community Health Centres, West Coast Family Medical Clinic and West Communities Patient Care Network. West Coast Family Medical Clinic would be based in this space, which would be governed by SRCHN, a registered charity.
No wonder our MLA John Horgan is reputed to have said: "There is no community better prepared for this than Sooke." May it be so!
More on the proposed facility ...
"SRCHN’s work with West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the District of Sooke, Island Health, and the BC Association of Community Health Centres resulted in successful approval of our preliminary proposal for a Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre in Sooke. We are currently working on the final proposal. The success of this proposal will allow us to work with a developer to build a new CHC/UPCC. The transitioning of West Coast Family Medical Clinic and addition of more staff will allow more access to urgent and ongoing medical care for Sooke residents." ~ SRCHN President Mary Dunn in the organization's 2022 Annual Report
"In contrast to solo practitioner models, Community Health Centres offer high-quality primary care through a collaborative team approach. Social workers, family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, chiropodists, dental hygienists, therapists and other clinicians provide services in a team environment, based on patient needs. Community Health Centres integrate team-based primary care with health promotion programs, illness prevention programs, community health initiatives and social services focused on housing, food security and other inputs for health. This reduces silos and makes services more accessible. CHCs exemplify the World Health Organization’s definition and recommendations for “primary health care”. A SRCHN working group has been established to explore partnerships to advance the build of a much needed CHC in our semi-rural community."
The BC Association of Community Health Centre's defines a CHC as "multi-sector health and healthcare organizations that deliver integrated, people-centred services and programs that reflect the needs and priorities of the diverse communities they serve. CHCs are created by not-for-profit organizations and co-operatives that are committed to providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, and culturally-appropriate services through a collaborative team approach."
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The following is another hodge-podge of live links and direct quotations compiled for my education and reference. It's been a particularly useful and revealing exercise to chronicle the many, if by no means all, steps, forums, reports, motions and day-long workshops undertaken by so many in Sooke since incorporation who've organized and advocated for improved local health care.
And yes, this subject doesn't vie with housing as the public's leading concern without good reason. This recent CBC town hall is as good a context-setter as any. Or read The Tyee's 2022 reporting here, here and here.
Province of BC
BC Ministry of Health
"The Ministry of Health has overall responsibility for ensuring that quality, appropriate, cost effective and timely health services are available for all British Columbians."
- Medical Services Plan
- Pharmacare
- HealthLink BC (Call 811 for 24/7 health advice)
- Primary and Community Care in BC: A Strategic Policy Framework (2015)
BC Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions
"The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was created in 2017 to build a seamless, coordinated network of mental health and addictions services that works for everyone in B.C., as well as lead the response to the toxic drug crisis."
- A Pathway to Hope: 2018-28 ~ "This new strategy lays out government’s 10-year vision for mental health and substance use care, in which people living in B.C.’s mental health and well-being are supported from youth to adulthood and programs and services are available to tackle challenges early on."
- 2020 Update/Progress Report
- Canadian Mental Health Association BC 2020-21 Annual Report
BC Ministry of Children and Family Development
"The Ministry of Children and Family Development’s primary focus is to support all children and youth in British Columbia to live in safe, healthy and nurturing families and be strongly connected to their communities and culture. The ministry supports the well-being of children, youth and families in British Columbia by providing services that are accessible, inclusive, and culturally respectful."
- Annual Service Plan Report 2022
- Mandate Letter
Age-Friendly BC Program
- Tools and Resources
- Becoming An Age-Friendly Community (2014, PDF)
- Age-Friendly BC: Lessons Learned (2007-2010)
Federal Government
"The federal Minister of Health is responsible for maintaining and improving the health of Canadians. This is supported by the Health Portfolio which comprises Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency."
- Wikipedia
First Nations Health Authority
"The FNHA is the health and wellness partner to over 200 diverse First Nations communities and citizens across BC. In 2013, the FNHA began a new era in BC First Nations health governance and health care delivery by taking responsibility for the programs and services formerly delivered by Health Canada."
- Governance model
- 2020/21 Annual Report
Vancouver Island: South Island
Island Health
"Through a network of hospitals, clinics, centres, health units, and residential facilities, Island Health provides health care to people on Vancouver Island, on the islands of the Georgia Strait, and in the mainland communities between Powell River and Rivers Inlet." The authority covers four overall regions on Vancouver Island and the mainland.
- Services offered and specialty clinic locations
- Island Health President & CEO Kathy MacNeil
- Island Health Board of Directors
- Island Health ED, Clinical Service Delivery Sarah Crawford-Bohl
- Medical Health Officer (Population & Public Health) Dr. Murray Fyfe
- Medical staff website portal
- Clinical Operations org chart (region including Sooke)
- Local Health Area Profile: The Western Communities (2019 profile) are one of 14 health areas under Island Health's watch as defined by the Ministry of Health. Ours is comprised of Sooke, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin and Highlands.
- Community Health Facts: Westshore and Sooke (2013)
- Island Health Facebook page (notable at the moment for the chain of messages about temporary service disruptions at clinics in Port Hardy, Ladysmith and Chemainus due to a lack of physicians.)
Primary Care Network Steering Committee
(co-chaired by Sooke's Dr. Robin Saunders, who also co-chairs Partners for Better Health)
South Island Division of Family Practice
- West shore and Sooke recruitment page
- FETCH (For Everything That's Community Health) online listing of 2,200 resources in Greater Victoria (physicians, medical specialists, substance use/addiction, seniors, mental health counselling, low-income support, etc.)
Sooke and Region
(scan down for an overview of past initiatives and events leading to the present situation)
T'Sou-ke Nation Health Care Centre
- T'Sou-ke Nation Health
- New Community Care Centre Will Deliver Better Health Care to the T'Sou-ke Nation (Ministry of Municipal Affairs)
- T'Sou-ke Community Hall and Health Centre (Urban Arts Architecture) + TC article
West Coast Family Medical Clinic, Sooke
The busy Evergreen Mall base for medical care in Sooke. Created in the 2011 merger of Evergreen Medical Clinic and Harbour Medical Clinic. It is home to ten doctors, one nurse practitioner, a social worker, a dietitian and three registered nurses. Together they deliver family practice basics and collectively cover a diverse range of specialities: Maternity care, neurology, chronic pain management, oncology, cancer care, addictions, chronic pain, palliative care, chronic disease management and primary health care included. You'll find bios and individual skill sets/responsibilities for the 16-person-strong team here.
- "Sooke's Creative Approach to Health Care" (Black Press, May 5, 2022)
* Vacancy notice: Nurse Practitioner (shared here since it explains the position)
"West Coast Family Medical is looking for a Nurse Practitioner to fill a temporary one year term. In this sub-contracted position the nurse practitioner works within a Primary Care Network and, together with other members of an interprofessional care team, provides full scope team-based primary care for a panel of patients.
The nurse practitioner is responsible and accountable for the comprehensive assessment of patients/ clients/ residents including diagnosing diseases, disorders and conditions. The Nurse practitioner initiates treatment including health care management, therapeutic interventions and prescribes medications in accordance with the statutory and regulatory standards, limits and conditions, policy and guidelines. The Nurse Practitioner provides professional guidance to students and other health professionals and practices autonomously and interdependently within the context of an interdisciplinary health care team, making referrals to physicians and others as appropriate.
This position collaborates with patients/ clients/ residents and other members of the interdisciplinary team to identify and assess trends and patterns that have implications for patients/ clients/ residents, families and communities; develops and implement population and evidence based strategies to improve health and participates in policy-making and quality activities that influence health services and practices. The position participates in peer review and self-review to evaluate the outcome of services at the patient/client/resident, community and population level and to continuously improve quality and safety."
LifeLabs Sooke (laboratory services)
West Coast Medical Imaging + Greater Victoria locations
Ayre Manor Seniors' Housing
Independent and assisted living, complex care and hospice beds. Opened in Jan. 2008. Owned by the Sooke Elderly Citizens' Housing Society (SECHS), a local non-profit charitable society formed in 1968 by the Old Age Pensioners Organization. Ayre Manor is supported by Island Health and the District of Sooke in association with SECHS.
- Construction begins on Ayre Manor (March 2007)
- Expansion Plans for a new 56-bed wing (2012)
- Expansion Plans Stalled (2017)
- Accreditation Canada acknowledgement (March 2021)
Sooke Shelter Society
Hope Centre Supportive Housing and Shelter (BC Housing website)
- Who To Call infographic
- BC Housing inquiry form and phone contact: "We welcome questions and feedback on this project through the Q&A tool on this page or to [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming the community to tour the building once renovations are complete (1Q 2023) and encourage you to contact us about a tour."
Sooke Homelessness Coalition
A satellite working group of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness
Sooke Family Resources Society
- Sooke Early Years Programs
- West Shore Early Years Programs
- Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR)
- Counselling
- Youth Services
- Family Services
- Adults with Disabilities
- Bridging the Digital Divide
- Island Health Sooke Health Unit at Sooke Family Resources Society
Sooke Region Communities Health Network
"Since 2003, the Sooke Co-operative Association of Service Agencies (CASA) and the grassroots Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) have worked together to benefit the Sooke Region from Port Renfrew to Beecher Bay. In 2016, the two merged their resources and officially became Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN). It operates as a cooperative non-profit organization with charitable status, which allows it to manage its own grant funding and to act as an umbrella organization for other voluntary groups."
SRCHN annual service agreement since 2014 with the District of Sooke. Island Health provides matching funds for a part-time coordinator position filled by SRCHN Executive Director Christine Bossi. The DOS agreement requires ...
- Sooke Region Resource website
- Sooke Age Friendly Committee (meets monthly under the direction of chair Roy Brown and guided by Christine)
- Achievement of BC Age-Friendly Committee status
- Planning for Seniors/Youth Community Activity Centre (aka The Gathering Place)
- Identify community needs, facilitate community activities
- Create collaborations and partnerships
- Address issues identified by the Primary Health Care Working Group
- Maintain/develop relationships at regional and provincial levels
- Promote and bolster volunteer activities
SRCHN Reports and Studies
* Youth Activities Report (2021)
* Sooke Region Homelessness Consultation (2021)
* Sooke Region Food Security Report (2021)
BC Healthy Communities Age-Friendly Action Guide (2020)
Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation
Founded in 2018 to "make funding available to local charities who are working hard to provide health-related services to our local communities." Grants from its general fund have been used to purchase equipment for Ayre Manor and the West Coast Family Medical Clinic and Ayre Manor. The Mary Brown Memorial Fund was established last year specifically to address mental health and disability needs; to date its grants have funded counselling services at the Sooke Shelter Society and the Sooke Family Resources Society. A long-time Shirley resident, Mary Brown was a psychiatric social worker who supported people with disabilities and mental health challenges in Canada, UK, and Australia.
- Purpose
- Board of Directors
- How to Give donations options + Canada Helps direct link
Sooke Food Bank
Nov. 2022: "Sooke Residents Are Super Generous" (CTV News)
- Canada Helps donation page
- EMCS Leadership students' 10,000 Tonight food drives
- Christmas Bureau
- Sooke Fire Services campaign + Santa Run
- Grace Garden at the Sooke Baptist Church
2018 Statistics (most recent on the website):
Number of Hampers: 3,270
Average 96 families per week
Average 78 children per week
Average 143 adults per week
Cost to date: $229,069.70
Total Pounds: 118,947
Total Kilograms: 53,953
Sooke Transition House Society
"Provides emergency shelter for women and their children who are in crisis resulting from family violence. Counselling, education, prevention and advocacy."
Sooke Hospice Society
"The Sooke Hospice Society is a team of trained volunteers and professionals dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual care of individuals who are palliative, as well as their families and loved ones, within the community of Sooke."
CONTACT: Community Assistance Society
Low-cost loans of medical equipment (canes, crutches, wheelchairs)
ElderConnect
Sooke Region Community Portal data base for seniors.
District of Sooke
- Service agreements with annual funding to ...
* Sooke Region Communities Health Network
* Sooke Family Resource Society
* Sooke Food Bank
- District grant-hosting for the Sooke Shelter Society's Strengthening Communities grant (2021/22)
- District support, council liaison and ongoing engagement via Sooke Bylaw, Sooke Fire Services and Sooke RCMP with the Sooke Homelessness Coalition and local homelessness.
- Community Grants Program support for miscellaneous health-related organizations, including (in 2022) ...
* SFRS Pre-Natal Program ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Sooke Shelter Society ($7k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* Steps to the Future Childcare Society ($5k from the Covid-19 Safe Restart reserve fund)
* KidSport Greater Victoria ($7k)
* Take A Hike Foundation ($5k)
* Victoria Brain Injury Society ($1k)
Sooke Service Gaps
Leading Service Gap: Community Health Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre
Sooke currently lacks and has long lobbied for a dedicated Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) operating with sufficient staffing and hours common to other UPCCs in British Columbia. District land for this centre is reserved on Lot A.
Patients with doctors in Sooke can drop-in to the West Coast Family Medical Clinic during urgent care hours (M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM). Outside those hours (and for all those without local doctors), individuals are advised to book appointments at the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre in Langford.
- Urgent care (same day) services are for people who need care within 12-24 hours but do not require an emergency department and who do not have access to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic in a suitable time frame.
- Patients experiencing chest pains, severe head injuries or broken bones and any concerns requiring immediate blood testing, x-rays or other diagnostic tests cannot be treated at the UPCC and should attend their local hospital’s emergency department or call 9-1-1 during a health emergency.
- Patients will be assessed at the Westshore UPCC upon arrival and registered to be seen as capacity allows.
- Please note that due to patient volumes, appointments are not guaranteed. Please check medimap.ca for wait times and capacity.
As the West Coast Family Medical Clinic website states: "Please note that the Westshore Urgent Primary Care Centre is the designated clinic for local residents without a Primary Care Provider ... We recognize that many residents of Sooke do not have access to a Primary Care Provider. West Coast Family Medical Clinic does provide limited, same-day access to a Primary Care Provider for local residents (Sooke to Port Renfrew) through our Urgent Care Clinic [open M-F, Noon to 4:30 PM]. Please note that demand for this service usually exceeds our capacity ... To help us better serve those in our community with urgent medical issues or without a Primary Care Provider, please make every effort to see your own Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner for your medical concerns whenever possible. Same-day appointments in the Urgent Care Clinic can be booked online (online booking only available to patients who already have a chart at our office) or by calling our office at 250-642-4233. Phones are answered from 8:30-12:00, and from 1:00-4:30 (3:30 on Fridays). Please note that it can be difficult to get through by telephone at times due to high call volumes."
- New UPCC Will Deliver Better Health Care to the West Shore (Ministry of Health press release, Oct. 26, 2018)
- West Shore Clinic Busiest in the Province, Health Minister Says (Times Colonist, Nov. 26, 2019)
Other Urgent and Primary Care Centres in Greater Victoria
- James Bay Urgent Primary Care Centre – Victoria
- Esquimalt Urgent Primary Care Centre – Esquimalt
- Downtown Victoria Urgent and Primary Care Centre - Victoria
- North Quadra Urgent Primary Care Centre – Saanich
- Gorge Urgent and Primary Care Centre – Victoria
Community Health Centres
- Island Sexual Health Community Health Centre – Victoria
X-Ray Services in Sooke
- West Coast Medical Imaging Services (M to F, 11 to 4 PM)
- "Sooke Mayor Pushing for Beter X-Ray Services" - Sooke News Mirror (Nov. 2015)
- Advocacy statement
- "In late 2017, West Coast Medical Imaging improved the X-Ray technology available in Sooke"
Speech therapist? SRCH advocacy in 2017
More on CHCs: BC Association of Community Health Centres
"BCACHC exists to support and advance the Community Health Centre (CHC) model and engage, advocate for, and support CHCs as an integral part of health and social service delivery in BC communities."
- What Is a Community Health Centre?
- The Importance of Community Health Centres in BC's Medical Care Reforms (Canadian Centre Policy Alternatives, 2019)
- Building Ties With The Health System (CARES, 2020)
- Roadmap to a CHC
"Sooke has very little capacity to support the growing needs for Island Health Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) services for our community. There is one free service -- Urgent Short Term Assessment and Treatment (USTAT) -- with capacity or capacity to serve 16 sessions a week. As small as the free service is, it is currently (October 2022) experiencing challenges with a staffing shortage. The USTAT position has been understaffed for several months … There is no equitable access to MHSU services for people with low income or who lack insurance. There is not enough support available for people who have a low capacity to navigate complex access systems. We have to do better.”
Back Story: Sooke Health & Preventative Care Initiatives
* Way Back: I'll browse the Sooke Story for clues when i get a chance.
* Pre-2000: "Becoming an Age Friendly Community, a place where seniors, and all ages, are respected and supported has been the goal of community members long before the term was coined. As our community grew its members identified a need for seniors’ supports. As early as 1945 a Sooke Over 60’s Club was formed, which was the forerunner to the Old Age Pensioners Organization, Branch#88. From that group sprung the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society and the Contact Community Assistance Society (Loan Cupboard and Contact Drivers). By 1975 another group was providing a ‘Meals on Wheels’ program as well as inexpensive lunches. This eventually developed into the Sooke Senior Drop-In Centre. The Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society worked tirelessly for over 40 years to acquire land and build an assisted living and extended care building in Sooke. The New Horizons Activity Society was formed in the 1980’s and later became the Sooke Seniors Activity Society which raised funds to purchase and operate a bus to assist with seniors’ transportation to events and shopping excursions." - from the Executive Summary of the Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan (2015)
* 2005: The Sooke Youth & Adult Navigator Project, Dr. Ellen Anderson and Susan Larke. <clip> "In our rural and remote communities, challenged by MHA service access issues, a community-supported Navigator model was designed to increase access to comprehensive, strengths-based assessment, planning and referral facilitation ... Our model utilised the service of two navigators with complementary skills in social work and psychiatric rehabilitation. One navigator focused primarily on youth under age 19 years and one navigator worked primarily with adults. One navigator was female and one was male. However, it was very important for both of them to be able to work with clients of any age and either sex."
* 2006/2007: Mayor Evans and her council continue advocacy with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, MLA John Horgan and others for improved health care, notably collaboration with the Sooke Elderly Citizens Housing Society re: the future Ayre Manor Lodge. Other health-oriented work included attendance at the Premier's Council on Seniors and Aging Forum, the Victoria Community Task Force on Cystal Meth, a BC Healthy Community Initiatives workshop, and a Planning Institute of British Columbia workshop.
* Sept. 23, 2006: Sooke Community Health Initiative Forum at the Community Hall
* Oct. 10, 2006: Announcement that VIHA had signed a $16.1 million contract to construct Ayre Manor.
* Sept. 8, 2008: "What will it take to create a more age-friendly Sooke?" - day-long conference hosted by Sooke Economic Development Commission in partnership with Sooke Harbour Chamber of Commerce. Participants explored ideas on topics including Community Infrastructure, Safety & Security, Health Services, Active Aging, Lifelong Learning, Communication, and Transportation.
* 2009: Launch of Sooke Region Food CHI
* 2013: Sooke Region Community Health Initiative (CHI) designated by the Province as the official Age-Friendly Committee for the District of Sooke
* Fall, 2013: The Primary Health Care Services Working Group (PHCSWG) was formed based on input from the community through Mayor Milne's Advisory Panel on Community Health and Social Initiatives. The working group included members from Sooke Region CHI, Sooke Volunteer Centre, the West Coast Family Medical Clinic, the South Island Division of Family Practice, Island Health and the District of Sooke.
* Dec. 2013: "A GP for Me" forum. (Britt Santowski's Sooke News Mirror story linked here notes that the BC Liberals made a “2010 Government commitment to provide a family physician for any BC resident who wants one by 2015.”)
* 2014: District Service agreement with SRCHN to fund Age Friendly work and meet senior and volunteer goals outlined in the Official Community Plan. (hence the first service agreement; see details at end of this post)
* Highlights of 2013/14 work by PHCSWG
(Nicky Logins, Marlene Barry, Dr. Ellen Anderson, Emma Isaac, Linda Nehra, Wendal Milne)
- Joined Island-wide initiative for a "physician recruitment navigator" position
- Highlighted gap in X-ray and ultrasound servcies in Sooke. Four UVic Master of Business Administration students develop a business plan for diagnostic services in Sooke
- "Managing At Home: Support Needs for Sooke Seniors" study funded through BC Age-Friendly grant to assess needs of seniors who are medically at risk and facing social isolation.
- Worked with Island Health to fund two additional hospice beds for Ayre Manor
- Advocate for support of the Integrated Health Network in Sooke
* Nov. 2014: Island Health Board of Directors meetings in Sooke hosted by Mayor Tait and the District
* Dec. 15, 2014: Sooke council appoints a liaison (Mayor Tait) to the PHCSWG. States the Committee of the Whole report: "By focusing on buiding not just the physical infrastructure of our community but also the social infrastructure, local elected officials work hand-in-hand with health care professionals to contribute to citizen's health and social needs." At this time, 74% of Sooke residents do not have doctors in Sooke. Waiting list of 800 for new patient uptake at West Coast Family Medical Clinic.
* October 2015: Release of District of Sooke Age-Friendly Action Plan
"A strong commitment to supporting our seniors, volunteering and caring for others has helped Sooke to become the place it is now. Sooke is an Age Friendly community with a vision and many citizens have the desire to make it more so. We’ve come together to make things happen in the past and will continue to do so far into the future. We understand that when we build to ‘Age Friendly’ we build to accommodate all ages and abilities."
- 2015: The Province and BC Healthy Communities recognized the District of Sooke as a community that has demonstrated "incredible commitment to supporting older residents to remain healthy and active in their communities."
* May 28, 2016: Sooke Region Health Summit at the Community Hall hosted by Mayor Tait. Organized around four topics: Healthy Food Accessibility; Special Populations; Medical Services & Infrastructure; Social and Physical Activities. Gaps that were identified in these areas informed the ongoing work of the PHCSWG and the District of Sooke. Read the final report here.
* Nov. 2016: "No Easy Fix for Doctor Shortage" - Kevin Laird, Sooke News Mirror
* April, 2017: The CRD Hospitals and Housing Committee endorsed Mayor Tait’s motion entitled, “Support for Pilot Project: A Regional Health Care Facility in Sooke”. Discussion ensued regarding:
"- the similar challenges regarding healthcare for residents of Victoria and Sooke and if they are more acute in Sooke,
- the different needs perceived by the public versus healthcare professionals,
- being a part of the CRD means that residents of Sooke are requested to use the facilities in the region that are not necessarily local,
- any facility would be open to residents of Victoria and reduce the load on services in Victoria, and
- the challenges of the highway to Sooke."
MOVED by Director Tait, SECONDED by Director Helps, That the Hospitals and Housing Committee recommends to the Capital Regional District Board that: The District of Sooke and the Sooke Region Primary Health Care Services Working Group calls on the Capital Regional Hospital District, the Province of British Columbia, Island Health, and all levels of government to support a regional health care facility in Sooke. CARRIED
* Summer/Fall 2017: The Sooke Planning Steering Committee was subsequently formed. Committee members include Mayor Tait as well as representatives from the CRD, Sooke Family Physicians, SIDFP, Island Health and the CHN. See agenda package for: 1. Sooke Region Health Summit – Final Report (Draft); 2. Sooke Fire Rescue Department – Emergency Call Statistics; 3. Correspondence regarding Health Care Services in Sooke; 4. Island Health – 2014 Sooke Local Health Area Profile; 5. Sooke Pocket News survey – Medical Services in Sooke, April, 2017.
* Nov. 2017: Sooke Community Heath Care Stakeholders Consultation. Five identified needs:
Quote: "1. Improved Access to Primary Care: Participants identified the desire for more primary care providers (GPs and Nurse Practitioners), citing limited clinic space and incentives to attract more GPs as barriers. The desire for access to longer primary care hours in the evenings and on weekends, including Sundays and holidays, was expressed. Same-day access to primary care in urgent circumstances was also desired. Many participants indicated that co-located space would be desirable with all-primary health services integrated (virtually or by physical co-location).
2. Care provided by a team of health care providers (team-based care): Participants indicated that having a care team focused on seniors would be valuable. Also, having Nurse Practitioners or Registered Nurses attached to the Physician clinic would be desired to improve access to primary care.
3. Access to more specialized, locally accessible services: Participants identified the need for more access to Mental Health and Substance Use services, including walk-in services. Also, increased services for isolated seniors were suggested, along with the idea of having a drop-in seniors’ activity centre.
4. Improved access to other key enablers: Currently x-ray services in Sooke are available 7.5 hours/week (Tuesday 8:30am-11:00 am, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am-11:30am) and laboratory services are available on weekdays (8am-4pm Mondays to Fridays). The community identified more service hours are desirable to improve access and reduce the need to travel outside the community for these services. Maximizing the use of electronic medical/health records was also cited as a key enabler to bolster service provision.
5. Supporting population wellness: Improved health literacy (access to information on wellbeing and how/where to access services) was deemed a priority for participants. Improved transportation (both within Sooke and to destinations outside Sooke) was also cited by participants as needed, particularly on weekends (note: transportation issues are considered out of scope for this plan). Road improvement needs were also identified."
* May 18, 2018: Aging With Grace: Sooke Region Age 55+ Summit
Keynote speech by Dr. David Docherty, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria + Overview of the 2018 Provincial Seniors' Summit by Doni Eve, Senior Manager, Healthy Aging, for the Population and Public Health Division of the BC Ministry of Health + talk by Sooke Registered Clinical Counsellor Janet Raynor Thorn titled "The Croning Years: The Later Life Transformations" + break-out groups re: ElderConnect Seniors' Info Hub.
* June 16, 2018: Sooke Community Health Service Engagement with stakeholders at Community Hall
* Aug. 2018: Sooke Community Health Service Planning Report (Island Health/District of Sooke)
* Winter/Spring 2018/19: Lot A Charette Concept Plan identifies best possible uses of the town-centre, District-owned property's southeast quadrant as a "5-6-storey Health Centre with limited size independent commercial retail units on the base and market housing units on the upper floors. Second floor office space is also appropriate. This quadrant would include an underground parking component ... conceived as a wood-frame building with a total floor area of approximately 7,000m2."
- April 26, 2019: "Expanded Primary Care Coming to Sooke" (Ministry of Health press release)
- June, 12, 2020: Official opening of expanded West Coast Family Medical Clinic; "Sooke Clinic Aims to Connect More Patients With Doctors" (Times Colonist)
- 2020/21/22: Advocacy continues with the Ministry of Health for a hybrid Community Heath Centre/Urgent Primary Care Centre on the southeast quadrant of Lot A.
Miscellaneous
Media Coverage: BC Health Care Issues
~ "BC's Health-Care Crisis Is Unrelenting: What Can Be Done To Fix It?" (CBC, Sept. 19, 2022; includes link to the Situation Critical town hall with Minister Dix and others)
~ "BC Liberals Call for Audit of Urgent and Primary Care Centres" (Times Colonist, July 27, 2022)
~ "BC Health Care System Strengthened by New Payment Model for Doctors" (Ministry of Health, Oct. 31, 2022)
~ "BC Health Minister Calls for Trudeau to Engage on Health Funding" (CBC, Nov. 6, 2022)
Reports
- Family Doctors Care: The Role and Value of Family Physicians in BC (BC College of Family Physicians, 2020)
* BC 211
Free, confidential hot-line consultation 24/7 in 150 languages
* BC Centre For Disease Control
- Covid 19 page
- Business protocols
- Link to current Province-wide regulations
* Canadian Mental Health Association: BC Division
* Doctors of BC website + Advocating for family physicians
Greater Victoria Hospitals
Capital Regional Hospital District
This CRD corporation "partners with Island Health and community stakeholder agencies to develop and improve healthcare facilities in the region and provide capital funding for infrastructure such as acute care, residential care and hospital equipment.
- 10-Year Capital Plan (through 2032)
Victoria General Hospital
"Victoria General started as St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1876. The name was changed when the Sisters of St. Ann gave it to the province in 1972.t The new VGH opened in 1983 on Hospital Way off Helmcken. A 368-bed community-based acute- care facility, it provides general adult & pediatric surgery including orthopedics, endoscopy, maternity & neo-natal ser- vices, sexual assault nurse examiner, as well as mammography, asthma, dia- betes, & respiratory clinics, cancer care, icu, rehabilitation, and much more."
Royal Jubilee Hospital
Founded in the 1860s and now featuring 500 beds. It offers critical care, surgery, diagnostics, emergency facilities, with a special focus on cardiac medicine.
Victoria Hospital Foundation
Supporting care teams at Royal Jubilee, VGH and Gorge Road hospitals.
Third United Way of British Columbia Provincial Aging Summit (2022)
"The District of Sooke has entered into a Service Agreement with the SRCHN to provide the following services:
• Sooke Region Resource website:
o website improvements, updates and maintenance;
• Age Friendly Committee for Sooke:
o develop planning and/or activities to achieve official provincial status for Sooke as an Age Friendly Community
• Seniors/Youth/Community Activity Centre:
o Identify the needs of the community
o Initiate and facilitate community forum/s or other opportunities to discuss development of a community activity centre, and to inform Council on this initiative
o Solicit partnerships and engage support from interested potential partner organizations
o Goal of September 30 2014 completion date for these services
• Primary Health:
o address issues identified through the Primary Health Care Working Group and Mayor‘s Panel, Community Health and Social Initiatives
o maintain and further develop relationships at regional and provincial levels for community health initiatives
• Volunteer Initiatives:
o Explore funding opportunities to implement OCP identified Volunteer initiatives and activities that promote Sooke‘s claim as the Volunteer Capital of Canada
VIHA has been an avid supporter of SRCHN, matching funds provided by the District of Sooke to fund our activites. As of 2014, VIHA has provided funding for a part-time coordinator's position to futher collaboration and increase opportunities for the region. This was very appreciated by SRCHN as grants often do not provide the possibility to pay indirect costs such as services rendered."
Addendum
Here's an excerpt (shared by permission) of the speaking notes read by Roy Brown at a memorial concert for his late wife Mary Brown held at the Anglican Church in December, 2022. The concert was a Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation fundraiser for Mary Brown Memorial Fund, which supports local charities delivering services to people with mental health and/or disability needs. A social scientist and practitioner, Roy is Chair of the Sooke Age-Friendly Committee and recipient of the Dr Robert E; Cooke Lifetime achievement award-American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry.
"The following are some of the challenges faced by the relevant families where there are challenging and serious life issues. If one compares life satisfaction characteristics between families with disability issues with a random sample of the population of the same age without mental health and disability concerns, there are great discrepancies in the following:
- Health issues
- Financial wellbeing
- Family relations
- Support from other people
- Support from Disability related services - Over 50% of those responding are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
- Spiritual and cultural needs.
- Careers and preparation for careers.
- Leisure and enjoyment of life.
- Community and civic involvement.
The more severe the conditions the greater the discrepancy between the control group (no major mental health or disability issues) and those with disabilities. This data was collected in BC and is consistent with other studies.
I want to make such concerns more concrete and exemplify one simple technique that can be introduced. In one sense light hearted but serious. My mom was celebrating her 100th birthday and was at a party with care staff from the day program she attended. She had severe Alzheimer’s. She brought along a book of photos representing her life. Staff asked to look at it. Mom wanted to know what the staff were talking about. Well Mom, the staff say you were a beautiful woman. Yes,I was She said! banging her walking stick on the ground!
Then I realised: The staff did not know the broad details of her life and were learning it for the first time. I now recommend that end of life programs should ensure that families have a book of their loved one’s life. It broadens staff knowledge of the person they are caring for. It is also a visual aid for their patient or client. Remember one is more likely to lose recall skills and retain recognition for longer."
I wanted to point you to today's Times Colonist article in case you've not seen it - https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/seniors-advocate-says-province-has-no-action-plan-to-increase-long-term-care-beds-11297464
"The seniors advocate’s report found the long-term care system has gone from providing 77 beds per 1,000 people a decade ago to 58 beds today. Levitt said that number will fall to 41 beds by 2035/36 if beds continue to be built and replaced at the current rate."
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