CENTRAL OKANAGAN — A recent survey by the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice, (a not-for-profit group of medical professionals), shows roughly 4,000 seniors living in the region are struggling to find a family doctor.
READ MORE: Staggering stat: one in four in Central Okanagan don’t have a family doctor
Now residents over the age of 65 have a helping hand in that search, with new Mobile Medical Unit touring the Central Okanagan with one goal: to set up seniors with physicians.
While no medical care will be provided at the clinics, healthcare workers will meet with seniors to identify medical needs and conduct a complete medical history of each patient. The information will then be complied into a working registry with a goal of matching up patients with doctors in less time.
“This opportunity also allows family doctors and their patients to link with the greater community of care including services through Interior Health, municipalities, and community organizations,” says Tristan Smith, executive director for the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice.
Funding for the mobile unit comes from the A GP for Me initiative, a joint venture between the provincial government and the Doctors of BC, launched in 2013.
Anyone over the age of 65 without a family doctor can make an appointment with the Mobile Assessment Unit. It will travel to various centres throughout the Central Okanagan. To make an appointment email the Division of Family Practice at: co.agpforme@divisionsbc.ca.
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