After nearly four long years, the community of Peachland is getting its only medical clinic back.
“It’s about time, ” local resident Kerry Martinson said of Beachside Health, which is now open.
In the spring of 2019, the clinic — then known as Beach Avenue Medical Clinic — closed after the doctor who owned it retired.
None of the clinic’s other doctors wanted to run it, so they moved to clinics in surrounding communities.
The closure left the community of roughly 5,000, largely comprised of seniors, without a physician, leaving residents to travel to see a physician.
“Our senior population is a little less likely to travel into West Kelowna and Kelowna unnecessarily,” said Peachland’s deputy mayor, Terry Condon.
“It was quite a burden for a lot of people when the clinic closed.”
But now the clinic is re-opening under new ownership.
“Losing primary care for a small town, especially one that has so many retirees, is a really it’s a big deal, a big problem,” said Sarah Kendrick, co-owner of Beachside Health.
When the clinic closed, recruiting a physician to take over the clinic proved unsuccessful.
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Many general practitioners shy away from having to practice and run a business at the same time.
But with Kendrick’s partner, Jubi Steinhauer, running the business aspect, attracting a physician was a little easier.
“It does relieve the burden of managing the business for a physician so they can deal with their patients,” Steinhauer said.
So far, a registered nurse is working on-site along with a physician who specializes in internal medicine.
“For us, for the town of Peachland, he’s a really great fit because he deals a lot in the diseases of the elderly,” Kendrick said.
A family physician has also been secured and will start seeing patients at the clinic on May 1.
“We’ve had lots of calls, lots of emails,” Steinhauer said. “Everybody is really eager and anxious to get a doctor because it has been four years.”
The hope is to get more general practitioners at the clinic, along with other medical professionals.
“We’re going to do our best to see whatever we can do to get as many, you know, primary care physicians and allied health professionals in here so that we can be really well rounded,” Steinhauer said.
Steinhauer added that the clinic could become a medical hub for the community.
“I think the future looks bright,” he said. “We obviously want more general practitioners. We’re going to put physiotherapy in place. We’d love to have a foot-care nurse come on board. We’ve got an RN here.
“We would like to see what other benefits can we provide to the community.”
Many residents in Peachland expressed relief and excitement about getting their clinic back.
“I had a great doctor here. He left and I now have to go to Westbank for a doctor,” Martinson said. “It’s great they’re coming back.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” said local resident Mark Goncze. “I was a member of the old clinic and it was very challenging because we had to follow our doctors into West Kelowna because they all left.
“So, yeah, it’s great for Peachland.”
Beachside Health is currently taking names for its waitlist as it looks to grow and ensure everyone local has access to medical care.
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