A goal of health care professionals today is to provide a team based approach to patient care. Evidence clearly shows that interdisciplinary teams can significantly improve the health and wellness of patients with, or at risk of, chronic conditions.On Gabriola, under the leadership and dedication of DRS. BOSMAN, MIERZEWSKI, and THORNE patients are now benefitting from this team based approach. Working closely with health care professionals, we now have a community owned facility out of which a wide array of services is provided in a refreshingly collaborative manner:
THE GABRIOLA MEDICAL CLINIC: A family practice, currently with three doctors along with locums and administrative staff, is located on the main floor and in many ways is the heart of the Community Health Centre. URGENT TREATMENT FACILITY (UTF): Is also on the main floor of the Gabriola Community Health Centre. Within the UTF there are the supplies and equipment necessary to service three triage and urgent medical treatment beds. The doctors from the Gabriola Medical Clinic share the responsibility of on-call urgent care and last year treated over 1300 patients requiring urgent care – a 45% increase over the previous year.HOME CARE NURSES: Work out of Island Health’s Home and Community Care office located on the lower level. Five days a week these nurses take care of Gabriolans both in their homes as well as within the Urgent Treatment Facility when those sorts of supplies and equipment are required. HOME CARE SUPPORT WORKERS: The Island Health team works out of the Community Care office providing a wide array of in home support services for those Gabriolans in need.MENTAL HEALTH NURSE: The Island Health Mental Health Nurse position has recently been increased to two days a week and working out of an office within the Gabriola Medical Clinic is able to maintain a close liaison with the doctors thereby providing the optimal team based care for patients.SOCIAL WORKER: A part time Social Worker also works out of the Clinic, in close collaboration with the doctors, providing valuable assistance to patients. Patients are seen at both PHC and the Clinic.SENIORS OUTREACH PROGRAM: The Seniors Outreach coordinator works out of the Island Health office seeing many patients in the comfort of their homes. PUBLIC HEALTH: Public Health Immunization clinics and Mammogram Screening clinics are frequently held at the Health Centre.LIFE LABS MEDICAL LABORATORY SERVICES: Life Labs is located on the lower level of the building and is open five mornings a week.REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST: Angela Henderson, RMT now sees patients in her office on the lower level of the Health Centre.GABRIOLA DENTAL: Dr. Koltronis, who sees many Gabriola patients at his primary office in Nanaimo, expanded his practise to offer a dental clinic focused on oral hygiene services. The modern new office is located on the lower floor.PLASTIC SURGEON: Dr. Barnsley, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, treats patients in the Urgent Treatment Facility during his bi-monthly visits to the Community Health Centre.TELEHEALTH SERVICES: This newest service offered at the Community Health Centre can give a patient the opportunity to ‘visit’ a medical specialist via video conferencing in the privacy of a room in the Health Centre. This can save patients long and stressful trips to Victoria or Vancouver for follow up visits with specialists.
THE GABRIOLA HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION (GHCF) has a mandate to provide a community-owned urgent treatment facility, a primary care medical clinic and primary health care programs.The GABRIOLA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE on Church Street now provides much more than that!April, 2016
This is the second in a series of reports to be published by the Gabriola Health Care Foundation to update Gabriolans on the facility, services and programs, and to help them better understand the current and potential long-term successes and challenges. For further information see www.ghcs.ca
