Posted on: December 13, 2023
Deb Fortney is grateful that the Gorge Urgent and Primary Care Centre (GUPCC) opened its doors in September 2022. Fortney and her husband, who lives in an assisted care home, do not have a family physician. As a result, the GUPCC team has cared for the couple on more than one occasion.
“My professional expertise is in organizational development and what has impressed me most about the team-based care offered here is that nothing falls between the cracks. There seem to be conversations among care providers happening behind the scenes," Fortney said.
“Having an interdisciplinary team that talks to one another about patients allows them to see the entire picture instead of one small piece. It is nice to know that we don't have to repeat our story over and over again to numerous care providers."
The GUPCC interdisciplinary team includes family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, mental health and substance use clinicians, a social worker, and administrative support staff.
“As a team, we all love working together, we share a real care for our patients and families, and we are excited to learn new things and establish new programs that provide better access to primary care in our community," said Dr. Tia Pham, family physician and Co-Medical Director South Island UPCCs. “Over the last year, we've continued to attach patients without a primary care provider to physicians and nurse practitioners at our clinic."
Dr. Nazmuddin Merali was a family physician for 40 years before retiring from his practice and joining the GUPCC team. Like patient Deb Fortney, Dr. Merali is also a fan of team-based care.
Pictured above Dr.Merali and Dr.Pham
“When you work by yourself, you do everything on your own. With my own practice, I didn't have the luxury of corridor consultations where I could come out of an exam room and receive advice from my colleagues about a patient. However, here I am able to be of help and also share knowledge with the rest of the team," he said.
“This is an excellent model that allows me to devote more time to each patient. It's nice to have others to lean on, rather than making all of the decisions myself and trying to determine who is best suited to address a patient's particular issue."
As a new-to-practice nurse practitioner, Randi Lundberg agrees with Dr. Merali's assessment of team-based care at GUPCC.
“I was an RN in acute care for ten years and now in my new role as a nurse practitioner, I find the team here to be so supportive," said Lundberg. “Everyone comes from a different healthcare specialty and brings a different lens to their work."
The site includes registered nurses with certified practice who can offer a number of services including pap smears, wound care, suture removal and chronic disease and lifestyle management.
“Having registered nurses caring providing those services opens up time for physicians and nurse practitioners to see patients with more serious conditions," Lundberg added.
The GUPCC team includes mental health clinicians who provide short-term support for mental health concerns such as mild to moderate depression and anxiety, something that Dr. Merali and the rest of the team also value.
“There can be stigma around accessing mental healthcare. Hopefully, by offering these services we are normalizing mental health as an important part of healthcare and encouraging patients to access short term counselling and other supports," said Curtis Menz, an MHSU consultant at GUPCC. “I'm also grateful for the team based care model. Holding space for people experiencing mental health challenges can be isolating, so it's helpful to walk down the hall and receive support and advice from my colleagues."
Something unique to the site is provision of clinics that anyone without a primary care provider is welcome to attend. They include:
- Cardiovascular Screening for people over the age of 40 without a primary care provider. This is a nurse-led initiative created in collaboration with Dr. Tia Pham and Dr. Daisy Dulay (as a physician quality improvement project)
- Weekly 'Lumps and Bumps' screening for patients with skin concerns
- Reproductive and Sexual Health clinic held 2x per month, in conjunction with University of Victoria family practice residents, to improve access to cervical cancer screening as well as any other gynecological concerns
- Pediatric Respiratory Clinic held during cold/flu season to increase access to primary care urgent care appointments and reduce ED visits
“I'm really thrilled to be here and so pleased to work with Dr. Pham, one of the most dedicated medical leads, and the rest of our wonderful team," said Dr. Merali. “I would definitely recommend this type of work to my fellow physicians."
Gorge UPCC is located at 63 Gorge Road East and open 8:00am to 8:00pm, seven days per week.