Northern B.C. city buys medical clinic to prevent its closure

A northern B.C. clinic has avoided closure thanks to some creative thinking from the City of Dawson Creek. 

It comes as much of the province, but especially northern and more rural communities, deal with a years-long health-care professional staff shortage that's resulted in cities losing walk-in clinics, emergency rooms being closed for extended periods, communities left without family doctors and long wait times for specialized care. 

The Eljen Medical Clinic was at risk of closure earlier this year when several doctors announced they were leaving the community, and Mayor Darcy Dober said the clinic's owner planned to put it up for sale. 

So, the city looked at its options and decided to buy it. 

"This was a huge win for our community," Dober said.

According to the 2021 census, just over 12,000 people live in Dawson Creek, which is about 262 kilometres northwest of Prince George. According to a city spokesperson, there are six medical clinics in the city, including one naturopath.

The purchase of the Eljen clinic is being paid for by the Growing Communities Fund — something all communities in B.C. have access to for infrastructure projects. 

The city says it received a more than $3.9 million grant from the fund in March 2023, which, thanks to interest, had grown to $4.1 million. Dober says they asked the province if it could use the money for this project and got the green light. 

"There's not a lot of risk, really," Dober said. "There's no other risk in purchasing the building [which] is very minimal because … it's property. It's about health care."

He also said the city would incur no direct expense to its current operations using the fund. 

Dober said the city will have "minimal" oversight of the clinic, and city staff will not operate it. The city said in a news release that it is trying to secure a lease with health-care professionals to offset the costs of owning the building. 

"Our only involvement in it is making sure that [the clinic] is a betterment for the doctors and the communities, health care and the region," Dober said. "This is not just about Dawson Creek, this is about our South Peace region and, really, the whole Peace region."

He said residents from Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge and several First Nations access health care in Dawson Creek.

Partnership is 'crucial' amid doctor shortage

B.C. — and much of Canada, for that matter — has been faced with a health-care professional staff shortage for several years. 

The South Peace Division of Family Practice, a community-based group of family doctors, says the city's buy-in on the clinic is "imperative" as efforts to recruit more physicians to the area continue.  

"This collaboration is crucial for providing quality care to the population we serve," division executive director Charleigh Rudy said in an email to CBC. 

"We understand that health care is facing very challenging times. By being innovative, creative, and coming up with local solutions together, we can achieve greater success."

CBC asked B.C.'s Ministry of Health on Wednesday whether the city's purchase of a clinic was a satisfactory solution to the health-care woes faced provincewide and whether this was a model other communities should follow. They did not respond to those questions. 

However, the ministry said people living in Dawson Creek can access care at the Prince George Urgent Primary Care Centre, a 4½-hour drive if conditions allow.

"The Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring that residents of the South Peace region have access to primary health care through the implementation of B.C.'s Primary Care Strategy," it said in an email. 

It also said people in northern B.C. can use virtual clinics to access health-care providers.