The Medical Clinic Society of Bowen’s new president believes that, with the existing level of support, fundraising for the project should not be a problem and the goal of building a clinic should be realizable within 18 months.
“There is such widespread support for this project that I am expecting political co-operation coming from council,” says Tim Rhodes, adding that of three potential clinic sites, two are on private land and would not require re-zoning.
He says current challenges include the creation of a workable business plan that will ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the clinic, figuring out what kind of medical practitioners should be in the space and getting Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) on board with the project.
“We had a very positive meeting with them last week,” says Rhodes. “They would not need to approve the building of a clinic, but they would need to accredit the clinic in order for their programs to be run through it.”
Rhodes says that while VCH understands the need for a clinic, the Medical Clinic Society and Caring Circle are hoping that the results of their newly released Health Needs Assessment for Bowen Island will underscore those needs further.
To learn more about the Medical Clinic Society of Bowen, go to Communitymedicalclinic.ca/.
To fill out the Health Needs Assessment, go to: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/Bowen-health/
