Several Fraser Health services can be accessed at one location when the new Mission Community Health Care Centre (CHCC) opens for business next week.
This is the first building of its kind for the health authority, said Paula Young, director of infrastructure for primary care in the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) region. "We're prototyping what a community health centre is. We're looking at communities individually and looking at its health needs."
The building, located adjacent to Mission Memorial Hospital on Hurd Street, has a modern design to deliver health care and can accommodate family visits and group visits to support patients.
All the programs located inside the 27,000 square-foot leased building already exist in Mission. Bringing them under one roof will help FHA deliver services collaboratively and narrow any gaps.
The programs, which are mostly referral-based, now available at the centre are:
n Home Health - This is not a walk-in clinic. Occasionally, an existing client may come by and may be seen if there is a nurse available.
n Seniors Clinic - This is referral-based service, based on the specialized needs of clients.
n Diabetes Education Centre - This is referral-based service, based on the specialized needs of clients.
n Mental Health and Substance Use - A referral-based service.
n Environmental Services - Clients can drop off samples and plans.
n Public Health - This office is open a few hours each day when a nurse is available to answer questions from the public. The clinic also offers Baby Time Drop in for parents and babies from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and immunization clinics.
There is also space for growth, Young noted.
Construction for the project started last June and employed 20 to 30 people each day, said Young. "It's gone remarkably smooth."
The facility was built on time and on budget, she added.
The CHCC is the first part of a plan to bring health care in Mission to one location. Construction for the second half, a campus of care for seniors, is currently underway and is expected to open in the spring of 2014.
The campus of care, a 28,000 sq. ft. facility, will provide 200 residential care beds for seniors with complex care needs, and a day program for older adults.
Both projects are expected to cost about $40 million, with $22 million coming from the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District.
The CHCC was an idea developed in 2008 by FHA, the Fraser Valley Regional Hospital District and the District of Mission.