Primary care at Raven Song expands Monday

Freshly-painted walls, redesigned space, a baby weighing station with stroller parking and improved access to the harm reduction kiosk—the new Primary Care High Needs and Stabilization Clinic is almost ready to open at Raven Song Community Health Centre (CHC). On Monday, primary care staff and physicians from the Evergreen and South CHCs, and Pine Clinic, will join Raven Song to make the physical redesign come to life.

The clinic will provide high needs and complex clients—including youth and frail elders—with the health care they need in a patient-centred, specialized, fully-integrated setting. The team will provide service within the clinic, at satellite locations and through the outreach team.

Starting on Nov. 3, the new clinic will open 12 hours a day, five days a week. Service will expand to include weekends by early 2015.

“The primary care teams have gone above and beyond to enable the creation of this new clinic,” says Jane Porter, manager of primary care services at Raven Song. “Our clinicians have a wealth of expertise and experience that will build an incredible interdisciplinary team for our most complex clients.”

Supporting clients through the transition

With the help of an attachment nurse, primary care clients were contacted to explain their care options. Options included remaining with their regular doctor or nurse practitioner, finding a new one or transferring their care to the Raven Song High Needs and Stabilization Clinic. In the end, seventy per cent of clients were invited to remain with their family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Youth clients who attended Pine Clinic can continue to get care at the expanded Raven Song, Three Bridges or East Van youth clinics. Youth clinics remain at Pacific Spirit and South CHCs.

“Some youth who used to visit the Pine Clinic have already started coming to Raven Song,” says Nellie Hariri, director of primary care for Vancouver Community. “We are hearing that they will be happy to see the familiar faces of Pine staff who will continue their care, starting next week.”

Primary care clinics also remain in place at the inner city CHCs: Three Bridges, Pender and Downtown.

“Our goal was to leave no patient without access to primary care, and increase our capacity to service the city’s most vulnerable citizens,” says Dr. David Hall, medical director, primary care. “As we build the team at Raven Song, we will have the capacity to provide service for about 4,500 new clients who need wrap-around care—we’re excited to get started.”

Did you miss our most recent articles?