Residents of Gabriola Island banded together to build a leading-edge community health facility through volunteer efforts, fundraising, and collaborating with local partners and stakeholders when a lack of available clinic space began to impact the island’s ability to recruit new doctors and health care providers. That theme of collaboration continues through the very successful team-based care model now functioning within the clinic, which has exceeded all expectations for success since opening its doors in 2012.
The Gabriola Community Health Centre is owned, maintained, and administered by the Gabriola Health Care Foundation—a non-profit society formed by island residents. While the centre was built prior to the formation of the Gabriola Island Chapter of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, the division and chapter have been instrumental in initiating a part-time social worker, telehealth videoconferencing equipment and support, development of the Health and Wellness Collaborative and the Palliative Care Working Group, and more. Island Health and other local health care stakeholders also support the centre.
Two of the clinic’s family doctors, Drs Francis Bosman and Tracey Thorne, were part of the community effort to build the clinic.
Read the full story on the Divisions of Family Practice website.