Whereas local governments are deeply concerned about the health status of their communities; And whereas there is an urgent need in municipalities across British Columbia to find ways to improve access to quality primary health care; And whereas Community Health Centres CHCs, both provincially and nationally, have demonstrated the capacity to deliver cost effective, culturally appropriate health services to diverse populations in the communities they serve, based on a commitment to addressing the broader social determinants of health through a multi-disciplinary, team-based approach; And whereas community governance of primary health care provides an effective mechanism to enable local citizens to tailor services to the diverse needs of their communities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM affirm its support for the provincial governments initiative to establish 20 CHCs across the province; And be it further resolved that UBCM direct its staff to consult with the Ministry of Health MoH and the regional health authorities to develop proposals for implementing this commitment in local governments wishing to host new CHCs; And be it further resolved that UBCM request that the MoH support local government initiatives to develop fully-fledged CHCs, which include a community governance board, the provision of interdisciplinary services, and community outreach programs that address the social determinants of health.
Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is in the process of finalizing a supportive policy directive on community health centres CHCs to guide enhancement of existing CHCs and to support the development of new community-governed CHCs across the province. This policy also aims to ensure the integration of these centres within the system of primary and community care. The draft policy directive on CHCs was developed in consultation with key stakeholder groups, including administrators at existing CHCs; representatives from the health authorities, including the First Nations Health Authority; members of the BC Health Coalition; members of the BC Rural Health Network; patients; clinicians; academics; and staff from the Ministry. The Ministry is in the process of developing a draft policy-implementation strategy to support alignment of existing and new CHCs with the policy attributes. This strategy will include a plan for supporting communities to develop new CHCs based on population health needs across the province. A CHC partnership table that will include similar representation from key stakeholder groups that participated in the policy consultation sessions will be formed to discuss governance and community partnerships, community engagement, participation in regional Primary Care Networks, and overall alignment of CHCs to the new provincial policy.