Fort Nelson, B.C., exploring feasibility of municipally-owned health-care clinic - CBC

The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) says it's looking into the feasibility of a creating a municipally-owned healthcare clinic. (Simon Charland/CBC)Social SharingThe Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) says it's looking into the feasibility of creating a municipally-owned health-care clinic, and will explore the idea through a business case study.

"This is really a provincial responsibility that that we're considering taking on because of our remoteness," said Fort Nelson Mayor Rob Fraser.

"We've never been in the medical business before. The more informed we are, the better decision we'll make."

Fraser says the doctor operating the community's current for-profit primary care clinic is looking to retire and the NRRM is considering the possibility of taking over operations.

"It's been a successful clinic for 30 years, and we expect it will continue to be successful," he said.

"But until we know all the revenue streams and until we know all the potential costs, it's hard to say whether or not the taxpayers will have to fund that."

A business case will be presented to the community at a later date, noted Fraser.

Research into a municipally-owned clinic began in February after physician departures were announced, according to a report by the NRRM.

The report says the current fee-for-service physician compensation model is directly tied to patient volumes and doesn't work well in a region like the Northern Rockies.

"In communities such as the NRRM, where patient volumes are lower and physician resources are limited, the model may be less attractive to prospective physicians and can create challenges in maintaining both competitive compensation and sustainable clinic operations," it states.

According to the 2021 census, just under 4,000 people live in the NRRM, with more than 2,600 residents living in Fort Nelson, the region's administrative centre.

A health-care committee formed by the NRRM recommended a team-based care model for primary care and critical care as the best fit, seeking to recruit doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other health professionals under a municipally owned clinic.

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The committee included representatives from Fort Nelson First Nation and Toad River.

Input was also provided by health-care operators across B.C., seeking advice from community non-profit clinics in Whistler and Gabriola Island, a community health-care clinic in Sun Peaks, a municipally-led clinic owned by the City of Colwood, and others.

Fraser says the model used by Colwood was one that the committee looked at the most, but says doctors are also needed for the Fort Nelson General Hospital, which is operated by Northern Health.

"Colwood has moved away from the health authority, with their clinics. They have a clinic and, the doctors work for the municipality," he said.

"For us, being as remote as we are, the doctors in our clinic are likely going to have to take some turns in the hospital here."

According to a press release, the NRRM and its health-care committee will continue looking into collaborative models for operating a clinic, with no model or clinic committed to yet.

"This initiative aims to ensure residents have dependable access to local primary health-care services while supporting physician retention and work-life balance," it states.

Key areas in the business case study include reviewing more municipal models, seeking input from the Ministry of Health, engaging with physicians further about compensation models, and evaluating facility options.

Fraser says the NRRM wants to include communities all along the Alaska Highway, including Prophet River First Nation.

"The important part is that we're researching to build that business model, so that we can present it to the public and get feedback," he said.

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Tom Summer is a reporter for CBC News based in Fort St. John, B.C. and grew up in the Peace Country in Treaty 8 territory. You can reach him at tom.summer@cbc.ca or at 250-329-4103

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