100,000 Vancouverites are without a family doctor and about 24,000 are actively looking.
I’m helping promote a Vancouver based campaign called A GP For Me Vancouver. It is being led by the Vancouver Division of Family Practice as part of a province-wide program of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC to help more citizens have a family doctor.
The initiative is based on the knowledge that when people have a strong relationship with a family doctor:
Patient Heath Improves
Research shows that patients are healthier–they don’t get sick as often, go to hospital emergencies or end up in a hospital bed.
System Health Improves
Nearly 80% of our interactions with the health care system are with family doctors. When one doctor is overseeing your care they can co-ordinate and manage your health by ordering tests and setting up appointments with a specialist.
Positive Economic Impact
Research conducted in BC shows it costs less to look after patients who have a family doctor, especially if they have chronic conditions like diabetes.
However, in my city, 100,000 Vancouverites are without a family doctor and about 24,000 are actively looking. To address this gap, local family doctors are thinking of ways to improve the care they offer to you and are building a plan together with citizens, health authority partners, government and community organizations to make this happen.
One of the most important ways to create real solutions is to ask the people who are most affected – citizens. This is why we are asking Vancouverites about their priorities, values and what’s important to them when they are sick and need to seek care.
Your input—through polls, interactive citizen engagement platforms, summits and kitchen table dialogues—will help us develop a plan to meet Vancouver health care needs for now and in the future.
Learn More
You can learn more on the A GP for Me Vancouver blog.
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