Port McNeill

• Population

  Town Population: 2,337 (2016 Census)

  Patient Catchment: 11,919 (LHA #84 – Vancouver Is. N., BC Stats 2009)

  Ages of Population:
  0-17: 22.8%
   18-24: 10.5%
   25-64: 55.7%
   65+: 11.1% (BC Stats, 2010 Figures)
  

• Health Administrative Information

  Health Authority: Island Health

  Health Service Delivery Area: North Vancouver Island

  Regional District: Mount Waddington

  Rural Designation: RSA community

  RRP Designation: A

  RRP Points: 28.6

• Practitioners + Clinic information

  General Practitioners: 4 (www.cpsbc.ca)

  Clinic
  Port McNeill Clinic
  Box 14, 2161 McNeill Road
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-3377
  

• Contact Info

  Port McNeill and District Hospital
  2760 Kingcome Place
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 | F: 250 956-4823
  

  http://www.viha.ca/locations/port_mcneill_district_hospital.htm

• Hospital Info

  The small 10-bed hospital is usually full. The nursing staff is quite friendly, and the lab techs and x-ray are great to work with. Two of the doctors do deliveries but not very many and usually only multips. There is an OR but it has not been used in years. The ER has 5 beds and 1 trauma room. The occasional trauma occurs up in the logging camp. You will do call at least once a week and one weekend per month. You are backed up by a physician while on call, but the expectation is to work pretty independently. Campbell River provides excellent specialist backup, and it is easy to transfer people if necessary, or you can just phone the specialists to discuss the case and management. You will follow whomever you admit to the hospital.

  You really need to spend at least 3 months or more in Port McNeill to really appreciate it.

  Acute Care Beds: 11

  Major Medical Centre: Transfer to Nanaimo (346 km)

  Referral Hospital: Campbell River Regional Hospital, or St Joseph Hospital (Comox)

• Emergency Room

  This community has an Emergency Room with limited services. CTAS Level I and II cases are transferred immediately. There is no OR back up in this community. Emergency deliveries are performed at this facility, while low-risk obstetrical services are provided at the Mt. Waddington site.

  This ER is open 24/7. There is a trauma room at this hospital.

  Number of Visits per Year: 5,052 (2009/2010 Statistics: VIHA)

  Number of Emergency Care Beds: 5

  Travel Distance to Transfer Hospital: Nanaimo (346 km)

• Hospital CAEP and CTAS

  CTAS Level
  CTAS Level III (Urgent)
  CTAS Level IV (Less Urgent)
  CTAS Level V (Non Urgent)
  

• Anaesthetics

  There are anaesthesia services available in this community

• Surgery

  There are surgical services available in this community, including minor procedures.

• Maternity

  This community offers obstetric services.

• Lab services

  Port McNeill and District Hospital Lab
  Box 790, 2750 Kingcome Place
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 ext. 66228 | F: 250 956-4423
  Hrs: Mon-Sun 8:30 am - 9:30 am, 1 pm - 2 pm

• Blood Bank

  This community has a blood bank.

• Imaging services

  X-Ray
  Port McNeill and District Hospital Diagnostics
  Box 790, 2750 Kingcome Place
  Port MacNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 ext. 66228 | F: 250 956-4423
  Hrs: Mon-Sun 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

  CT

  There are CT imaging services in this community.

  Mammography

  Mammography services provided by BC Cancer Agency twice a year. See www.bccancer.bc.ca for details.

• BC Ambulance

  BC Ambulance Service provides coverage to this community, including Air Ambulance services.

• Pharmacy

  Peoples Drug Mart #93
  Box 700, 1584 Broughton Blvd
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-3126 | F: 250 956-4245

• Home Nursing

  We Care Comox Valley
  TFP: 1 888 334-8531 | TFF: 1 888 334-8571

• Dietetics

  Outpatient Nutritional Services
  Port McNeill and District Hospital
  Box 790, 2750 Kingcome Place
  Port MacNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 | F: 250 956-4823
  

• Diabetic Nurse Educator

  Diabetes Education Services
  Port McNeill and District Hospital
  Box 790, 2750 Kingcome Place
  Port MacNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 | F: 250 956-4823
  

• Mental Health and Addictions

  Mental Health & Addiction Services
  Port McNeill and District Hospital
  Box 548, 2750 Kingcome Place
  Port MacNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-4461 | F: 250 956-4823
  
  In-community
  Youth & Family Addiction Services
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 230-3513 | P: 24 Hr Crisis Line 250 949-6033
  

• Social workers

  Port McNeill Health Unit
  1775 Grenville Street
  Port McNeill, BC, VON 2R0
  P: 250 956-4711 | F: 250 949-3119
  

Port McNeill Health Unit
1775 Grenville Street
Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
P: 250 956-4711
Hrs: Wed 9 am - 4 pm. Call for appointment

Services: STI testing and treatment, STI counselling, HIV counselling and testing.

Promising Babies
Pregnancy Outreach Program
North Island Community Services
Box 1028
Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
P: 250 956-3134 | F: 250 956-4214

Port McNeill Mental Health and Addiction Services
Box 548, 2750 Kingcome Place
Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
P: 250 956-4461 | F: 250 956-3653

• Practice Site Information

  Port McNeill Clinic
  Box 14, 2161 McNeill Road
  Port McNeill, BC, V0N 2R0
  P: 250 956-3377
  
  Physician Site Coordinator(s)
  Dr. Prean Armogam
  
  Office Administrator
  Susan Bell
  
  Practical Nurse
  Julie Carlson

  Practice Profile

  Clinic starts at 10:30 until 13:00 and afternoon at 14:00 until 17:00. You will usually be quite busy and work independently. You write your own prescriptions, no co-signing needed except for Narcotic triplicates. Booking is at every 30 minutes initially but will eventually be in every 15 minutes.

  The logging industry is mostly Caucasian, while the surrounding communities are mainly First Nations. You will be participating with the Clinic’s visits to the surrounding communities by helicopter to Rivers Inlet, Zeballos, Sointula and Woss.

  We run a full service rural family practice including office, 8 outreach clinics reached by air or sea, and a fairly busy emergency department. We practice on a collaborative basis with an extended role nurse in the clinic, close liaison with mental health and community care nurses, as well as an outreach team to remote communities.

  Port McNeill has a generally young population with about 10% of people over the age of 65. About 20% of work is First Nations care, mostly through the remote outreach community clinics.

  We run a low risk, low volume obstetrical service for the North Island and we are the regional center for intermediate psychiatric care. We have a full complement of specialists and ready telephone back up. Teleradiography allows for on-demand x-ray interpretation from Campbell River. Surgical interventions are limited to those requiring local or regional anesthesia or procedural sedation.

  We run the North Island Methadone program and have interests in counseling, CBT, hyperbaric and aviation medicine. Community Services include Diabetic Nurse Educator, Community Care Nurses and Support Workers, Dietitic Consultants. Mental Health Counsellors, Physiotherapists and 24/365 Primary Care Paramedic (Level II) BC Ambulance Service.

  On-Call Schedule
  1 day in 5; 1 weekend in 5




• Training Site Information

  Medical Student Training: Yes

  Medical Student: UBC, Out of Province

  Family Practice Resident Site: Yes

  Medical Resident: UBC




• Students & Residents Perspectives

  On the Community

  “Great community with incredibly friendly people”. “The town itself is quite quiet, but has an interesting dynamic because of recent forestry operations closure and nearby First Nations communities”.

  On the Experience

  “Lots of time in the ER as well as numerous visits to medical outposts, some of which require a helicopter flight to access”. “Port McNeill provides a genuine rural experience. The doctors are friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.” “Very wide range of activities and opportunities to work with many different preceptors. A lot of opportunities to do hands-on activity.”

  Challenges

  “No surgical exposure.”




• Patient Load

  Practice per Day: 120

  Resident per Day: 15 – 20




• Office Set-up

  Personnel in Office: Nurses, Mental Health Worker

  Does your office have a surgical suite? No

  Payment Modality: Fee-for-service

  Do you use a consistent charting system in your practice? Yes

  Is there a problem list on each chart? Yes

  Is there space for the resident to have an office an an examination room? Yes

  Technology: 
  Billing
  Email
  Internet
  Medline
  




• Educational Opportunities

  Hospital Rounds: Yes. 9:00 am to 9:15am daily rounds with all doctors, duty hospital nurses, mental health, community care, physiotherapists, diabetic nurse, as required.

  CME Teleconferences: Yes, Rural FP Teleconferences

  Videoconferences: Yes, There are opportunities for videoconferences, VIHA Videoconference sessions

  Conferences: Yes, there are opportunities for conferences.

  Journal Clubs/Reading: Yes, there are opportunities for journal clubs/reading – monthly.

  Small Group Learning: Yes, there are opportunities for Small Group Learning – twice weekly seminars

  Resident Interview/Audit: Yes, there are opportunities for a Resident Interview/Audit: video audit, in-room audit, chart reviews

• Preceptor Physicians

  Dr. David Whittaker