Karl Hardt, communications officer for Interior Health (IH), confirmed the hiring of a nurse practitioner for Rock Creek to support the primary health care needs of residents of the area.
“Based at the Rock Creek Medical Clinic, Celia Evanson will work Tuesday to Thursday and begin accepting patients the week of Jan. 27,” Hardt said.
According to the IH press release, Evanson has a wealth of experience as a nurse practitioner and nurse. She comes to Interior Health from Northern Health and spent time earlier in her career working as a nurse in the Boundary area.
Rock Creek Community Medical Society president Terry Keough told the Times that a nurse practitioner is able to prescribe most medications, refer to specialists and order lab tests. He said the medial records at the clinic are now being digitized and the medical society is planning to hold a public meeting soon to inform the community of the new doctor.
“The bottom line is, I am fairly confident from the discussions we had with Interior Health that this will be a long-term solution as long as the community comes out and uses the services.
“We have more than doubled the hours of service from the previous doctor,” Keough added. “It really was an early Christmas present for us.”
The Rock Creek Community Medical Society can be found online at rockcreekmedical.ca or reached by phone at 250-446-2272.