More options for healthcare in the Bulkley Valley have officially opened.
This afternoon (Thursday), the Smithers Primary Care Clinic officially opened its doors where Broadway Medical operated in the Valley Care Centre building.
The clinic started to intake patients in January which has attached hundreds of patients to a primary care provider.
In March, Northern Health announced an unattached clinic for those without a primary care physician.
The goal of the unattached clinic was to reduce the number of patients accessing the Bulkley Valley District Hospital for non-urgent care needs.
In the clinic there are two nurse practitioners, who unlike other nurses have taken advanced education and can work on their own, and a rotating local doctor for the evening clinics.
The Smithers Primary Care Clinic is part of the Bulkley Valley Witset Primary Care Network (PCN), which includes the Witset and Houston health centres.
According to Northern Health, 22.9 per cent of residents in the Smithers region are without a primary practitioner.