A partnership between Interior Health, East Kootenay Division of Family Practice and the Ktunaxa Nation has created a new service to help expecting parents in the East Kootenay.
The Encompass Pregnancy Care Clinic at Cranbrook’s Urgent and Primary Care Centre had its soft launch in March, its official opening was May 1.
Dr. Madeline Oosthuizen says the clinic was formed by eight local maternity physicians who wanted a central location to provide standardized care.
“So, our idea is to have a central place where all moms can come,” Says Dr. Oosthuizen. “Later on we’ll have some information sessions, we’ll have some group classes, some lactation consultants, we might even have some interesting speakers coming and talk to the moms later on once we’ve got settled in.”
Dr. Oosthuizen says the clinic is open to anyone who needs it.
“Whether you’re a young mom, whether you’re an older mom, whether you’re from a minority, we want to give you the same care and make you feel safe.” she says. “If there’s any help that you need, we can access the social workers at the UPCC, we can make sure all the moms get what they need and feel safe asking for it.”
The clinic provides services like pre and postnatal care, labour and delivery at East Kootenay Regional Hospital and early pregnancy loss support and management.
View a statement from the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice below:
Expectant parents will benefit from improved access to comprehensive pregnancy care at the new Encompass Pregnancy Care clinic, which opened in March in Interior Health’s Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Cranbrook, located in the Baker Street Professional Centre at 1311 2nd St.
The clinic is supported by eight Cranbrook-based maternity physicians and staffed with an experienced pregnancy care nurse.
Encompass Pregnancy Care was created to be a non-judgemental, inclusive, and culturally safe space in which all patients feel heard, at-ease, and supported.
“We’re a group of local physicians working together to provide all-encompassing, high-quality and standardized medical and supportive care to pregnant patients,” said Dr. Madeline Oosthuizen, Family Physician (FP) and Encompass clinic physician. “Parents will have the opportunity to get to know each member of our physician team, will meet directly each visit with our clinic maternity nurse, who is a wealth of information, and will be connected with other community resources and health services specific to pre and postnatal care.”
Encompass Pregnancy Care is part of the East Kootenay Primary Care Network (PCN), a network of team-based care providers in the region.
By being part of the primary care network and located in the Urgent & Primary Care Centre, parents attending Encompass Pregnancy will have one-stop access to team-based care, such as mental wellness clinicians, physiotherapists, social workers, and more.
“We are excited to welcome Encompass Pregnancy Care as part of our urgent care team. The Primary Care Network partnership between Interior Health, Ktunaxa Nation and the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice has made it possible to expand services available to people in Cranbrook and Kimberley,” said Shannon Statham, Interior Health’s primary care lead for the East Kootenay. “With team-based care, patients can see the most appropriate health-care professional to treat their needs. We are proud to welcome new parents to the centre.”
Encompass Pregnancy Care services include:
- Pre and postnatal care
- Labour and delivery in the East Kootenay Regional Hospital
- Early pregnancy loss support and management
- Pre-conception counselling
- Contraception options
- Family planning
- Lactation support
The Encompass Pregnancy Care clinic is accepting new patients from Cranbrook and surrounding communities.
If you would like pregnancy care, please phone the Urgent and Primary Care Centre to make an appointment: (250) 420-2323.
Urgent and Primary Care Centres supports people who are experiencing non-life-threatening conditions such as an ankle sprain and need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours, but do not require an emergency department visit.
Health-care professionals working in the facility operate in a team-based care environment where patients are connected with the practitioner who can best provide care for their injury or illness.
The Cranbrook UPCC is a collaboration between Interior Health, the Ministry of Health, the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District, the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice and the Ktunaxa Nation.
– Submitted by East Kootenay Division of Family Practice
– Dr. Madeline Oosthuizen, Family Physician, Maternity Physician for Encompass Pregnancy Care Clinic
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