The Surrey North Delta Division of Family Practice, together with Fraser Health, officially opened the South Asian Health Centre in Surrey on Sunday, November 17th. The South Asian Health Centre will work with local physicians, health authority services, the community and families to help support people to manage their chronic conditions and improve their overall health.
Amrik Virk, MLA for Surrey-Tynehead said, “Providing culturally relevant and appropriate care will help patients better manage chronic illness, improve their health outcomes, and help them feel comfortable accessing health services.”
The centre will respond to patient care needs in a culturally tailored manner that research has shown to be most effective in improving health outcomes for South Asian patients. Research shows that it doesn’t matter where the community is in the world; people in the South Asian community are twice as likely to have cardiac disease; four times as likely to have diabetes; and more likely to have a heart attack 10 years before people in other populations.
“The need for the South Asian Health Centre was identified by local physicians who live and work in the community. They observed common health challenges within the South Asian patient populations, which they believed could be addressed through a culturally-tailored health clinic.
Fraser Health is pleased to partner with the Surrey North Delta Division of Family Practice to open the South Asian Health Centre as a solution to this challenge within the community,” said Dr. Nigel Murray, president and CEO, Fraser Health.
The South Asian Health Centre is a collaboration between Fraser Health and the Surrey North Delta Division of Family Practice. The centre focuses on primary care and chronic disease management services.
Patients will have access to a team of care providers, including nurse practitioners, registered diabetes nurses, and dieticians, with a focus on delivering care that respects culture and builds a treatment plan around individual needs and values. The centre is owned and operated by the Surrey North Delta Division of Family Practice, which is funded by a joint committee of the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Medical Association.
Nurse practitioners are licensed health professionals who have achieved advanced nursing competencies at the master’s level. They practice autonomously to assess, diagnose, prescribe, order diagnostic tests and manage diseases and disorders and conditions within a professionally regulated scope of practice.
The South Asian Health Centre is located at 6830 King George Highway, offering patients handy access to primary care services.
Image Courtesy of National Post