Last updated: July 6, 2023

The Cowichan Primary Care Network (PCN) is building a new way to connect you to a family doctor or nurse practitioner called the Health Connect Registry. Registering using this online tool adds you to a local waitlist for a provider. You may also register your family or a person in your care.

Access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner in Cowichan will be limited by the number of providers accepting patients. The Registry will help us to understand how many people do not have a provider. It will also help to coordinate your connection to a doctor or nurse practitioner when one becomes available.

The Cowichan PCN includes the following communities:

• Mill Bay
• Shawnigan Lake
• Cobble Hill
• Duncan
• Lake Cowichan
• Crofton
• Chemainus
• Saltair
• Ladysmith
• Thetis Island
• Penelakut Island

Registration is also open to the following First Nation communities: Cowichan Tribes, Penelakut Tribe, Halalt, Lyackson, Stz’uminus, Malahat, Ts'uubaa-asatx and Ditidaht.

Register Now

If you do not currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, there are several clinics in the area who offer walk-in services. You can find these using Medi-Map.

For updates on the Health Connect Registry, please bookmark this page in your browser and check back often.

Emergency or Immediate Care

If you’ve been in a major accident or have a life threatening situation, call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency department.

Examples include trouble breathing, chest pain/pressure, severe pain, heavy bleeding, signs of stroke – face, droop, arm/leg weakness and difficulty speaking, etc.

If you require immediate care, Cowichan has two Urgent Care Centres open 7 days a week from 7:30 am-10:30 pm.

• Ladysmith Urgent Care (1111-4^th Avenue, Ladysmith)
• Chemainus Urgent Care (9909 Esplanade St., Chemainus)

Examples include broken bones, asthma attacks, allergic reactions, cuts and burns, etc.

About Primary Care Networks and the Health Connect Registry

PCNs are community-based networks of health care professionals and clinics who plan and deliver all day-to-day health care needs of a community. Within these networks, teams of providers work together. This way, patients will receive better care, by the right person, at the right time, closer to home.

PCNs are part of the Province's Primary and Community Care Strategy to make sure you have faster and better access to the everyday health care services. It will take some time for PCNs to become fully operational. The Province plans to have PCNs established in 70 percent of B.C. communities over the next three years.

The Health Connect Registry is part of this strategy. The Registry works with communities to help match patients with a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner. We know that having a regular provider leads to better health for you and your family.

Update Your Information

Keeping information on the Health Connect Registry up to date is important. This will help us connect you to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. If you need to update information on the Health Connect Registry for yourself, your family or person in your care, please contact HealthLink BC by dialing 8-1-1, or for the deaf and hard of hearing, dialing 7-1-1.

A HealthLink BC health service navigator will ask you for your Personal Health Number. If you are updating information on behalf of your family or a person in your care, you will require their Personal Health Number to make an update.

Information on the Health Connect Registry can only be updated by phone at this time.

Health Services and Support

While you are waiting to be connected with a family doctor or nurse practitioner, please consider the following for accessing health services and support.

Call HealthLink BC

HealthLink BC provides free health information and advice any time of the day or night. Call us toll-free at 8-1-1 in B.C., or for the deaf and hard of hearing, call 7-1-1. A health service navigator will help you find the information you are looking for or transfer you to a registered nurse, registered dietitian, licensed pharmacist or qualified exercise professional. Our navigators can also help you find a health service in your community such as a walk-in clinic or urgent primary care centre. Translation services are available in over 130 languages.

Visit your local walk-in clinic

You are welcome to visit a walk-in clinic. Walk-in clinic doctors can diagnose, manage illnesses, prescribe medication, order medical tests and make referrals to specialists. Please visit our HealthLinkBC Directory to find a clinic close to where you live.

Find health services and support in your community

Search our HealthLinkBC Directory to find health services in B.C. We list all publicly-funded health, mental health and addiction treatment programs. If you need help finding a health service, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and speak with one of our health service navigators.

The content and resources included on this webpage have been jointly created and curated by the Cowichan Primary Care Network and HealthLink BC.