Register Now

Once registered, you will be contacted directly when a primary care provider is available. We ask you to please be patient, as it may take some time to be connected with a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Emergency or Immediate Care

If you have a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to your closest emergency department.
For immediate care, Kootenay Boundary has an Urgent Primary Care Centre in Castlegar, open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., 7 days a week: 709 - 10th Street, (250) 365-7711.
Other urgent supports:

• Suicide crisis: 1-800-SUICIDE (1 800 784-­2433)
• Mental health issue: 310-­6789 (24 hours)
• KUU-US Aboriginal crisis line: 1-800-588-8717 (24 hours)
• FNHA Doctor of the Day for Aboriginal Patients at 1-855-344-3800

Other resources to help with your care

If you do not have a family physician or nurse practitioner, one or more of the resources below may be helpful to you:

• Walk-In Clinics and UPCC
  • Ancron Medical Centre
  • Kootenay Lake Medical Clinic
  • Castlegar Urgent Primary Care Centre
• Prescription Refills: Pharmacists can help you with an emergency prescription. Please visit the HealthLinkBC Directory to find a pharmacy close to where you live.
• Community Services
  • Kootenay Boundary Fetch: Website with information for programs and resources located in, or serving, communities in the KB Region, including health services, mental health/counselling supports, substance use and addictions, children, youth and families supports and much more.
• Circle of Indigenous Nations: Aboriginal non-profit society that provides cultural support and counseling services to people in the West Kootenay and Boundary region.
  • Kootenay Boundary aboriginal residents can self refer to the region’s Aboriginal Health Coordinator using this form.
• First Nations Health Authority
• Maternity Care
  • KB Wide: Aboriginal Doula Grant Program
  • Kalso: Marama Midwifery
  • Nelson: Apple Tree Maternity
  • Nelson: Kootenay Born Midwifery
  • Nelson: Kootenay Medical Centre
  • Nelson: Nelson Medical Clinic
  • Trail: Aspen Maternity
  • Trail: Mountain Midwives
• Infant and Children Care (0-6) Supports
• Children and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Supports
• Adult Mental Health Supports
  • KB Fetch Directory
  • KB Division Mental Health Supports Listing
  • Mental Health and Substance Use Services
  • Perinatal Mental Health Resources
• Home and Community Care: Offers a variety of at-home and community services to people with acute, chronic, palliative or rehabilitative health care needs.
• Chronic Disease Management: Offers ongoing care and support to assist individuals impacted by a chronic health condition, including asthma, COPD and other lung conditions, brain injury, dementia, diabetes, chronic pain, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and TIA, and for those with mental health and substance use concerns.
• Low Cost Dental | Community First Health Co-op

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 Health Connect Registry works with active PCNs to help patients find a regular family doctor or nurse practitioner, because 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 the Client ID you received when you registered and your personal health number. If you are updating information on behalf of your family or a person in your care, you will require their Client ID and 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.

Last updated: September 28, 2021