Largest maternity clinic in Kamloops accepting new patients again as staffing challenges ease
It looked like the largest largest maternity clinic in Kamloops, B.C., would close for good this summer — but an influx of temporary hires means it's once again preparing to accept new patients.
Dr. Shaun Davis, co-principal of the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics clinic (TRFO), is now confident the facility will be able to accommodate patients with due dates until December.
A sufficient number of medical professionals have applied to work at the clinic on a temporary basis over the past few months, which Davis says has contributed to his optimism.
"We've got a group of locums, [and] there have been some that have expressed an interest in potentially moving here down the road," Davis said on Thursday.
TRFO, located within Royal Inland Hospital, is the primary provider of birthing services in Kamloops. Its team consists of five doctors and two midwives, who deliver around 50-60 babies each month at the hospital.
The clinic had announced its impending closure in February due to staffing challenges, meaning they were unable to accept patients with due dates beyond July 31 unless new staff members could be recruited.
Davis acknowledged that the news TRFO will remain open at least until the end of the year would be a relief for many.
"I know some young people who are thinking, 'I might get pregnant this year,' and they're actually putting off their family plans because they don't know what to anticipate. They don't know if they can trust getting proper maternity care," he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Health announced the opening of the Midwifery Antenatal Care Clinic within Royal Inland Hospital on Tuesday. The clinic accepts patients with or without referrals from family doctors and serves as a complementary service to TRFO.
Lisa Zetes-Zanatta, the health authority's executive director for clinic operations in Kamloops community, says the new clinic would serve as a complementary service with TRFO.
"Our goal is to create a comprehensive model of care where we have multidisciplinary team members coming together to provide the highest level of care before, during and after pregnancy," Zetes-Zanatta told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.
