The Cowichan Valley Primary Care Society is a non-profit organization created in March 2023 by a group of local family physicians concerned about the impending primary care crisis in the Cowichan Valley and passionate about establishing a new model of primary care in the region.
2022 Survey Results
21,000
patients in Cowichan without a primary care provider
50%
of Cowichan family doctors report significant burnout
29%
of longitudinal family physicians plan to retire in the next 4 years
44,000+
Cowichan citizens without a primary care provider if retiring doctors aren't replaced
Primary care in the Cowichan Valley is in crisis.
Many patients are already struggling to access primary care. Family doctors who are planning to retire are having great difficulty finding replacements for their practices, leaving several large clinics at risk of closure. There is a high level of distress and burnout in the family physician community. In addition to the stress being felt in community clinics, the Cowichan District Hospital is facing a severe human resource crisis in multiple departments. If we do not address these challenges now, many more residents of the Cowichan Valley will be without a family doctor and will lack access to primary care and inpatient care. The CVPCS has a plan to create an innovative model of primary care which we think will be attractive to new family doctors and will support existing family physicians in our community.