FORGIVABLE LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM AIMS TO INCREASE FAMILY PRACTICE OFFICES IN CENTRAL ISLAND

Thrive Family Health Opens with Support of $30,000 Forgivable Loan from Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation

NANAIMO, BC – January 23, 2024 –A forgivable loan and grant program has been created to support and encourage the growth of family practice offices in Central and North Island.

Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF) has partnered with The Nanaimo Division of Family Practice to offer $30,000 forgivable loans to help fund new family practice operations in the mid-island region.

Barney Ellis-Perry, CEO of NDFH and Beccy Robson, Executive Director or Nanaimo Division of Family Practice attended Thrive Family Health’s opening ceremony and ribbon cutting last week. Thrive Family Health is the first recipient family practice to receive the $30,000 forgivable loan to support the opening of their new facility located in North Nanaimo.

“Without this grant program combined with the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model rolled out last year this clinic would not have been possible,” shared Thrive Family Health co-lead Physician Dr Shirin Madjzoub. Dr Madjzoub alongside Dr Diana Ruffell opened the clinic with the mission to “Work with Families to Live Healthy Lives So They and the Community Can Thrive”.

“We need more family practice offices in Nanaimo and the greater Central and North Island communities, and seeing this grant program in practice is an exciting step for us as we aim to support family doctors and remove barriers to help open more practices to meet the growing demand our community has,” shared Beccy Robson, Executive Director or Nanaimo Division of Family Practice.

Thrive Family Health used the $30,000 forgivable loan to fund an examination table, autoclave machine as well as other equipment critical to providing full spectrum family medicine services for the community.

For more information on the forgivable loan and grant programs physicians are encouraged to contact the Nanaimo Division of Family Practice team here.

If you need a primary care provider, you can register for the Health Connect Registry. The Health Connect Registry is working with clinics in Nanaimo and the surrounding area to connect people with a family doctor or nurse practitioner.  You can also register your family members or a person in your care.