Thanks to recruitment efforts by Northern Health, this January Burns Lake will have three-days per week nurse practitioner (NP) care in town.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with a Master’s degree in advanced practice, qualifying them to see and treat patients for both acute conditions like colds, injuries, and chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Serving as primary health providers – as defined by the B.C. Medical Association – the extension of NP service to Burns Lake will improve the medical experience of residents.
Anne Desrosiers NP, will join current Lakes District NP Beth Berlin, who has been practising in the Lakes District for four years.
Desrosiers is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Nurse Practitioner program with six years of nursing experience.
“It is really exciting as a new graduate to have the opportunity to provide holistic primary care to the community of Burns Lake at outreach clinics and now within the Village of Burns Lake itself,” said Desrosiers who hails from Northern Ontario.
Marie Hunter, Northern Health Service Administrator, described the nurse practitioner function as providing a holistic approach to primary care, with a focus on prevention and education through comprehensive assessments of client care needs.
“Nurse practitioners play a valuable and collaborative role in the health care system,” said Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad.
The three-days per week Burns Lake clinic will operate out of the Lakes District Hospital. It joins clinics which have been operating out of Granisle and Southside for the past four years, as well as service to Woyenne and Tachet reserves.
In the new year, once the new service in Burns Lake has been established, a review will be made and services may increase to outlying areas, depending on resource availability.
The Burns Lake clinic is tentatively scheduled to be open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for regular daytime hours.
Appointments can be made by calling the Lakes District Hospital, 250-692-2400.
