BC Gov News
People living in and around Kamloops now have more access to team-based primary care through the new Supporting Team Excellence with Patients Society (STEPS) North Shore Community Health Centre (CHC) at 202B-780 Windsor Ave.
“The STEPS North Shore Community Health Centre brings us closer to our goal of providing everyone in B.C. the high-quality health care they need, when and where they need it,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This centre is expected to facilitate more than 30,000 patient visits each year in a culturally safe, trauma-informed environment.”
Once fully operational, STEPS North Shore CHC will provide comprehensive person-centred primary care that will connect 4,300 people in the area without a family doctor or nurse practitioner with a primary-care provider.
“STEPS is focused on strengthening long-term relationships between patients and health-care providers,” said Colin O’Leary, president, STEPS. “These relationships have been shown to improve health outcomes, help avoid preventable illness and reduce the cost of health care. The new North Shore Community Health Centre will expand on the network of care we have built in the Thompson region and enhance primary-care services for underserved populations in our community.”
Since May 15, 2025, when the CHC opened, STEPS has hired 0.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) family physician, one FTE registered nurse, one FTE mental-health therapist, 0.8 FTE community-health worker and one FTE executive director. It is currently interviewing for additional clinical positions.
Once fully operational, the CHC will have a clinical staffing complement of approximately 13.5 FTE health-care workers, including two FTE family physicians, three FTE nurse practitioners, 2.3 FTE registered nurses, 1.15 FTE licensed practical nurse, 2.8 FTE social workers and community-health workers, and one FTE physiotherapist, and an executive director and support staff.
“By working closely with community partners, such as STEPS, we are expanding access to primary care, which includes health promotion and wellness services,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health. “This means more people will be supported in staying healthy through early intervention, personalized care plans and a broad team of health professionals focused on long-term health and well-being.”
The STEPS North Shore CHC plans to be open six days a week, including some morning and/or evening hours.
“As we continue to implement a primary-care network across the region, this new centre represents a key step in aligning community-based services with our shared vision for integrated, team-based care,” said Dr. Meghan Macdonald, president of the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice.
The Province has committed more than $2.6 million in annual operating funding with more than $2 million in additional, one-time start-up funds, which includes more than $1.3 million for tenant improvements for the North Shore CHC.
The health centre will be operated by STEPS, a non-profit society that has been providing interdisciplinary, team-based primary health care in the Thompson Region since 2017. It is a community driven initiative made possible through the collaboration of STEPS, Interior Health, the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice and the Ministry of Health.
The STEPS North Shore CHC will be part of the Thompson Region Primary Care Network (PCN), which brings together health-care providers in Kamloops and the Lower Thompson region to improve access and attachment to team-based, comprehensive and culturally safe primary care.
The investment in the STEPS North Shore CHC aligns with the Province’s primary-care strategy to improve access to team-based, patient-focused care though PCNs, which are geographically based, locally planned and co-ordinated systems of primary care, as well as single-site models of care, such as First Nations Primary Care Initiatives and Urgent and Primary Care Centres.
Quick Facts:
- Including the new STEPS North Shore CHC in Kamloops, there are 13 publicly funded CHCs in B.C. that are delivering services, including one publicly funded CHC operating in the Interior Health region.
- Publicly funded CHCs are required to be integrated into primary-care networks.
Learn More:
To learn more about the Province’s Primary Care Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010
To learn about the Province’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022HLTH0059-001464
To sign up to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner on the Health Connect Registry, visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry