January 11, 2023

Creston Valley Health Working Group is pleased to advise that a further full-time physician will be welcomed to Creston in the near future!

Dr. Rob Bailey & family will be relocating to the area from their most recent home in Alberta. As a family they enjoy the outdoors and have visited Creston Valley, with he having provided some locum services over the past months. Dr. Bailey graduated medicine in South Africa, and has been residing/working most recently in Alberta.  He is a GP with enhanced skills in Surgical procedures as well as clinical practice & ER coverage. It is anticipated his practice here will commence in March.  

Intake will be managed via the provincial list in order received, with applicants being notified directly by the clinic. Please do not contact local clinics until you have been contacted first by the clinic. While his practice will be based at Blue Heron Medical Clinic, it is reminded that Creston Valley residents without a family doctor should register (once only) via the provincial portal as per the centralized waitlist for the Creston area which is maintained online. Please visit the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice website to register at:

https://divisionsbc.ca/east-kootenay/for-public/hcr

For those without access to a computer or smartphone, the Creston Valley Public Library and Town Hall have a limited number of computers and staff for those persons needing assistance. If you have already registered with the waitlist, please do not register again.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Bailey and family to Creston!  

August 22, 2022

Welcome, Dr. Chelsea Hart, Family Physician relocating to Creston!
 
Creston Valley Health Working Group is pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Chelsea Hart and her husband, Lucas, to the Creston Valley this September.

Dr. Hart states: “I first heard of Creston at a recruitment booth at a medical conference during mymedical training. I had no intention of moving there at the time but kept the business card for whatever reason for the next 2 years. When opportunity came to work in a rural community during my residency training, Creston was an option, and after having the business card sitting around for so long, my husband Lucas and I thought, why not! Our plan was just to try it out for fun, but we ended up falling in love with everything about Creston - the opportunity for farming for him, an amazing and supportive work environment for myself, and overall just a beautiful and friendlycommunity”

Having returned after her residency training for locums, Dr. Hart stated: “ I locummed there a couple times over the past year and both of us felt it was the right fit for us.” With the help of a local realtor, they found land and a home to call their own, and added, “We are so excited to come”

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Chelsea Hart & Lucas to the Creston Valley!

NOTE: Creston Doctors offices do NOT have individual clinic waitlists – please do NOT contact the clinics directly. There is a centralized waitlist for Creston Valley residents without a family doctor which is maintained online. To be added to the waitlist, visit the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice website at:
https://divisionsbc.ca/east-kootenay/for-public/hcr.

Once you have registered online, your place will be held within that waitlist for all future intakes utlilizing this system. You will be contacted by the appropriate clinic when a spot becomes available. The Creston Valley Public Library and Town Hall have a limited number of computers and staff assistance for those people who do not have access to a computer or smartphone.

June 10, 2022

New Physician Relocating to Creston

On behalf of the Creston Valley Health Working Group, please join us in welcoming a new permanent Family Practice Physician and his family, relocating to Creston.

Dr. Bryndel Fell, a graduate of UBC medical school, is a current resident of Prince George, BC. He and his family will be relocating to Creston this July. We look forward to their arrival, and settling into and enjoying their home here in the Creston Valley!

For future information regarding Dr. Fell's intake process, like and follow the Town of Creston Facebook page (@TownofCrestonBC) and/or Instagram (townofcreston).

Furthermore, keep an eye on the Town of Creston website www.creston.ca where we encourage you to sign up for the "News Flash". In this way, there are alerts whenever something is posted to the Town of Creston newsfeed.

Updates, as they become available for specific information, will be posted simultaneously on the above platforms.

September 8, 2021

Maple Maternity Informational Video

September 2, 2021

Welcome Dr. Amira Khalil!

With pleasure, Creston Valley Health Working Group welcomes Dr. Amira Khalil & her family to Creston.

They are relocating in advance of her beginning practice here this Spring, at a yet to be named clinic, as this will allow their children to maintain a consistent school year.

Dr. Khalil is relocating within the Practice Ready program.  This is a competitive program whereby internationally trained physicians wishing to relocate to practice in B.C. are offered mentorship in Canadian practice for 3 years.  It is hoped they will settle long term in the community, maintaining a local practice.

Please join us in welcoming them to Creston!

June 16, 2021

Welcome Dr. Luke Turanich!

The Creston Valley Health Working Group, Creston's unique and innovative approach to successfully recruit full service Family Physicians to Creston, welcomes the opportunity to share a further success story.

Several years ago, the Town of Creston and the RDCK Directors saw the need for sustained health care for the citizens of the Creston Valley.  As such, our community is represented by our dedicated health recruiter who reaches out to communicate with potential full service physicians while concurrently staying in touch with the Chief of Staff and all clinics, and working in concert with our community's needs now and going forward.  

Despite the necessity for pivoting and shifting within the ongoing pandemic, recruitment during these times has continued in creative ways. To that end, it is wonderful to share with you that Dr. Luke Turanich, a Family Physician who is also accredited to perform Anesthetics, has been successfully recruited to Creston.  

It is anticipated he will begin practice in Creston in the late Summer/early Fall timeframe.  Further information is anticipated to be forthcoming in the very near future as to where in Creston he will be practicing.  

June 2, 2020

Click here for a message from Mayor Ron Toyota, regarding ongoing physician recruitment.

May 28, 2020

Creston Valley Health Working Group is very pleased to announce the successful recruitment of Dr. Johnny Chang!   Dr. Chang will be relocating to Creston this September to begin his practice at Family Practice Associates, assuming the practice of Dr. John Griffioen as he retires from his daily clinical practice after some 20 years of practice.  THANK YOU, Dr. Griffioen, for your many years of continuous service to the residents of Creston Valley, and WELCOME, Dr. Chang!

May 7, 2020

Summit Medical Clinic regretfully announces that Dr. Ola Szymanska will be leaving the Creston Valley at the end of July.

Unfortunately, at this time all of their other physicians’ practices are full and they will not be covering her patients. They encourage all Dr. Szymanska’s patients to book an appointment with her in the next couple of months.

May 31, 2019

Blue Heron Medical Clinic is pleased to announce that Dr. Sheena McKellar is once again accepting applications for new patients. 

Applications can be picked up at Blue Heron Medical (203-1230 Canyon St.) during regular business hours which are Monday to Thursday, 9-12 and 1-4.

** Update ** Dr. McKellar’s intake is now full

April 4, 2019

Blue Heron Medical Clinic is pleased to announce that Dr. Sheena McKellar is now accepting applications for new patients. 

Applications can be picked up at Blue Heron Medical (203-1230 Canyon St.) during regular business hours which are Monday to Thursday, 9-12 and 1-4.

** Update ** Dr. McKellar’s intake is now full (May 6, 2019)