Rural and Remote Islands

Improving Access to Specialist Care

Salt Spring Island, a rural community of just over 10, 000 is served by a small population of family physicians (FPs).  To see a specialist, patients on Salt Spring must often travel off Island, usually requiring several trips for medical appointments and to complete tests. There are a small number of visiting specialist physicians but gaps in services remain, and the burden on the patient for costs and time to travel make accessing specialist care difficult for Salt Spring residents. Salt Spring Island is undertaking a project to address this issue, first with an evaluation of services, and then by developing mechanisms to ensure sustainable access to specialist care for island patients.