Port Alberni has a shortage or health care workers, and as doctors retire more people are going without family physicians, adding to the strain at walk-in clinics and the emergency department at the West Coast General Hospital.
Reports suggest at least 8,000 Port Alberni residents don’t have a family doctor and the number is expected to increase as family physicians in the city head into retirement. According to information from Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot, up to four doctors are expected to retire in the next six years, meaning that almost half of the Alberni Valley’s 25,000 residents could be without a family physician if more don’t settle in the area.
And a doctor shortage is felt at the local hospital and walk-in clinics, as more residents without a physician seek health care alternatives. This winter the West Coast Urgent Care Clinic was forced to reduce its hours due to lack of available doctors.
The shortage has affected operations at the West Coast General Hospital. In late November the hospital’s three-bed Intensive Care Unit closed indefinitely due to a staff shortage, then on Dec. 11 Island Health announced it was temporarily pausing the admission of certain inpatients in Port Alberni.
“This is due to a staffing shortage of hospitalists, the physicians who care for patients admitted to hospital who do not have a family doctor with admitting privileges,” stated Island Health.
The move allowed the hospital emergency room to remain open, while some patients who needed to be admitted were, in some cases, transferred to other hospitals. The pause on patient admission to WCGH was lifted on December 24, 2025, after the health authority secured commitments from enough physicians to resume services.
To address the strain on the health care system, the idea of a Campus of Care model has been introduced. Port Alberni residents were invited to the Campus of Care facilities information session on February 8 at the Capitol Theatre.
Hosted by the Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot, a non-profit organization that supports economic development in the Alberni-Clayoquot region, the information session allowed residents to learn about the idea of Campus of Care and how it could improve healthcare services in the city.
Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot (CFAC), the Alberni Valley Healthcare Fund Society (AVHFS) and the Alberni Low Energy Housing Society (ALEHS) are working together to address the current and anticipated shortage of health care professionals in the Alberni Valley.
Dr. Marc Lambiotte is the medical lead for the initiative. He anticipates that up to six general practitioners could retire in the next few years, but this means that Port Alberni needs to secure more than this number, as young doctors are often looking for a more manageable workload.
“There has obviously been a generational shift,” he said. “A work-life balance is more important to them.”
The group’s goal is to build a Campus of Care facility that would bring together health care professionals, health services and supports in one place. The Campus of Care is proposed to be built on city-owned land behind the shopping centre that includes Staples on Johnston Road.
According to proponents, the Campus of Care will be, “a multidisciplinary community health centre with on-site specialists, laboratory and pharmacy including housing for medical professionals and a daycare. The Campus would serve residents of the Alberni Valley.”
Housing for health care professionals is important because it has already been identified as a factor in the doctor shortage.
“Visiting locums are often unable to find suitable short or long-term housing in Port Alberni,” said Community Futures. “The Campus’ on-site housing offers a reliable place for locums to visit and cover shifts from local doctors.”
Further, many of the medical students that have worked in the valley say they enjoy the quality of life, according to Community Futures.
“Their desire is to graduate to a group practice setting – something not available without building the campus,” stated the organization.
A group practice setting is a comprehensive clinic that offers professional services coupled with administrative support such as accounting, record keeping and patient oversight.
“Many new doctors today prefer to focus on their patients and not the rest of the responsibilities of running a small business,” said Reana Miller, marketing, communications and business development officer for Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot. “They are looking for a smaller patient load than is the reality currently in Port Alberni. As well they want housing, at least until they are fully established and assured daycare for their children.”
The Campus of Care would have up to 10 family physicians, including on-site medical and surgical specialists. There would a laboratory and pharmacy as well as housing for medical practitioners and childcare.
The medical facility would be owned and operated by the Alberni Valley Healthcare Fund Society while the housing and daycare would be owned and run by the Alberni Low Energy Housing Society. The facility is designed to make Port Alberni a more attractive place to settle down for newly graduated health care professionals.
For residents, it would be a one-stop shop for health care services.
“We expect patients to be able to visit their family physician, nurse practitioner or specialist, have bloodwork done and collect prescriptions all in one trip and under one roof,” reads the Alberni Healthcare Fund Society webpage. “This immediacy is especially critical for vulnerable persons who have reduced mobility and those who do not have access to private transportation.”
But the land being looked at for the project comes with a hitch. It’s in the Agricultural Land Reserve, currently designated for farming purposes. Port Alberni City Council has put in a request to the province’s Agricultural Land Commission to have their property removed from the ALR.
“Any community that can offer a medical clinic has a much better chance of being attractive to family doctors that are looking to relocate,” said Miller. “Recognizing that this is a very competitive environment that we’re in, if a community can offer a very comprehensive package it will be much more attractive to potential medical professionals.”
“There is a shortage of health care workers provincially, nationally, so we are competing against other communities,” noted Lambiotte. “Any initiative that’s happening in town should always be framed as, ‘Does this render the town attractive to health care workers, to anyone?’”
To learn more about the proposed Alberni Campus of Care, visit Community Futures Alberni-Clayoquot and click on the Community Development Tab at https://cfac.ca/community-development/alberni-valley-healthcare-fund
At the bottom of the webpage are links to express support for the project and/or to sign a petition regarding the removal of the city-owned land from the ALR for the development of the project.
