Every summer many of the province’s top doctors gather in Vancouver to recognize the efforts of individuals, non-profits, and companies working to improve the health and safety of British Columbians.
This year Doctors of BC, the organization that represents over 14,000 B.C. physicians, has recognized Medimap with its annual Excellence in Health Promotion Award — Corporate.
Medimap is a Vancouver-based company that has developed an online resource that lets patients across Canada easily look up wait times for walk-in medical clinics in their community.
The program initially launched as a pilot in September 2015 and has since been expanding across the country with great success.
See related: Medimap helps Vernon patients spend less time in walk-in clinics
People looking for same-day appointments can see wait times at more than 80 per cent of the walk-in medical clinics in B.C. and more than 50 per cent of the clinics across Canada.
“Many people dread having to visit a walk-in clinic due to uncertainty around availability and wait times. To avoid this uncertainty, people often resort to the emergency department unnecessarily or they stay home and do not receive the care they need,” said Blake Adams, Medimap cofounder. “After struggling with this problem ourselves, we created Medimap to make it easy for Canadians who don’t have a family doctor to get the care they need and find same-day access to care without resorting to the emergency department.”
Since launching, over 1.5 million patients in British Columbia have visited medimap.ca to find the fastest access to care. A recent Canadian Community Health Survey found that over 16 per cent of B.C. residents do not have a regular primary care doctor. Medimap makes it easier for people to find the right care at the right time.
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jennifer@vernonmorningstar.com
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