When a community comes together, extraordinary things happen. The new Colleen Schneider Medical Centre is now open, bringing much-needed walk-in and primary care services for residents of the South Okanagan Similkameen This expanded clinic is already attracting new physicians, easing pressure on emergency departments, and helping patients who have struggled to find a family doctor.
The Foundation played an important role in making this project possible by facilitating a transformational $1 million donation from Ernst Schneider, given in honour of his late wife, Colleen. This leadership gift has gone a long way toward helping the South Okanagan Similkameen Health Care Society renovate and equip this important new facility.
This is what community-driven healthcare looks like: donors, community partners, local government, healthcare providers, and organizations working together to address real challenges and deliver better care for families across the region.
The clinic now offers an expanded space, with 20 exam and procedure rooms and room for 30 healthcare practitioners including doctors, physiotherapists, social workers, and others. Since this project was announced, three new physicians have committed to moving to Penticton to work in this clinic, joining local healthcare professionals to provide both walk-in and longitudinal care.
This achievement is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about improving access to care, supporting patients without a family doctor, and providing a new model of shared, team-based care that benefits both patients and healthcare providers.
Thank you to all the donors and stakeholders who made this possible.
Thanks to this community’s generosity and commitment, the Colleen Schneider Medical Centre is now open at 3115 Skaha Lake Rd #101, and ready to serve, helping ensure more people can get the care they need.