Eight years ago, the Lower Columbia region faced a turning point when a local physician retired from his primary care practice in Trail. Despite his efforts, no physician could be found to take his place. That loss revealed a much larger problem. Trail was experiencing a primary care crisis inside a provincial crisis inside a national crisis, like Russian nesting dolls.
Recognizing the seriousness of the challenge, three local leaders stepped forward: Linda Sawchenko, Frank Marino, and Win Mott. Together they began exploring solutions, and their research led them to the Community Health Centre model. CHCs are community-owned non-profits that provide team-based care while addressing the social determinants of health. For the three founders, the CHC principles offered both practical advantages and a vision that resonated deeply.
The formal journey began on November 13, 2019, when the group convened a meeting with the Kootenay-Boundary Division of Family Practice, the LCCDTS, local physicians, and community members. From the start, one obstacle was clear. In BC, CHCs had mainly been established for targeted urban populations such as refugees or unhoused individuals. The Ministry of Health had little experience with rural contexts where the entire community, including its most vulnerable members, is the population in need.
Then COVID struck. A working group formed, meeting weekly by Zoom throughout the pandemic. In September 2021, the group completed a comprehensive needs and assets survey confirming that the CHC model was the right path forward. Partnerships with Selkirk College added important surveys on mental health needs and physician compensation preferences. With community leaders and the local MLA engaged, the foundation for a full proposal was in place.
Momentum continued to build. In early 2022, two vision sessions drew more than 30 participants, transforming tentative ideas into a shared plan. Months of research and writing produced a 60-page proposal submitted to the Ministry on August 30, 2022.
What followed became known as the Great Silence. No response came from the Ministry. The group pressed on, incorporating as a non-profit society and updating local councils. Support was unanimous from all five Lower Columbia municipalities and the Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary. Meanwhile, the number of unattached patients grew into the thousands.
(Guardian Dogs – making sure nobody moves!)
In March 2023, intervention from the local MLA, who was by then the Minister of Finance, brought a breakthrough. The Ministry authorized the group to continue as part of a larger regional plan developed by the KB Division of Family Practice, known as Prima.
Although Prima offered administrative support, it did not align with the principles of a CHC. The Lower Columbia team held firm. Through careful and sometimes difficult discussions, a compromise was reached. Their CHC plan was included in the regional submission in November 2023.
This time the Ministry responded quickly. They rejected Prima’s plan but requested a separate Trail CHC proposal. The Lower Columbia group restored its original plan with adjustments and resubmitted on February 1, 2024.
Informal approval arrived in April, followed by the official letter of funding on August 14, 2024. The long wait was finally over. Celebration was brief, as attention shifted to financing, contracts, and construction. Kootenay Savings Credit Union provided 6,000 square feet of downtown space in a building that was already housing a pharmacy, lab, and other health services. By January 2025, design and renovation work was underway.
Another breakthrough came from within the physician community. Several doctors involved as volunteers brought their entire clinic team into the CHC. This meant that on July 21, 2025, the Lower Columbia CHC opened its doors fully staffed, already serving 3,200 patients. Additional professional and support staff were added, completing the full CHC model from day one.
A Grand Opening is planned for Saturday, September 20 at 1:00 pm, and the whole community is invited.
Lessons from the Journey
The Lower Columbia story carries lessons for rural communities across BC.
- Rural contexts matter. Policies shaped for urban CHCs cannot be applied directly to rural regions where the entire community is vulnerable.
- Persistence pays off. Eight years of dedicated effort sustained the project through silence and setbacks.
- CHCs offer strength. They provide a community-owned, non-profit alternative to privatization pressures and create a genuine team-based model of care.
- Communities can lead. In the absence of a provincial master plan, the vision and determination of a local community can prevail.
The founders, Linda Sawchenko, Frank Marino, and Win Mott, along with many dedicated volunteers, have shown what determination and collaboration can achieve. Their next step is to establish satellite clinics in Rossland and Fruitvale, completing their original vision.
The Lower Columbia CHC is proof that when communities refuse to give up, they can reshape healthcare in rural BC.
You can see more on their website at https://www.lowercolumbiachc.ca/
You can see more members of the month by clicking here.
