A new, early pregnancy clinic will open its doors in Kamloops on Monday next week, Sept. 18.

The First Steps Early Pregnancy Triage Clinic – located in Tudor Village at 1315 Summit Drive in Sahali – will offer patients “timely access to early prenatal care, including routine lab tests, ultrasound, genetic screening, and early detection and referrals for high-risk pregnancies.” 

“Patients don’t require a physician’s referral,” Joanna Norman, Registered Midwife and Clinic Lead for the pregnancy clinic said. “The clinic will be a first point of contact, offering accessible pregnancy care within the first and early second trimester.”

The Thompson Region Division of Family Practice says this clinic will replace the interim Midwifery Antenatal Care Clinic at Royal Inland Hospital, which is set to close this Friday, Sept. 15.

Shelley Breen, the Development Lead for the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice, says the First Steps clinic will be open to everyone whether or not they have a family doctor, including international students, private pay patients, and patients displaced by emergencies such as fires or floods.

Those in need specialized care will also be referred to specialists.

Patients may receive care from a family physician, a midwife, or a nurse practitioner. They’ll be provided initial pregnancy care before being transferred to the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics clinic for care in the second trimester and beyond.

“The triage clinic will receive patients at their earliest moments of pregnancy, which is is better for patient health outcomes, provides reassurance and timely access for families seeking care, and it will also help reduce demands on the hospital’s emergency room and urgent care clinic,” Norman added.

The First Steps Early Pregnancy Triage Clinic can be contacted by phone at 250-318-3861, by email here, or online here.