After Hours Services

-19We do not have a formal Urgent Care Clinic at Alderlea, but we try to accommodate urgent problems on a same-day basis, please see clinic policies. Serious after-hours problems that cannot wait until the next business day should be directed to the Cowichan District Hospital or to one of the many local Walk-in Clinics  in our area. These include the Primacy – Cowichan Way Clinic located at Superstore, Beverly Medical Clinic at Beverly Corners, and the Valleyview Centre in Cowichan Bay. Although they are available, it would be best if you could wait and book a same day appointment in our clinic the following day as the walk in clinic does not have access to your medical record.

Emergency Contacts:

Please call 911 if you are having symptoms of a serious illness, such as a heart attack or stroke(chest pain, shortness of breath, or new onset of neurological symptoms). If you have an injury that would require immediate imaging, please go to the emergency room for assessment, as they will have on-site radiology services readily available.

Nurses Help Line:

If you are not sure of the urgency, you can always call the nurses help line at 811 for further advice or recommendations.

Online COVID Virtual Assessment Clinic:

Due to low volume the Online COVID Virtual Assessment Clinic is not currently available, however if the need changes, the site will re-open.  If you are concerned you have COVID and need more information, you can contact your doctor or call the COVID-19 Call centre at 1-844-901-8442 (Mon-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm, closed Sunday). No referral is needed to contact this service at this time.

Crisis Lines:

If you are in Crisis, the Vancouver Island Crisis society can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week free of charge at 1-888-494-3888.  They have access to a number of local resources including resources for drug and addictions services. They also have a text service at 250-800-3806 that is now available from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm from your mobile device. If you have unlimited coverage for SMS text messages with your mobile service provider, the texting service is free of charge. There is also the BC  suicide prevention line at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) available 24 hours a day without a wait or busy signal.   If you simply need emotional support and don’t know where to go, call 310-6789 (no area code). It is a free call anywhere in BC and will put you immediately in touch with someone who can listen and support you and direct you to the local resources you need.

Kids Help Phone:

For children and youth in need, they may have access to a professional counsellor 24 hours a day. It is a free call, confidential, and anonymous. To speak to someone locally call 310-1234 (no area code is needed). Also available is the Canada kids help phone at 1-800-668-6868.  It’s free, confidential, anonymous and available across Canada in both english and french. More information can be found here.