1. Drs. Bessie He and Anika Meng covering September to October
- Drs. Chen, Liu and Su will be taking some time off over September-October.
- Dr. Bessie He will be covering us until October 10.
- Dr. Anika Meng will be covering us until October 31.
- Dr. Winnie Su will be away from the office September 22 – October 3.
- Dr. Helen Chen will away October 4-19.
- Dr. Jeraldine Chan will begin her maternity leave in October and will be away for 6 months.
- When booking appointments online, please remember to book with Drs. He and Meng
2. Reminder re: booking appointments
- We are still receiving many email requests for appointments
- DO NOT EMAIL for appointments
- For efficiency, please book online or call us directly.
- BOOK ONLINE – Choose between an “office visit” or a “telephone visit” and search the doctors’ names listed
- CALL US if you cannot find a suitable appointment time.
- Call us for any time-sensitive concerns – we are here to help!
*Go to our website kitsfamilypractice.ca and click on Book an Appointment in the right upper corner of the homepage.
3. Public HPV vaccine update:
As per VCH Public Health, the HPV (Gardasil 9) vaccine can now be offered to:
- Everyone 9-26 years of age (children are routinely offered this vaccine in Grades 6 and 9 at school)
- Cisgender males, Two-spirit, transgender, or non-binary people 27-45 years of age who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community
- Individuals 9-45 years living with HIV
- Individuals of any age who receive post-colposcopy treatment for cervical dysplasia on/after July 31, 2025
HPV vaccine schedule has changed based on recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI):
- Healthy individuals 9-20 years of age: 1 dose only
- Healthy individuals 21-45 years of age: 2 doses six months apart
- Immune compromised individuals 9-45 years: 3 doses at 0, 2, and 6 months.
- Post-colposcopy treatment: 3 doses at 0, 2 and 6 months.
4. After-hours care – evening, weekends, statutory holidays
- DO NOT EMAIL. Emails are NOT checked after-hours.
- For emergencies, call 911 or proceed to the Emergency Room.
Looking for a NURSE, PHARMACIST or DIETICIAN? Call 8–1-1
- BC NurseLine provides 24-hour, confidential health information and advice
- You can also speak to an on-call pharmacist about medication questions from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. any day.
- You can also reach a dietician at 8-1-1.
PHARMACISTS can treat/prescribe medications for up to 21 medical conditions. (Visit your local pharmacy)
YOUR FAMILY PHYSICIANS (Drs. Chen, Liu and Su) take turns being on-call one week at a time
- Reminder: we have been on-call for all our patients since 2003 for urgent concerns
- For concerns that cannot wait until the office is open (9 am, Mon-Fri), call our office and follow the prompts
- Please page us only for issues that cannot wait until the next office day.
- NEW! Phone calls will no longer be returned between 10:00 PM and 8:30 AM.
HealthLink BC is a good source of medically-approved information on more than 5,000 health topics.
5. Prescription Refills
- Please book (online/call) an appointment at least 1-2 weeks PRIOR to when your medications run out! This can be a phone appointment if a physical exam is unncessary.
- If you cannot book a timely appointment, ask your pharmacy to fax us a request for a refill. We may call you to reassess the condition. We aim to provide enough refills for a medically appropriate period of time.
- ALWAYS book an appointment for new or modified prescriptions.
6. Scent-free Office
- As we have patients with sensitivities, please refrain from wearing any scented products to the office (eg. perfume, cologne)
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, we would love to hear from you!