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Part One: Introduction

Part Three: Living
in Vancouver

Part Four: City
Government and
Public Participation

Health Services

The Province of British Columbia has responsibility for all health services. Any citizen or permanent resident who has been landed and living in BC for more than three months is eligible to apply for health services offered under the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP). To find out more about MSP, call 604-683-7151.

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA)

The Provincial Government set up the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in 2001. It is the governing body responsible for planning, funding and coordinating health services in Vancouver, Richmond, and the Sunshine Coast (up to Powell River). For general inquiries, call 604-736-2033.

For further information, check their website at:www.vch.ca. Also, check the Blue Pages in the telephone book listed under “Health Authorities”.

Hospitals & Emergencies

Vancouver’s hospitals are also part of the VCHA. If you need help in a medical emergency, you can call 9-1-1 for Ambulance or go to the Emergency Department at a hospital. The Emergency Department at hospitals in Vancouver are open during the day, but only some are open at night. To make sure, call the hospital to find out if their emergency department is open.

Vancouver hospitals include:

• Vancouver General Hospital,
  899 W. 12th Ave., Tel: 604-875-4111
  
  
• St. Paul’s Hospital,
  1081 Burrard St. (Downtown),
  Tel: 604-682-2344
  
  
• BC Children’s Hospital,
  4500 Oak St., Tel: 604-875-2345
  
  
• BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre,
  4500 Oak St., Tel: 604-875-2424
  
  
• Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital,
  3080 Prince Edward St.
  (near Kingsway and 14th),
  Tel: 604-874-1141
  
  
• St. Vincent’s Hospital,
  749 W. 33rd Ave.
  (between Oak and Cambie St.),
  Tel: 604-876-7171
  
  
• University Hospital,
  2211 Westbrook Mall UBC,
  Tel: 604-822-7121

Community Health Centres and Offices

Community Health Centres (CHCs) in Vancouver offer “one-stop” health care services. Many are staffed by physicians, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, nutritionists, mental health workers and other health specialists. There is no cost for BC residents to use services at these centres. In many cases the staff of these centres speak different languages other than English and know the cultures of newcomers. There are also Community Health Offices and Community Health Clinics. Call them for hours they are open for service.

Some services at Community Health Centres include:

• services such as prenatal classes, Newborn Telephone Hotline (Tel:604-737-3737), visits from community health nurses and immunization clinics, are available to pregnant women and new parents
• services for children such as dental care, speech language services (Tel: 604-659-1107), and eye examinations
• nine youth clinics in Vancouver to provide confidential health care services to youth
• home support and long-term care aid to help older people, those just returning home from the hospital, and those with serious illnesses with their daily activities
• mental health services to help people suffering from depression and other mental illnesses (Tel: 604-874-7626)

Locations

• Downtown Community Health Centre,
  412 East Cordova St., Tel: 604-255-3151
  
  
• Evergreen Community Health Centre,
  3425 Crowley Drive, Tel: 604-872-2511
  
  
• Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre,
  2110 West 43rd Ave., Tel: 604-261-6366
  
  
• Raven Song Community Health Centre,
  2450 Ontario St., Tel: 604-709-6400
  
  
• Three Bridges Community Health Centre,
  1292 Hornby St., Tel: 604-736-9844
  
  
• South Community Health Office,
  6405 Knight St., Tel: 604-321-6151
  
  
• Mid-Main Community Health Centre
  3998 Main Street
  Medical: 604-873-3666; Dental: 604-873-3602
  
  
• North Community Health Office,
  #200-1651 Commercial Drive, Tel: 604-253-3575

The Vancouver Native Health Society (449 E. Hastings, Tel: 604-254-9949) offers a number of free services primarily for aboriginal people in Vancouver, including home health care, pre-employment training, the Sheway project for pregnant women, and TB outreach nurses.

Some Multilingual Health Services for newcomers:

• The VCHA’s Multicultural Health Education Programs provide health information and education materials in a variety of languages to clients and the ethnic media. (Tel: 604-736-2033)
  
  
• The Bridge Community Health Clinic offers health services in English and other languages, and can provide services to people who do not have Medical Services Plan (MSP) or other health insurance. (3rd fl., North Wing, Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital, 3080 Prince Edward Street, near Kingsway and East 14th Ave., Tel: 604-877-8550)
  
  
• Healthiest Babies Possible is a prenatal outreach program that provides nutrition and lifestyle counselling to pregnant women who may be at risk. Multilingual services are provided. Self-referrals are accepted and services are for Vancouver residents only (Tel: 604-877-4673).

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Community Services

Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at baldwin.wong@vancouver.ca.

© 2002, City of Vancouver, Community Services, Social Planning
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 6, 2006