HealthLink BC
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HealthLinkBC is a government-funded
telehealth Telehealth is the distribution of Health care, health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunications, telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminde ...
service launched in 2001, which provides non-emergency health information to the residents of
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada through combined telephone, internet, mobile app, and print resources. HealthLink BC has two dedicated phone numbers 8-1-1 and 7-1-1 for
deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
and
hard of hearing Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spok ...
callers. Health service representatives assist callers with speaking to a
registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...
,
dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...
or
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
about health related concerns or find health resources in their area. HealthLinkBC operates within the provincial Ministry of Health. Translation services in 130 languages are available upon request.


History

The organization was launched in 2001 as the BC HealthGuide Program by
Ministry of Health (British Columbia) The Ministry of Health is a department of the Government of British Columbia which oversees the provincial healthcare system. It manages services including the Medical Services Plan, HealthLinkBC, and the PharmaCare program. The majority of he ...
. The program provides telephone triage and health information through integrated telephone, web and print resources. At its launch, it consisted of three main components: the BC HealthGuide Handbook, a medically approved handbook delivered to all B.C. households; a toll-free telephone line, staffed by
registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...
s 24/7/365 who provide
confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise sometimes executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access to or places restrictions on the distribution of certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, law ...
health information and triage services over the telephone and a website, called BC HealthGuide Online, which provided a knowledge base of health information and provided links to other credible consumer health information sources and websites. On November 21, 2008, the
Executive Council of British Columbia The Executive Council of British Columbia (the Cabinet) is the Cabinet of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Almost always composed of members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, the Cabinet is similar in structure and rol ...
launched a newly branded organization, HealthLink BC, along with its 8-1-1 number. This brought together all of the organization’s various services under a single brand and telephone number. These services include Nursing, Dietitian, Pharmacist and Navigation Services, "''HealthLinkBC.ca''" and "''HealthLinkBC Files''".


Scope of service

HealthLink BC provides health information services to all regions of British Columbia via its website which contains BC-specific health information and a publicly available database of government-funded and
not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
health service Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...
s and resources in British Columbia; its 8-1-1 telephone number; the BC HealthGuide Handbook, a printed handbook that contains information on common health topics, which is available in
pharmacies Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
and by mail; and the HealthLinkBC Files, a series of one-page health information sheets. ;Public services Health service representatives provide general health information, health resource referral information, and transfer calls to HealthLink BC’s professionals over the telephone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Registered nurses are available 24 hours a day to provide general and specific health information and advice including
palliative care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...
support over the telephone. Registered
dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...
s are available Monday to Friday 9 am – 5 pm to assist callers with
dietary In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. The word diet often implies the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons (with the two often being related). Although humans are ...
and
nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...
questions over the telephone. Licensed
pharmacists A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...
are available every day between 5 pm – 9 am to provide confidential information and advice on prescription and
over-the-counter medication Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...
s over the telephone. The '
Trans Fat Trans fat is a type of unsaturated fat that occurs in foods. Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally, but large amounts are found in some processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oils. Because consumption of trans fats is associated ...
Information Line' is a specialized service which provides
food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...
workers with education and coaching on food handling practices to restrict trans fat. (This service was developed in response to B.C.’s 2009 legislation restricting the use of trans fats in the province’s food service establishments) The ''BC HealthGuide Handbook'' is a 400+ page printed medical handbook available free-of-charge to residents of British Columbia. It provides information on common health topics such as how to recognize and cope with common health issues, illness prevention, home treatment and when to see a health professional. The Handbook is available in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
,
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
,
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...
. The ''HealthLinkBC Files'' are a series of health information sheets with B.C.-specific information on common health topics. A number of HealthLinkBC Files have been translated into other languages including: French, Chinese, Punjabi,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
, and
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...
. HealthLink BC also works with the Government of the Yukon to provide services to residents of the
Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
. Yukon residents have access to HealthLinkBC.ca and 8-1-1 and have been provided with a Yukon version of the HealthGuide handbook in English and French. ;Professional services 'Call Transfer to 8-1-1’ provides access to 8-1-1 (using automated call transfer), and is offered to other B.C. health service delivery organizations who also use the phone to provide access to their service. Examples include: VCHA Newborn Hotline – after-hours, callers to the Hotline are automatically transferred to 8-1-1;
BC Ambulance Service The British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS) is an ambulance service that provides emergency medical response for the province of British Columbia, Canada. BCAS is one of the largest providers of emergency medical services in North America. The ...
– when a call to
9-1-1 911, sometimes written , is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Maldives, Palau, Panama, Iraq, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as ...
does not warrant the dispatch of an
ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...
, callers are automatically transferred to 8-1-1; and, FHA Primary Health Care Office – after-hours, callers are automatically transferred to 8-1-1. ‘Customized 8-1-1’ refers to identified callers or groups that are provided customized services by utilizing 8-1-1 resources. Examples include: FHA Hospice
Palliative Care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...
– after-hours, clients call 8-1-1 and receive a customized service that supplements their ongoing palliative care program; and,
Yukon Territory Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...
– when a caller accesses 8-1-1 from the Yukon, they receive a customized service that reflects the resources and services available to their locale.


See also

* British Columbia Emergency Social Services *
E-Comm E-Comm 9-1-1 is a multi-municipality agency that provides emergency communications for British Columbia. The company coordinates 9-1-1 PSAP answering service for police, fire, and ambulance services in all of the province of BC, excluding the C ...
, 9-1-1 call and dispatch centre for Southwestern BC *
List of emergency organizations in British Columbia The following is a list of organizations with a primary role in emergency management in British Columbia, Canada. These organizations, often working together and with others, e.g. law enforcement and other first responders, to ensure the health an ...
*
Medical Services Plan of British Columbia The Medical Services Plan of British Columbia (MSP) is a government-administered, single-payer health insurance in the Canadian province of British Columbia, operating under the auspices of the country's national Medicare program. Under the Cana ...


References


External links


Official WebsiteHealth Care AI
{{DEFAULTSORT:HealthLinkBC Telehealth British Columbia government departments and agencies Medical and health organizations based in British Columbia 2008 establishments in British Columbia