In this section
Where to go for health care
- Emergency care, for Emergency Departments in hospitals, for critical or life-threatening situations. If you are not dealing with an emergency health concern, use primary care services instead.
- Urgent primary care centres (UPCCs) for same-day care for urgent and non-life threatening health concerns.
- Regular medical care, also known as primary care, from family doctors or nurse practitioners. If you have a health concern that is not an emergency, and you do not yet have a family doctor, walk-in clinics provide non-emergency health care services on a drop-in basis.
- Community health centres (CHCs) provide various care options within one location and can be found through our Services & Resources page.
- HealthLink BC - Call 8-1-1 (7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) for a free, 24-hour telephone service, staffed by registered nurses, pharmacists and dieticians who can answer your health-related questions with translation services in over 130 languages.
How to access
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How to access mental health and substance use services
Start here. Vancouver Coastal Health intake teams connect people to the right m…
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How to access home and community care
Learn how to arrange for home and community care services for you or someone el…
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How to access palliative care
If you wish to arrange for palliative care services, your first step is to spea…
Welcome to Vancouver Coastal Health: Health Services for Newcomers
On behalf of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), welcome to British Columbia (B.C.). Moving to a new province or country can be hard and you may have questions. This resource is to help you understand the health care system in B.C.
Learn more