HealthLink BC

Provides BC residents with 24-hour daily access to non-emergency health information and advice via telephone and online services; serves people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and offers translation services in over 130 languages. Also provides information about community access points for eligible, at-risk individuals to access alternatives to toxic drug supply; service may also be accessed through an individual's existing doctor or nurse practitioner. Health Service Navigators help callers to access information on health services or connect callers with a nurse, dietitian, or pharmacist; advice is available on a 24-hour daily basis from registered nurses; from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday for registered dietitians, and from 5 pm to 9 am Monday to Sunday for pharmacists. Dietitians provide nutritional counselling and education, focusing on the specific needs of the client, and also provide nutritional assessments and education to homebound clients from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday; clients can be referred by a physician or other health care professional. Exercise Professionals are also available to offer advice and answer physical activity questions from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Also offers an an interactive and comprehensive website with current, medically approved information; a symptom checker; and a searchable database of local services and resources. HealthLink BC Files offer easy-to-understand fact sheets about public health and safety issues; available online in different languages or at health units and some healthcare offices. Through the Health Connect Registry, BC residents who need a family doctor or nurse practitioner are added to a centralized registry of primary care providers in their community; residents will be contacted when a provider becomes available. Registration can be done online at www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry or by calling 811 to register in languages other than English.