Websites

Local Health Services

• Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH) Information on health services and facilities in Vancouver and Richmond. Find health services in Richmond using the online search tool, or read "Healthy Together", an online brochure available in English and Chinese. See also HealthLinkBC, below.
• Multicultural Health Services Guide to health programs and resources that provide services to residents of Vancouver in one or more languages other than English as well as access to interpreting services and/or translated publications.
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC Allows you to search for a doctor by name, specialty, location and to find a doctor who is accepting new patients.
• www.heretohelp.bc.ca A partnership of seven provincial mental health and addictions agencies, including the Canadian Mental Health Association and many others.

• HealthLinkBC gives you access to information on health topics, medication and health services available in your area. You can also dial 811 to speak with a nurse about your symptoms, consult with a pharmacist about your medication questions, or get healthy eating advice from a dietitian. Both the phone line and the website are available 24 hours a day. Special features of the website include:
• HealthFiles Public health fact sheets, regularly updated with BC-specific information. Some have been translated into Chinese, Farsi, French, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
• Interactive tools: Quizzes and calculators to help manage health such as finding out if you are at risk for a heart attack or how well you handle stress
• Useful forms and checklists, such as questions to ask at your doctor’s appointment or before undergoing a medical test
• HealthiNation Easy-to-find online health videos, organized alphabetically
• MEDLINEplus From the US National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health. Special features include:
• information in multiple languages
• Information about drugs, herbs and supplements
• videos of surgical procedures
• easy-to-read materials
• interactive tutorials on diseases and conditions
• diagnostic tests
• surgery and rehabilitation
• senior health (with options to make the text bigger, change text color, or hear it read aloud)
• wellness topics
• Medbroadcast Special features:’Human Atlas videos’ on how diseases, disorders, procedures and medications affect the human body; etalk forums and list of support groups.
• Mayo Clinic Special features: health tools such as self-assessment and quizzes; first aid guide; healthy living including healthy eating; blogs and podcasts
• Psychcentral is a mental health network created and run by professionals that presents information on conditions and disorders; drugs; news and research.
• MedSafe - Consumer Medicine Information Hosted by the government of New Zealand, this site provides information on the regulation of medical devices in New Zeland and the safe use of medicines.
• Wellsphere Consumers can link to websites, articles, a "Wellpedia" and more simply by typing in their health or medical topic. The site features online videos and interactive tools such as "Ask a Health Maven" and connecting to other users.

Family Health

• We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition Tools for individuals, families, and communities interested in improving their health, including nutritional guidelines, tips for exercising and getting away from desks and screens (including a printable "screen time log"), and plans for organizing community programs for group support. From the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.