East Van health centre brings services under one roof

VANCOUVER – Today in the heart of the Commercial Drive area of Vancouver, Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon officially opened the new Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre, which will benefit patients by bringing a variety of health care services together in one location.

“This new health centre brings valuable health care services such as family physicians, mental health clinics and speech therapists under one roof, making it easier for those in the Grandview-Woodland community to access the services they need,” said Falcon. “The new set-up allows a variety of program areas to work closely together, better integrating health services to benefit patients.”

The Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre allows patients to access a variety of services including family physicians, public and community health nurses, mental health and substance use services, speech therapists, nutritionists and youth drop-in clinics.

The new centre which is funded and operated by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has been designed to fit within the neighbourhood context, and was constructed to VCH specifications by Wesgroup Properties, a private development company. Wesgroup owns and manages the building and will lease space to VCH. The facility also includes retail space on the ground floor, and Wesgroup has worked to secure retail tenants that complement VCH programs and services.

“We are proud to be a strategic partner of Vancouver Coastal Health” says Gino Nonni, president of Wesgroup Properties. “The overriding goal is to ensure delivery of high-quality, cost-efficient real estate services, enabling VCH to effectively and efficiently operate the community health centre on a long-term basis in a safer environment, and with the ability to more effectively deal with cost control, increased demand and future change.”

The new facility, conveniently located near the SkyTrain and transit hub at Broadway and Commercial Drive, is four-storeys tall and covers approximately 5,570 square metres (60,000 square feet). VCH currently occupies 60 per cent of the space. Over the next ten years, it’s expected that VCH will lease just over 80 per cent of the building to provide additional services as demand from the neighbouring community grows.

“Prior to the opening of the new Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre, the services that are now offered here were scattered throughout the community in 13 separate facilities that were deteriorating, poorly designed and lacking sufficient space,” said Mary Ackenhusen, Chief Operating Officer, VCH-Vancouver. “The relocation of these services to this single location will make it easier for clients to access the services they need and will better enable care providers to coordinate their care.”

It’s expected as many as 350 clients will pass through the doors of the new Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre every day, while another 200 clients will be seen by health care workers who use the new facility as their work base.

More than 200 staff will work out of the new Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre. Roughly half will have offices at the site, but will also provide services in the community. The building is fully Wi-Fi accessible, which allows staff to be more mobile to more fully engage with clients.

Services available at the new Grandview-Woodland Community Health Centre include:

• North Community Health Office (which includes dental, infant child and youth services, adult/older adult services and addiction services)
• Grandview-Woodland Mental Health Team
• Harm reduction services
• Several city-wide services, including SAFER (Suicide Attempt Follow-up, Education and Research), Healthiest Babies Possible, Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program, Community Link, Access Community Through English and Health Services Community Living as well as an amalgamation of all East Side Youth Clinics.
  

With the addition of Grandview-Woodland, VCH now operates eight community health centres in Greater Vancouver. This is the second new health care-related facility to open this year in Vancouver. In February, the new Northeast Community Mental Health Office opened, bringing together more than 90 staff under one roof.

In June 2010, the Province announced a $137 million investment in B.C.’s primary health care system that will help streamline services and focus on enhancing the links between family doctors, other health professionals and community resources. This new model of integrated primary and community care is underway in communities across the B.C.

VCH is responsible for the delivery of $2.9 billion in community, hospital and residential care to more than one million people in B.C. communities, including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea-to-Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.

Media contactMinistry of Health Services
Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Vancouver Coastal Health
Trudi Beutel
Public Affairs Officer
604-708-5282