Adult Metabolic Disease Clinic at Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
- 2775 Laurel Street, 4th Floor, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
- vchadultmetabolicclinic@vch.ca
- Fax: (604) 875-5967
The Adult Metabolic Clinic at Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre helps people with metabolic disorders achieve optimum control of their condition and maximize their quality of life through assessment, treatment, monitoring, support and education.
How to access
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Check eligibility
Our services are available to adults aged 18 and over living in British Columbia and Yukon with genetic disorders affecting metabolism.
We do not see patients for weight loss counselling or diabetes education.
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Get a referral
A physician referral is required.
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For physicians: when to refer
It may seem surprising, but over half of our patients were first diagnosed as adults with their congenital inborn error of metabolism. When a metabolic pathway is only partly not working, it may not cause obvious problems until toxic metabolic substrates have built up over time, or other conditions of aging worsen the deficiency.
Consider referring your patient to us for a diagnostic evaluation in these (not-exhaustive) situations in particular: unusual persistent lab findings, high lactates, hyperammonemia, low alkaline phosphatase, high homocysteine, hepatosplenomegaly, multi-organ dysfunction, recurrent rhabdomyolysis, ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, movement disorders, large fiber neuropathy, white matter disease, early onset dementia, strokes that cross vascular territories, basal ganglia calcifications, metabolic acidosis, or the combination of sensorineural hearing loss with diabetes.
If you are unsure whether to refer, feel free to reach out to us. After hours, for urgent questions, please call VGH switchboard at (604) 875-4111 and ask for the Adult Metabolic physician on call.
Hours of operation
- Monday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: Closed
Closed on statutory holidays.
Parking and transportation
Pick-up and drop-off
Contact the service, program or department for pick-up and drop-off information.
Parking
Pay parking
If you're driving to VGH, leave enough time to find parking before your appointment. Consider dropping off elderly family members before seeking parking. Parkades can be found at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Laurel Street and within the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre at the corner of 12th Avenue and Oak Street.
Additional parking options, including parkades, street meters, and lots, are available within two or three blocks of the hospital. Refer to the site map for the parking symbol and respective locations. Note that overnight parking is not permitted for trailers or mobile homes. A one-week parking pass can be obtained at the VGH Laurel Street Parkade; inquire with the parking attendant or call (604) 875-4832 for details.
Download parking rates for VCH facilities
Wheelchair accessible parking
In both VGH parkades, wheelchair-accessible spaces are located near the elevators on levels 1, 2, 3 and 4. Metered spaces are available at the street level of the Jim Pattison Pavilion (enter from 12th Avenue) and within the inner courtyard. Be sure to display your “Disabled” parking permit.
Parking meters on-site
Some metered spaces are available outside the main entrance of the Jim Pattison Pavilion for dropping off and picking up patients. Other evening and weekend meters are within the inner courtyard north of 12th Avenue, entrance off Heather Street.
Free parking
You may find two-hour free parking between Oak and Granville streets (southwest of the hospital) and between West 12th and West 20th Avenues. Read the signs before you park. Parking attendants survey the area regularly, and many blocks are designated for residents only.
For more parking information, please call (604) 875-4832.
Public transportation
VGH is accessible by TransLink services from Vancouver International Airport, BC Ferry Terminals at Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen, Pacific Central Station (downtown Vancouver rail and bus station), and SkyTrain stations.
- Nearby bus routes include 9, 15, 17, and 99 B Line on West Broadway.
- Canada Line access from Broadway-City Hall station located at West Broadway and Cambie St. (~1km walk or use aforementioned bus routes).
The Adult Metabolic Disease Clinic team
The multidisciplinary Adult Metabolic Disease Clinic(AMDC) team includes staff with a wide variety of expertise.
The AMDC physicians are from diverse specialties, including internal medicine, neurology, medical biochemistry, medical genetics and biochemical genetics, and all of the physicians have particular interests and training in the field of inborn errors of metabolism.
The AMDC nurses provide clinical support to metabolic patients through clinical assessment and monitoring, patient education, organization of available services close to home, liaising with health care providers in community and acute care settings, community referrals and advocacy.
The AMDC dietitians provide clinical support to patients whose metabolic condition requires nutrition intervention, including diet education and metabolic and nutritional status assessment with individualized care planning. Patients who need counselling for more common disorders (such as diabetes, heart health or weight loss) will be referred by the metabolic team to community nutrition resources based on diagnosis and/or current health status and symptoms.
The AMDC social worker provides patient advocacy and support services to individuals at the AMDC to identify and address financial, social and emotional concerns that are barriers to optimum metabolic control and quality of life.
The AMDC genetic counsellor educates patients about the advantages and limitations of genetic testing, obtains their informed consent for testing, helps them understand the different types of results that can be found, and reviews implications for family members when a genetic disorder has been diagnosed.
Our clerical team organizes appointments and coordinates with other services in the hospital that a patient might see all in the same visit.
Vancouver General Hospital (VGH)
Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) offers specialized health-care services to residents in Vancouver and across the province through regional programs. We provide a full range of basic and highly specialized emergency health-care and trauma services to British Columbia.