The Fraser Health Authority serves the communities within the boundaries of Burnaby to Hope ( See map below). The Health Region is responsible for the provision of a wide range of community based preventive health services and programs, including the prevention and control of communicable disease, and carrying out the legislative and regulatory responsibilities of the Health Act and regulations made under the School Act.
The Health Region is the functional service arm of the division providing services directly to individuals, families, and the community on a day-to-day basis. Programs and services are provided directly by the Health Region staff and indirectly through local boards of health and health related community based agencies.
Direct service delivery provided by the Health Region includes: Public Health Nursing; Public Health Protection and Inspection; Dental Health Services; Nutrition Services; Speech and Language Services; Hearing Services; Community Care Facilities Branch and other Ministry Divisional Services such as Continuing Care Division.
Riverview Hospital is the only specialized psychiatric hospital for adults with severe long-term mental illness in British Columbia. A leader within the Mental Health system, the Hospital is also a critical link in the chain of services for the mentally ill across the province. New medications, treatments and services mean that many people who may once have been hospitalized indefinitely can now live in the community.
By providing quality assessment, treatment and rehabilitation, Riverview Hospital helps patients achieve their potential. Riverview Hospital works with people with mental illness, their families and friends, caregivers in the community, and other mental health professionals to help British Columbians with mental illness live more independently.
Unfortunately due to funding problems the staffing levels, wages and funding are currently frozen for the facility and although it performs an important role in the community, the distant future holds much change for the aging facility. Long-term plans are to replace the large hospital with a smaller, more modern hospital.
To accommodate this, the provincial plan is to desegregate the mentally ill and reduce the patient population. A community planning process overseen by an advisory committee is underway to allow residents to have a say in the facilities' future. Currently, the plan for the remainder of the 144-acre sight after the smaller facility is operational, is to turn some of the site into parkland, and preserve some of the heritage buildings as well as the botanical gardens that are among the oldest in Western Canada.
Hospitals
The Tri-Cities are served by two medical facilities -- the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster and Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody. Both facilities are under the jurisdiction of the Fraser Health Region (formerly under the Fraser Burrard Society).
The Eagle Ridge Hospital was opened on October 1, 1984 with a capacity of 250 beds. It is presently utilizing 180 beds and 75 extended care beds. It handled approximately 4500 inpatients in 2001 and saw about 35,000 emergency visits.
Eagle Ridge Hospital is located at:
475 Guildford Way, Port Moody, BC V3H 3W9
Tel: 604-461-2022 - General Inquiries
Tel: 604-469-3104 - Administration
The Royal Columbian Hospital was established in 1862 with a capacity of 466 beds. Currently, it is only utilizing 390 beds plus 28 special care nursery beds and handle about 20,529 adult and children admissions per year. It saw approximately 65,000 emergency visits in the year 2001.
Royal Columbian Hospital is located at:
330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7
Tel: 604-520-4253 - General Inquiries
Public Heath Unit
Tri-Cities Health Unit Public Health
200 - 205 NewPort Dr, Port Moody, BC V3H 5C9
Phone: 604-949-7200 Fax: 604-949-7211
