Let's Get Clinical

Gabriola Leads By Example in Community Care

The Gabriola medical community is well on its way to achieving a leading-edge approach to health care and wellbeing. A diverse group of health care providers are now working together to provide both teambased primary health care and a growing range of social services and programs to Gabriolans and their families.

At the Gabriola Community Health Centre, the Doctors now interface daily with a broad range of health care providers from Island Health including a Mental Health and substance Use counsellor, a Social Worker and a Home Care Nurse. The interdisciplinary team at the Health Centre also includes a Seniors Outreach
coordinator, Home Care Support workers and a visiting psychiatrist and plastic surgeon.

The recent addition of Telehealth has added to the scope of services that can be obtained here on Gabriola.Patients can now ‘meet’ with a medical specialist or support provider via video conferencing in the privacy of a room in the Community Health Centre.

Another step in developing the team approach was the coming together of several Gabriolan organizations, along with the Doctors, to form the Gabriola Health and Wellness Collaborative. Understanding the serious impact that social and economic conditions have on the health of individuals and families, these groups are
working together to bring additional health and support programs to Gabriola.

Gabriola is setting an example for other communities in recognizing that the responsibility for supporting a healthy community is shared between individuals, the local community and health service providers, in partnership with their Health Authority. This strong team approach is resulting in continued progress
toward meeting the individual and community health needs of Gabriolans.

December, 2016

This is the third in a series of reports to be published by the Gabriola Health Care Foundation to update Gabriolans on the facility, services and programs, and to help them better understand the current and potential long-term successes and challenges. For further information see www.ghcf.ca