Health Connections

Health Connections operates in 4 health authorities:

  1. Interior Health:  IH Health Connections has developed bus services to link small communities with the regional/tertiary hospitals in all four health service areas. These are: Okanagan (links to Kelowna and Penticton), Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (links to Kamloops and Vernon), Kootenay Boundary (links to Trail) and East Kootenay (links to Cranbrook).  IH partners with regional districts and BC Transit to offer services to medical riders within health service areas, but routes don't currently cross health service area boundaries.  https://www.interiorhealth.ca/YourStay/GettingThere/Pages/default.aspx
  2. Northern Health:  a travel service program for patients needing to travel for out-of-town medical appointments in northern BC and in Vancouver, Kamloops and Grande Prairie.  http://nhconnections.ca/
  3. Vancouver Island Health: Island Health provides an operating grant to Wheels for Wellness, a non-profit society that provides door-to-door patient transportation primarily for trips on Vancouver Island that are over 75 kilometres one way. Wheels for Wellness does not provide services from other islands. http://www.wheelsforwellness.com/
  4. Vancouver Coastal Health:  Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) focuses its funding on the Central Coast and Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola Valley Health Services has established a local HandyDART bus service in the Bella Coola Valley to provide transportation to medical appointments, adult day programs, foot clinics, etc.

In addition, Bella Coola Valley Health Services covers 100 percent of medically required air travel for patients from the Central Coast through purchase of discounted tickets with Pacific Coastal Airlines. Escorts are required to pay for their own transportation.

For more information visit:  http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/tap-bc/health-connections