RISE Community Health Centre

What We Do

Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH) offers a range of direct medical services and health promotion to the Renfrew-Collingwood area through RISE Community Health Centre.

RISE (Resilient, Integrative, Socially Just and Equitable) offers team-based care to local residents with supports available for medical and social needs. Services include:

  • Primary care clinic (currently not accepting new patients)
  • Pharmacy
  • Community development and health promotion
  • Harm reduction

For more information, call 604-558-8090* or email risechc@cnh.bc.ca.

Fax: 236-317-4270 (primary care clinic)
Fax: 778-653-3558 (pharmacy)

*Phone lines are open weekdays from 10 am to 3 pm. Our phones will not accept voicemails after 3 pm on business days. Please call us back during business hours.

Looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner?

The RISE primary care clinic is still not taking new clients at this time but the province has created a centralized waiting list. In future, when our waitlist opens up again, we will be taking clients from this waitlist.

If you live in British Columbia and need a family doctor or nurse practitioner, register online for the Health Connect Registry or call 8-1-1 for more information or support in different languages.

Hours & Location

5198 Joyce St
Vancouver, BC V5R 4H1

Primary Care Clinic

Monday – Friday: 9:30 am – 6:30 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm*

*Group services and limited appointments available

Pharmacy

Monday – Friday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 3 pm

For updates during extreme weather conditions, please call 604-558-8090 and leave a message if you require support and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You may also call the CNH Hotline at 604-412-3845.

Available Services

Community Development & Health Promotion

RISE provides health promotion programs, events, and advocacy within the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood, including:

  • Outreach to local housing sites and organizations
  • Health-related education and support groups
  • A community advisory committee ensures community voices inform RISE’s services
  • Information booths at community events and more

Harm Reduction

RISE provides the following harm-reduction services:

  • Harm reduction supplies are available for pick-up during office hours
  • Naloxone kits are available for pick up and naloxone training can be requested
  • Nurse Practitioners and Physicians at RISE CHC prescribe medical therapies used to treat addictions including Opiate Agonist Therapy to clients of RISE primary care clinic
Why We Offer Harm Reduction

As stated by the Canadian Mental Health Association:

“Harm Reduction is an evidence-based, client-centred approach that seeks to reduce the health and social harms associated with addiction and substance use, without necessarily requiring people who use substances from abstaining or stopping…”

Essential to a harm reduction approach is that it provides people who use substances a choice of how they will minimize harms through non-judgemental and non-coercive strategies in order to enhance skills and knowledge to live safer and healthier lives.”

Pharmacy

RISE now operates a non-profit pharmacy open to all! We seek to provide inclusive, judgment-free and trauma-informed care. You do not need to be a RISE primary care client to use the pharmacy.

By filling your prescriptions with us, you will be helping your community. Income from the pharmacy will be reinvested into RISE and Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), which operates the community health centre.

Our pharmacy provides the following services:

  •  Medication dispensing and counselling in multiple languages if needed
  •  Medication reviews and pharmacist consultations with translation services if needed
  •  Immunizations and medication administration
  •  Opioid Agonist Therapy
  •  Blister packing and free medication deliveries**
  • Flu shots by appointment during Flu Season

Frequently Asked Questions

Services

Can I use the pharmacy if I am not a RISE Primary Care patient?

Yes! RISE CHC Pharmacy will be available to anyone who needs medications dispensed.

Can I get a prescription from a pharmacist at RISE?

Yes, the RISE CHC Pharmacist can prescribe, however not to CNH staff. You can get assessed by a pharmacist for 21 minor ailments, including pink eye, headaches and canker sores. You can also get prescriptions for contraception.

These services are free of charge to British Columbians when provided in person, in a pharmacy. To find more information and see if a pharmacist can help you with your symptoms, visit see a pharmacist for minor ailments or contraception.

Can I get vaccinations and other injections at RISE?

Yes, our pharmacists are injection-certified and trained to provide immunizations as well as other medications for intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. During flu season, we may require patients to make appointments for any injections.

Can I pick up my annual medication expense records at RISE?

Yes, but the record will only show prescriptions filled at RISE CHC Pharmacy. You will need to bring a piece of photo ID to pick up this document. If you are picking up on behalf of another person, we will need a signed and dated letter providing authorization for someone else to pick up. The authorized person will need to bring their photo ID to pick up for you.

Are there over-the-counter medications for sale at RISE?

RISE does not have a large selection of over-the-counter medications but you may request us to special order an item if it is available through our supplier.

Does RISE deliver medications?

If you live within the Renfrew- Collingwood catchment, we can deliver medications if you have three (3) or more prescriptions in one delivery.

Can CNH staff use the pharmacy?

Yes! However, the pharmacist cannot prescribe to staff, who must bring their prescription from another care provider.

Fees & Coverage

What is the dispensing fee at RISE?

The dispensing fee is $10, which is covered by Fair Pharmacare for eligible medications if you are registered and have met your deductible for the year.

Does RISE offer direct billing?

Yes, we will do our best to ensure your insurance pays for your medications prior to medication pick-up.

Can I get free or low-cost medication at RISE?

The pharmacy will always dispense generic medication where possible unless the patient’s preference is for brand name or generic medication is unavailable. Once the pharmacy is able to generate additional revenues consistently for at least one year, the pharmacy will develop a fund for medication financial assistance for RISE patients.

How do I register with Fair PharmaCare? Do I need to register?

All BC residents should be registered with Fair PharmaCare. Please visit the Fair PharmaCare webpage (via Government of BC) gov.bc.ca or call Health Insurance BC to register or for more information: 604-683-7151 (Vancouver & Lower Mainland) or toll-free at 1-800-663-7100.

What payment types do you accept?

RISE CHC Pharmacy can take cash, debit, or credit. If you have extended benefits, please provide us with your insurance information and we will do our best to bill your insurance directly.

Other

How is RISE’s pharmacy a non-profit?

Additional revenue generated by RISE Pharmacy will be reinvested into the pharmacy, RISE and Collingwood Neighbourhood House. Filling your prescriptions at RISE is one way to support the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood!

Transferring Prescriptions to the RISE Pharmacy

Please ask us to contact your current pharmacy or request that your healthcare provider fax your prescriptions to us directly at 778-653-3558.

Primary Care Clinic

The primary care clinic at RISE offers medical care coordinated by a family doctor or nurse practitioner, plus additional care from a large healthcare team that supports physical, social and emotional well-being. The clinic provides ongoing care for general health concerns, social determinants of health, mild-moderate mental health conditions, addictions, and coordination of specialist care.

  • Our priority is to connect Renfrew-Collingwood residents who do not have a regular healthcare provider and experience barriers to accessing care to a nurse practitioner, family physician and/or a healthcare team
  • Our clinic team includes family physicians, nurse practitioners, community health workers, nurses, medical office assistants, dietitians, physiotherapists, counsellors, social workers, pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and occupational therapists

Policy & Guidelines

1. Community Guidelines
RISE CHC is a part of Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH). The CNH Community Guidelines, below, are a to guide respectful interactions while participating in CNH programs and services, and are applicable to all staff and patrons.

CNH is all of us! Participants, families and staff.

A place for care, connection, belonging and growth. We work together to make CNH a place where community members can feel safe, welcomed, appreciated and whole.

We all have the right to be treated with respect, compassion and dignity. Communicate with respect and expect respect in return
We are in this together! We can offer thanks when things go well and give feedback about how to improve*. When we solve problems together, we help make things better.

*If you would like to make a formal complaint, the form complaint policy can be found on the CNH website here: Non-Staff Formal Complaint Form or ask any CNH front desk staff for a the formal complaint form.

2. Attachment to a Primary Care Provider (PCP)
A primary care provider (PCP) refers to a Family Doctor or a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Attachment is an agreement between a PCP and yourself as a client, agreeing that the PCP will be your primary health care provider.

Attachment does not always occur after the first appointment.
Attachment can take several appointments to ensure that it is the right fit for both the client and the provider.

If you want to switch your PCP, you can make that request with the RISE CHC Manager.

CNH employees and their immediate/extended family members cannot be attached to a RISE PCP.

Once attached to a RISE CHC we request that you:
Seek primary health care from RISE CHC whenever possible.
Identify your RISE CHC PCP as your primary care provider when you visit any other health care facility (e.g. Emergency Department, Urgent Primary Care Centre, Walk-In Clinic etc.).
Not have another family doctor/ nurse practitioner as a PCP. Repeatedly seeking primary care outside of RISE CHC may result in dismissal from RISE CHC

3. Consent to access and collect information
By virtue of seeking care from RISE CHC Primary Care Clinic, consent is implied for your personal information to be used by our clinic to provide care, and to be shared with other providers involved in care.

We will only collect the information that is required to provide care, administrate the care that is provided, and communicate with clients.

RISE CHC will only disclose personal information where authorized by PIPA or required by law.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time. If you wish to withdraw consent, we will no longer be able to safely provide clinical care.

4. Appointment bookings, cancellations, arriving late and no-shows
RISE CHC Primary Care Clinic sees clients by appointment only. Please call or use the online scheduling system to book and appointment. Appointments can range from 15 min to 1 hour, depending on the type of visit. RISE CHC offers a limited number of same day appointments. When you call to request an appointment, a nurse will triage your concern over the phone and book a same day appointment if needed and/or if possible considering staff availability.

If you need to cancel an appointment, please do so with at least one business day notice (24 hours) in advance by cancelling on the Cortico self-scheduling system or by calling RISE CHC during regular business hours.

If you do not attend your appointment without prior notification, this is considered a No-Show.

If you are late for an appointment, and RISE CHC cannot fit you into the schedule on the same day, it is considered a No-Show.
If you No-Show for three appointments consecutively, a RISE CHC staff will reach out to confirm your attachment to the clinic. This includes ALL appointments with any RISE Staff member

5. Communication via text and email
RISE offers appointments by phone, in person or on virtual platforms. RISE CHC may use email and text to send appointment confirmations, to share resources or information that was discussed during your appointment, and/or notices about changes to RISE CHC services and program offerings. To ensure best communication, please notify RISE CHC if your phone number, address or email addresses changes.
Emails and texts are NOT an appropriate substitute for in-person, phone or virtual appointments. To ensure safety and privacy, RISE CHC staff will not discuss personal medical information (e.g., test results or specialist reports), have clinical discussions, or provide counselling or crisis-related support through email or text messages. Please book an appointment to discuss such issues.

6. Photos, audio and video recording
To protect client and staff privacy, we do not allow unauthorized video or audio recordings and photos at RISE CHC or during any appointment. However, there can be video or recordings with staff and/or client consent. For example: taking a photo or video of an injury to share with another health care provider to help decide on appropriate treatment, or where counselling students sessions are recorded as the student is being evaluated by a supervisor who is not directly partaking the session. Taking and sharing photos and/or videos is only allowed with the mutual consent of both the RISE CHC staff and the client, and should not include other people in the photo or video that have not provided consent.

7. No Weapons
Weapons are not permitted at RISE CHC or any CNH facility.

8. Extended Health Benefits
To promote health equity, RISE CHC Counselling, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services are reserved for RISE CHC primary care clients who do NOT have extended health benefits or active claims through ICBC, WorkSafe BC and/ or other third-party insurance. Counselling, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, MyoActivation, Dietitian, and Social Work require an internal referral from a RISE team member. Please tell RISE CHC staff if you have extended health benefits, active ICBC Claims or active WorkSafe BC Claims or claims against third-party insurance.

9. Childhood Immunizations
RISE CHC does not provide childhood immunizations for children under six years of age. Guardians will be directed to contact public health for these immunizations, with the exception of seasonal flu shots.

10. Opioids, Sedatives and Other Controlled Substances
RISE PCPs follow clinical guidelines and best practices in managing and treating clients living with chronic pain, including, cancer, palliative conditions, Central sensitization syndromes, Osteoarthritis, Addiction, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other
RISE PCPs avoid use of opioids (aka narcotics) to treat chronic pain that is NOT due to cancer and palliative conditions. These medications include Morphine, Codeine, Hydromorphone/Dilaudid, Oxycodone/Percocet, and others. While these medications can help in the treatment of acute pain (for example, post-operative pain, or pain from a serious acute injury) or pain arising from cancer, most times they actually do more harm than good when treating chronic pain from other sources.
RISE clients who are currently on long term opioids for chronic non-cancer pain and/or are living with OUD will have their opioid medications and/or their Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT), reviewed on a regular basis by their PCP.

Any client who is on long term opioid medications and/or OAT need to have an Opioid Treatment Agreement reviewed and signed with their PCP. The Opioid Treatment Agreement outlines the risks and possible benefits of using opioid medications, and provides a plan for clients about when opioids need to be discontinued or stopped. An example of an Opioid Agreement can be found below. https://www.cpsbc.ca/files/pdf/PRP-Sample-Opioid-Treatment-Agreement.pdf

11. Student Learners
RISE CHC is a teaching environment for various health care professional students. We will ask for your consent prior to seeing students. You always have the choice of declining to see a student, and this will not affect your care with RISE CHC in any way. If you have an appointment with a student, your appointment will always be reviewed by the student’s supervisor/instructor. You can also ask to see RISE staff after seeing the student.

12. Primary Care Network Research Study
RISE CHC is part of BC Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network that collects de-identified data about our client’s health. The purpose of the study is to support better research and improve the diagnosis, treatment and care of Canadians with conditions. If you wish to opt out of the study, please complete the following form and return to RISE CHC. Please note that your medical care will not be affected.

13. Transferring Care/Ending Care with RISE CHC
It is within your rights, at any time, to end your provider-client relationship and transfer care to another provider or clinic. RISE CHC’s mandate is to serve the Renfrew-Collingwood community. If you permanently move outside of Metro-Vancouver, please inform RISE CHC and we will assist you in connecting to a new PCP.

A positive therapeutic relationship relies on mutual trust and respect between a client and RISE CHC. Either the client or RISE CHC may choose to terminate this provider-client relationship if a therapeutic relationship is no longer possible. After the provider-client relationship is terminated, you have the right to seek care from RISE CHC for a grace period of up to 6 weeks. This grace period will not apply if the reason for terminating the relationship involves verbal/ physical/ sexual aggression towards any staff member.

Frequently Asked Questions

Services & Client Information

Is RISE a walk-in clinic?

No, RISE is not a walk-in clinic. Clients go through an intake process and generally have booked appointments. We also have same-day access available for urgent access for existing clients.

Can I choose my doctor or nurse practitioner at RISE?

During the referral and intake process, we may ask you if you have a preference for a gender or language, or if you prefer to be seen on certain days or during certain hours. We try to match your needs to our providers, but sometimes our options may be limited based on provider availability.

I need a doctor or nurse practitioner but I do not live in Renfrew-Collingwood. What should I do?

– Family doctors in Burnaby (via Divisions of Family Practice)
– Family doctors in BC (via Find a Doctor BC)
– Community Health Centres in BC (via BCACHC)
– Urgent and Primary Care Centres in the Vancouver Coastal Region (via Vancouver Coastal Health)
Urgent and Primary Care Centres in the Fraser Health Region (via Fraser Health)

Alternatively, call HealthLink BC by dialling 8-1-1 and tell them you are trying to find a family doctor

Language Services & Fees

Do I pay to receive services at RISE’s Primary Care Clinic?

There are no fees to access medical services at RISE.

I have trouble communicating in English. Can I use RISE?

Telephone translation services and information in multiple languages will be available. We also strive to hire staff that speak different languages.

Who does the Primary Care Clinic serve?

RISE’s mandate is to provide health care to Renfrew-Collingwood community members who are not connected to a family doctor, including those who face challenging life circumstances such as financial difficulties, language and cultural barriers, social isolation and physical and mental health challenges.

Please note, RISE is not a walk-in clinic. Clients go through an intake process and generally have booked appointments. However, our new not-for-profit pharmacy is open to the public.

Appointments

Information for existing clients of RISE’s primary care clinic.

Booking an appointment online

Clients can now book and manage appointments online: risecentre.cortico.ca. (Need help? Learn to book through Cortico.)

Appointment cancellations and no-shows

RISE CHC understands that you may need to cancel or change appointment times. Keeping us informed of your change in availability helps us open up appointments for other clients waiting to be seen.

To help us be able to offer timely appointments to all of our clients:

  • Provide at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule phone/video appointments
  • To cancel or reschedule please call 604-558-8090 or email us at risereception@cnh.bc.ca
  • If you miss three consecutive appointments without prior notice, we will send you a letter asking you to contact RISE CHC within a given timeframe to confirm that you still wish to receive our services
  • If you do not contact us within the specified timeframe, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to continue to offer you services as we may offer your spot to another community member on our waitlist
In-person appointments

If you are booked for an in-person appointment, we encourage you to:

  • Self-monitor for any communicable diseases (i.e. COVID-19 symptoms)
  • Notify RISE CHC of any changes in your health prior to coming into the health centre
  • If possible and appropriate, change your appointment to a virtual/phone instead of in-person if you have active signs and symptoms of a communicable disease (such as COVID-19)

NOTE: If you have acute respiratory symptoms (for example chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing) while at RISE CHC, you may be referred to an Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) or Emergency Department for a higher level of care.

Phone and video appointments

We continue to offer phone and/or video appointments as needed or requested. Being ready for your phone/video appointment means:

  • Provide us with THE BEST PHONE NUMBER or EMAIL to reach you at
  • Be ready to receive the call or video chat from 5 minutes before to 30 minutes after your booked time
  • Checking that your call blocker is shut off on your phone (so you can accept a call from a blocked number)
  • Sitting in a quiet, private space, other distractions minimized
  • If you are not available when we call you for your appointment we may have to move on to our next client

NOTE: If you are experiencing an emergency, for example, problems breathing, please call 911.

For six years, community members and health professionals advocated for a community health centre in Vancouver’s Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.

Our History

From 2014 to 2020, community members and health professionals advocated to bring a community health centre to Renfrew-Collingwood.

Renfrew-Collingwood has a very low number of family doctors for the local population, compared to other parts of Vancouver. Many community members in Renfrew-Collingwood face barriers to care including:

  • Transportation barriers,
  • Language barriers,
  • Lack of childcare,
  • Lack of availability for evening and weekend appointments,
  • Trouble navigating the healthcare system; and
  • Discrimination.

The Department of Community Development at CNH carried out extensive community engagement with community members about their healthcare needs, previous health-related experiences, and hopes for a community health centre. Their voices informed the service plan for RISE.

Extensive research and community consultation informed the decision to focus on the following populations: Indigenous, youth, isolated seniors, newcomers, gender diverse people (LGBTQ2S), sex workers, those who are homeless or inadequately housed, people experiencing racism, people with mental health conditions, and those with problematic substance use.

Today, RISE continues to be part of CNH, a non-profit society governed by a volunteer board of directors. RISE works with an advisory committee of patients, volunteers and CNH board members who provide community input into RISE’s services and direction, and who make recommendations to the CNH board about governance issues related to RISE. Funding is provided through the BC Ministry of Health.

RISE officially opened at its current location on Crowley Drive on June 15, 2020.

How is a Community Health Centre different from a regular doctor’s office?

RISE offers team-based care, which means clients can access different team members who support their medical and social needs. Staff are experienced in providing culturally safe, trauma-informed care to community members from diverse backgrounds. Staff are also trained to recognize social determinants of health that may impact clients’ health and to help them with those issues.

What are the social determinants of health?

Social and economic factors affect people’s health and everyday life and can contribute to illness. For example, not having enough money can lead to negative health consequences. These factors are called social determinants of health. Social determinants of health include: Income and income distribution, education, unemployment and job security, employment and working conditions, early childhood development, food insecurity, housing, social isolation and loneliness, social support networks, health services, Aboriginal status, gender, race, and disability.