RISE Community Health Centre
Below you’ll find answers to the questions we get asked the most about RISE Community Health Centre. If you do not find your question below, please contact us by calling: 604-558-8090 or emailing: risechc@cnh.bc.ca.
To read the answer, click on the question or the ∨ symbol.
What does RISE stand for?Resilient
Renfrew-Collingwood is a resilient community. Rather than focusing on vulnerabilities, RISE takes an asset based approach, ensuring that clients, families and community are fully involved in identifying their wellness goals. RISE meets clients where they are at in their health journey.
Integrative
RISE provides coordinated services to support the physical, social, emotional and cultural needs of the Renfrew-Collingwood community. We offer team based-care, enabling clients to access different team members who can help support their medical, mental health and social needs. We integrate our efforts with other departments of Collingwood Neighbourhood House and through partnerships with local healthcare providers and social service agencies.
Socially Just
In Renfrew-Collingwood, Indigenous people, newcomers, LGBTQ2Si+ folks, isolated seniors, people who are homeless and underhoused, sex workers, and those with mental health and substance use challenges experience more barriers to health and worse health outcomes. RISE provides opportunities for people facing barriers to access culturally safe, trauma informed care.
Equitable
RISE recognizes that health outcomes are not just biological, they are also very much socially determined and impacted by access to resources. We strive to ensure that our services are accessible and acceptable to those who need them the most, and that individuals have a fair opportunity to reach their fullest health potential.
RISE Primary Care Clinic:
RISE’s Primary Care Clinic provides the same kinds of services provided by a family doctor or nurse practitioner, plus additional care from a large health care team who support physical, social, and emotional well-being. RISE CHC’s Primary Care Clinic provides ongoing care for general health concerns, social determinants of health, mild-moderate mental health conditions, addictions, and coordination of specialist care.
Community Development and Health Promotion:
RISE CHC provides health promotion programs, events, and advocacy within the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood including:
- Collaboration with and outreach to local housing sites and organizations
- Health-related education and support groups
- Information booths at community events and more
Harm Reduction Services:
- Harm reduction supplies are available for pick-up during office hours
- RISE CHC provides 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.
- 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
- Disability
Medical Office Assistants
Medical office assistant (MOA) supports health care professionals to ensure smooth running of clinic. MOAs are responsible for performing various clerical and administrative tasks that include scheduling appointments, answering phone calls, filing/scanning and faxing documents, setting up clinic room and assisting Physicians or Nurse practitioners during minor procedures, and keeping inventory. MOAs also perform basic medical tasks such as taking weight, height, blood pressure, urine drug tests and urine pregnancy tests.
Community Health Workers
Community Health Workers (CHWs) help clients navigate issues related to the health care system, housing, income assistance & employment services, mental health services, and more. CHWs also carry out groups and community-based activities that focus on community development and promoting the health and wellbeing of RISE clients and the Renfrew-Collingwood community members.
Management
The RISE management team supports the strategic vision and operations of RISE Community Health Centre. They also provide financial management, human resources, quality improvement and evaluation, and staff training for RISE Community Health Centre. The management team works to create and maintain partnerships in the community, work collaboratively with other programs and services at Collingwood Neighborhood House, and advocate for equitable access to health services more broadly.
Nurse Practitioners and Family Physicians
Nurse Practitioners and Family physicians provide long-term primary care for physical and mental health conditions for patients of all ages. They work together with clients to prevent illness from occurring as well as to respond to concerns that do arise. A Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician is responsible for referrals to other specialists, including social workers, counsellors, dietitians, etc. A Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician can assist with some types of paperwork, such as applying for disability or time away from work/school. Care is rooted in relationships and developed over time.
Nurses
The nursing team at RISE comprises of both Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). Nurses provide holistic assessments and facilitate connections to other team members, and community resources. They also provide medical screening, health education and chronic disease management with a goal of working alongside the client to achieve their health goals. Additionally, nurses can do clinical tasks such as triage, wound dressings, vital assignments, bloodwork and general case management.
RISE Primary Care clients can access the staff below (Social Workers, Counsellors, Physiotherapist, Dietitian) through a referral from a RISE Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician for one to one consultation. The following staff also participate in group education initiatives and special events for the general public:
Social Workers
Social work addresses social matters in one’s life such as housing or finances as well as mental health. A social worker can help clients facing complex challenges with access to financial supports or navigating governmental systems. Social worker assists with filling out forms (for example PWD benefit) and referrals to other agencies. Social worker offers advocacy on client’s behalf with Ministry of Social Development and Poverty reduction, Service Canada or MSP and provides information and emotional support.
Registered Clinical Counsellors
Registered Clinical Counsellors support clients’ mental health by processing emotions and difficult life experiences together. Our Counsellors help clients explore how their upbringing, family, culture, society, and ancestry impact their present-day lives. Counsellors can help clients find new solutions while feeling supported and validated. Counsellors and clients work together to explore any challenges that are impacting their personal or collective healing. Counsellors can also help bring awareness and shine light on the wisdom clients already bring to counselling while offering new perspectives. Counsellors at RISE offer individual, relationship, and family counselling as well as group-based therapy.
Physiotherapists
Physiotherapists use their experience and training to carry out a detailed assessment of your injury and to pinpoint the source of the problem. They then use proven and precise treatment techniques to bring relief as quickly as possible. Through education and ongoing dialogue with your physiotherapist, you will gain a full understanding of your condition, how to improve it, and what to look out for to prevent re-injury.
Dietitians
Dietitians empower clients and communities to embrace food, to understand it, and to enjoy it. The advice and information they provide is tailored to their clients’ personal needs and challenges, including taste and accessibility. They translate the science of nutrition into terms everyone can understand to support health and wellness.
Similarities
Family Physician (FP) | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Registered Nurse (RN) | |
---|---|---|---|
Provides or coordinates health care for all ages and stages of life? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Assesses, diagnoses, treats, and manages health issues? | Yes | Yes | Yes, only with designated certified practice can diagnose specific issues (i.e. STIs) |
Orders medical imaging, blood work, and tests? | Yes | Yes | Yes, only with designated certified practice can order specific tests (i.e. STIs) |
Provides maternity care? | Yes, but our FPs do not offer labour/delivery care | Yes, only prenatal and postpartum (no labour and delivery care) | Yes, only prenatal and postpartum (no labour and delivery care) |
Requires supervision? | No, practices autonomously | No, practices autonomously | No, practices autonomously |
Differences
Family Physician (FP) | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Registered Nurse (RN) | |
---|---|---|---|
Training/education | Bachelor’s degree (4 years), medical degree (3-4 years), family medicine residency (2 years) | Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (4 years), min. 5,000 hours (or about 2.5 years of full-time work) as an RN, Master of Nursing degree (2 years) | Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (4 years), (optional) certified-practice courses (i.e. STIs and contraceptive management, pelvic exam, and cervical cancer screening) |
Licensing and registration | Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exams in order to obtain the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada, registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, (optional) Certification in the College of Family Physicians (CCFP), renews registration annually | Written examination and Objective Struuctured Clinical Examination (OSCE) through BC College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP), registered with the BCCNP, the College registers NPs in one of three streams of practice: adult, family or pediatric. Renews registration annually | National Council Licensure Examination for RNs through BCCNP, registered with the BCCNP, renews registration annually |
Prescribes medications? | Yes | Yes | No |
Completes health and benefits forms? | Yes | Yes | No |
Refers to specialties? | Yes | Yes | No |
- Indigenous,
- youth,
- isolated seniors,
- newcomers,
- gender diverse people (LGBTQ2S),
- sex workers,
- homeless or inadequately housed,
- people experiencing racism,
- people with mild-moderate mental health conditions,
- and people who use substances.
Even if you do not require our primary care services today, we are all susceptible to changes in life circumstances that could increase your need for support and make accessing health care more challenging. If your life (or the life of a family member) takes an unexpected turn and you find yourself requiring enhanced primary care services, RISE would like to ensure we maintain capacity to take new clients that would benefit the most from our primary care clinic.
By offering these services, RISE CHC contributes to Renfrew-Collingwood’s social safety net.
More Community Health Centres and Urgent and Primary Care Centers are being built or have recently opened across the lower mainland and the province.
For a map and list of Community Health Centres in BC please see: https://bcachc.org/our-members/
For Urgent and Primary Care Centres in the Vancouver Coastal Region see: http://www.vch.ca/your-care/urgent-and-primary-care-centres
For Urgent and Primary Care Centres in the Fraser Health Region see: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/Service-Directory/Services/primary-care-services/urgent-and-primary-care-centre#.YTvkuJ1Kibg
Alternatively, call Healthlink BC by dialing 8-1-1 and tell them you are trying to find a family doctor.
For Burnaby residents, see: https://www.divisionsbc.ca/burnaby/for-patients/looking-for-a-doctor-in-burnaby
For residents anywhere in BC, try the college of Physicians and Surgeons of BC website: https://www.cpsbc.ca/physician_search
Alternatively, call Healthlink BC by dialing 8-1-1 and tell them you are trying to find a family doctor.
It is not recommended to have two primary care providers at the same time. Clients that do not have their primary care at RISE CHC cannot access individual support from other team members.
RISE CHC and Evergreen Community Health Centre (CHC) have mutual clients and often work together to provide support.
Evergreen CHC is a part of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). The Evergreen Ambulatory Care Clinic shares the lobby and reception with RISE. At the Evergreen Ambulatory clinic, VCH Home Health clients that are mobile can come for health assessment and treatment by nurses, dietitians and rehab therapists. The Ambulatory clinic primarily serves seniors and people with long term care needs. Nursing services include wound care, IV therapy, medication management, chronic disease management and catheter care.
In the adjoining building (3425 Crowley Drive), Evergreen CHC provides Public Health services, addictions counselling, Home Health. They do not provide primary care (family doctors or nurse practitioners). For more information about Evergreen CHC please see: http://www.vch.ca/Locations-Services/result?res_id=1361.