Fraser Health

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Fraser Health Authority
Fraser Health logo.svg
Formation2001
TypeBritish Columbia Health Authority
CEO
Dr. Victoria Lee
Budget
$3.95 billion in 2019/20[2]
Staff
29,000 staff; 3,000 physicians; 6,000 volunteers[1]
Websitewww.fraserhealth.ca

The Fraser Health Authority (FHA) is one of five publicly funded health care regions[3] into which the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) is divided.

History[]

Fraser Health was created in December 2001 as part of a province-wide restructuring of health authorities by the then-new BC Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell. It is the merger of three former health regions: Simon Fraser Health Region (SFHR), South Fraser Health Region, and the Fraser Valley Health Region (FVHR).

SFHR had been formed in 1996 by the merger of the Fraser–Burrard Hospital Society (Royal Columbian Hospital, Eagle Ridge Hospital and ) with the Burnaby Health Region (Burnaby Hospital) and the extended care facilities operated by the Pacific Health Care Society ( and Fellburn Care Centre).

It is governed by the provincial Health Authorities Act.

Demographics[]

It has 29,000 employees and serves the region from Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon down the Fraser River Valley to the Vancouver suburbs of Burnaby and Delta. It is the largest health authority by population in British Columbia (BC).[4] Its 1.8 million residents include approximately 62,000 Indigenous people associated with 32 First Nation bands and 5 Métis chartered communities.[1]

Three rapidly growing communities also included in Fraser Health are Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and Surrey; all three are served by expanding community-focused acute-care hospitals and related services.

Fraser Health provides health care services for the following communities:

Fraser North Fraser South Fraser East
Anmore Delta* Abbotsford*
Belcarra Langley* Agassiz
Burnaby* Surrey* Chilliwack*
Coquitlam White Rock* Harrison Hot Springs
New Westminster* Hope*
Maple Ridge* District of Kent
Pitt Meadows Mission*
Port Coquitlam Boston Bar
Port Moody*
*indicates location of hospital

The region's population portion against vaccination occasionally contributes to outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as the 2014 measles outbreak of 320 cases, the most in BC history.[5] Between Aug. 1, 2017, and July 31, 2018, Fraser Health performed over 91,000 surgeries and postponed nearly 2,300 operations on the day of surgery.[6]

Facilities and services[]

Services provided by Fraser Health include primary health care, community home care, mental health and addictions, acute medical, and surgical services.

Fraser Health has 12 acute-care hospitals including 3 regional hospitals and 9 community hospitals as well as an outpatient care and surgery centre.

Regional hospitals[]

Community hospitals[]

Outpatient care and surgery centre[]

Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre

Community sites[]

Fraser Health has approximately 110 community sites delivering health care services.

The Royal Columbian Hospital, located in the city of New Westminster, is the oldest hospital in British Columbia and one of Fraser Health's busiest.[citation needed] A major tertiary-care facility known for trauma care, neurosurgery and open-heart surgery, the Royal Columbian Hospital has the only program in British Columbia capable of performing cardiac surgery for expectant women. In September 2018, it was announced that Fraser Health had purchased two private MRI clinics in Surrey, British Columbia, and Abbotsford, British Columbia.[7]

According to the Chilliwack Progress in 2019, home-support clients within Fraser Health would have their care directly managed by the health authority.[8] The change is being made because contracts with external service providers for home support services are set to expire in March 2020.

Governance[]

The board of directors functions as Fraser Health's governing body, and oversees the conduct of the organization's business through the executive team, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations. Board members are appointed by the Minister of Health through the provincial Board Resourcing and Development Office. Prior to the 2001 regionalization, communities elected board representatives.

Board chair Chief executive officer Date
Barry Forbes Lynda Cranston
Michael Marchbank (interim)
Keith Purchase Bob Smith
Gordon Barefoot Keith Anderson (interim)
David Mitchell Nigel Murray
Wynne Powell (interim) David Ostrow (interim)
Karen Matty Michael Marchbank
Jim Sinclair Victoria Lee

See also[]

Other regional health authorities in British Columbia[]

Province-wide health authorities in British Columbia[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "About Fraser Health". Fraser Health. Fraser Health Authority. 2018. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  2. ^ Fraser Health Authority (June 2019). 2019/20 - 2021/22 Service Plan (PDF) (Report). Fraser Health Authority. p. 24. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  3. ^ "Regional Health Authorities". gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. ^ Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia (March 2017). Health Funding Explained 2 (PDF) (Report). Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia. p. 53. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  5. ^ Ball, David P. (March 31, 2014). "Fraser Health to 'respect' religious views on vaccines". Vancouver 24 Hours. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  6. ^ "In the last year, Fraser Health postponed 2,300 operations on day of surgery". CKNW. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  7. ^ "Fraser Health to buy two private MRI clinics in Surrey, Abbotsford - Surrey Now-Leader". Surrey Now-Leader. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  8. ^ "Fraser Health home support will soon be provided in-house". Chilliwack Progress. 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-04-02.

External links[]

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