The James Bay Community Health Centre is an independantly owned, physician led, team of family physicians providing the services required by people living in Victoria. It is no longer owned or operated by the James Bay Community Project and the James Bay Community Project assumes no liability or responsibility for the services provided by the James Bay Community Health Centre. While most health care services provided by physicians are covered through the Province of BC's Medical Service's Plan, certain services such as cosmetic excisions, sickness forms, driver's license medical exams, cryotherapy, medical legal letters, telephone advice and completion of other forms are not covered by MSP and will be provided at a cost to the patient.

The physicians are responsible for providing health care services including health maintenance and promotion. Services include a range of care from prevention to community and chronic disease management. Patient visits are generally limited to 10 minutes in length and focus on one health concern per appointment.

Given the local population, especially the frail elderly, the effective long-term management of chronic diseases has been identified as an important service area for the centre.

This approach helps to reduce the need for acute hospital and emergency hospital care and provide a model that supports better management of the increasing incidence of chronic illness and disease. By directing the right level of care at the right time, opportunities exist to use resources for better health care for people at risk as well as a greater emphasis on education and prevention. Approximately 500,000 people in British Columbia suffer from one or more chronic diseases. Each year, approximately 85% of the province's health care dollars are spent on chronic care.

Chronic illness has profound effects on a person's physical, emotional, and mental well-being, which often make it difficult to carry on with daily routines and relationships. In many cases, however, the deterioration of a patient's health can be minimized by good care.

The centre embraces the principles of primary health care, which include:

• Applying an inter-disciplinary team approach;
• Using electronic health records;
• Focusing on quick access;
• Providing patient education and support;
• Health promotion, education, and disease prevention;
• Care for acute situations that arise from time to time;
• The management of chronic diseases;
• Counseling and palliative care.

Monthly Group Patient blood pressure clinics, and quarterly group diabetic sessions compliment individual patient appointments.

The James Bay Community Project also leases space to other independent health practitioners currently including massage therapy, accupuncture and a naturopathic physician. Full private lab services (excluding x-rays and MRI's) are available on-site through LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services.

Vancouver Island Health Authority - www.viha.ca
BC Ministry of Health - www.gov.bc.ca/healthservices/
Canadian Cancer Society - www.cancer.ca
Canadian Diabetes Association - www.diabetes.ca
CNIB - www.cnib.ca
Heart & Stroke Foundation - www.heartandstroke.ca