What is Allied Health?

Allied Health professionals aim to prevent, diagnose, and treat a range of mental and physical health conditions and illnesses as an additional service in consultation with your Primary Care Provider (Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner).

Our Allied Health professionals can offer services in a variety of languages and have access to interpreter services in over 150 languages.

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for any of our Allied Health services.

Primary Care Providers can access referral forms for these services on Pathways.ca and on three of the top used EMRs.

An evidence-based behavioural change service designed to better support you with your health and wellbeing goals!

The B Well Behavioural Health Coaching Service is a chronic disease prevention service that launched in October 2020 as part of the Burnaby Primary Care Network (PCN).  B Well is the first of its kind Health Coaching program in BC, designed by expert psychologists, leveraging evidence-based strategies in behavioural medicine. Health Coaches, under the supervision of a Clinical Psychologist, serve as an extension of the primary care team to support patients who are at risk for, or in mild to moderate stages of chronic health conditions. 

The goals of the program are to incorporate evidence-based approaches, tools, methodologies, and motivational interviewing to support individuals in making small, manageable, and self-directed steps to successful and long-lasting health and behavioural change. Health Coaches work with patients to assess their unique needs, challenges, and barriers to healthy lifestyle choices and co-develop a customized health plan. B Well has already demonstrated success as determined by 6-month and 12-month health and well-being assessment outcomes including decreased weight, increased activity, and improvements in anxiety and depression scores.

The program provides patients up to 1.5 years of service, including provision of the following:

• Core service of individual coaching and monitoring for up to six months
• Monthly long-term maintenance group coaching for an additional year
• Virtual and/or in-person patient coaching

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner
• Patient is 19 years or older
• Patient is at risk of developing chronic disease or with mild to moderate chronic disease (early stage)
• Patient will benefit from lifestyle changes

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this program.

Meet our Health Coaches →

The PCN Mild to Moderate Mental Health Counselling Service supports individuals with mild to moderate mental health concerns. PCN Clinical Counsellors are available to provide short-term counselling support; eligible patients can receive up to 6 individual sessions. The goal is to reach patients that do not have access to extended health benefits, cannot afford counselling services and do not qualify for services from Burnaby Mental Health Substance Use. Services can be directly offered in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Farsi, and Afrikaans, as well as in any other language with support from Provincial Language Services.

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner 
• Patient is 19 years or older
• Patient is suspected to have mild to moderate mental health and/or substance use condition
• Patient could benefit from brief intervention and/or connection to self-help/community resources
• Patient cannot access service through other means (e.g. private pay, extended health benefits, WCB, ICBC)

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this service.

Meet our Counsellors →

The PCN Social Work Service is available to support individuals presenting/dealing with abuse, neglect, self-neglect, unsafe environments, financial hardships, housing issues, social isolation, change in health conditions and/or difficulty navigating health and social services. PCN Social Workers are professional problem solvers who can help patients manage a variety of emotional and social concerns that impact their health and wellbeing. The team can work with individuals of all language backgrounds with support from Provincial Language Services.

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner
• All ages are welcome
• Patients not active with another Community Social Worker

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this service.

Meet our Social Workers →

For patients with mild to moderate mobility or physical conditions who have been identified as needing services and do not have access to physiotherapy through other means, including services that are subsidized. Referrals are made by Primary Care Providers.

Given the criteria of the program we expect our patient demographics to be shifted towards seniors and low income patients with chronic disease or pain. For services, we expect more emphasis on assessments and mobility consults, and exercise programs (rather than technology based interventions/techniques).

The eligibility criteria for PCN Physiotherapy will include:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician of Nurse Practitioner
• Patient is 19 years or older
• Patient cannot access service through other means (e.g. private pay, extended health benefits, Home Health, WCB, ICBC)

Meet our Physiotherapists →

The PCN Clinical Pharmacist Service integrates Primary Care Clinical Pharmacists (PCCP) into team-based care to optimize drug theory outcomes for patients. The British Columbia-wide program was developed in partnership with the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and application to the Burnaby PCN context was led by a Task Group of our physician members, PCN staff, and UBC representatives. 

As part of the primary care team, PCCPs work directly with Primary Care Providers and other team members in the on-going care of patients with complex conditions to 1) prevent and resolve medication-related problems, 2) educate the patient about their medications, and 3) help remove barriers to patients in following prescription advice. PCCPs use their specialized knowledge to help patients achieve better health outcomes and a higher quality of life. 

PCCPs work in their respective PCNs through a blended service delivery model including: in-office and virtual support to primary care clinics at designated times; referrals for specific cases made by Primary Care Providers; and outreach support to vulnerable populations in the community. 

The eligibility criteria for PCN Clinical Pharmacist Services includes:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician of Nurse Practitioner
• Patient is 19 years or older

Meet our Pharmacists →

Dietitian Services offer comprehensive nutritional assessments and culturally-informed medical nutritional therapies (MNT) for individuals, and are available in-person and virtually. PCN Dietitians can support with disease prevention or management​, providing education and acting as a connector to community supports and resources. Eligible patients can receive 3-5 sessions.

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner 
• Patient is 19 years or older
• Patient cannot access service through private options or other

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this service.

Meet our Dietitians →

Launching Spring 2023

For youth ages 10-24 years old, PCN Child and Youth Mental Health Counselling offers a variety of services to young people with mild to moderate mental health needs. This short-term counselling service focuses on coping skills, system navigation, and resource linking.

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner 
• Patient is 10-24 years old
• Patient is not already connected to other community resources
• Patient cannot access service through private options

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you or the youth in your care are eligible for this service.

The PCN offers access to Foot Care Nurse Services to treat patients experiencing foot pain related to lengthy and thick nails (including fungal infections), corns, or callouses non-invasively within our scope of practice. They can also provide pre-diabetes/diabetes-related foot care.

Included in this service are thorough feet and nail assessment, ambulation, foot wear, skin condition and circulation. Foot Care Nurses provide medical pedicures, basic wound care, as well education that can help prevent pain and complications.

Ongoing support is available depending on service demands.

Eligibility:

• Patient is attached to a Burnaby Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner
• Patient is 19 years or older and not able to perform their own foot care due to medical, physical or mental health factors
• Patient cannot access service through private options

Please speak with your Primary Care Provider to see if you are eligible for this service.

Meet our Foot Care Nurses →