fraserhealth.ca

Fraser Health is a regional health authority serving more than two million people from Burnaby to Boston Bar in British Columbia, and its website is the main hub for current news, upcoming events, and ways to participate in your own care. If you want to know what's changing in the region's health services or how to have a say, the News and Events sections plus a few feedback tools are where to start. This guide covers what's posted there, what it means for patients, and how to take part.

What Fraser Health Is and Who It Serves

Fraser Health delivers hospital and community-based services across its region, with a team of more than 50,000 staff, medical staff, and volunteers. Its services reach communities from Burnaby through to Boston Bar, so the news and events it publishes often apply to specific cities or facilities rather than the whole region at once. That's worth keeping in mind when you read an announcement — check whether it names a location near you.

Latest News: What's Being Announced

The News section highlights service upgrades and openings across the region. A recent example is the upgraded MRI suite at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, which opened with support from the Crystal Gala Foundation. According to the announcement, people in Abbotsford and surrounding communities now have access to better imaging, faster scanning, and an improved care experience.

When you read a news item like this, the practical takeaways are usually:

• Which facility is affected (here, Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre)
• What changed (upgraded MRI services, faster scanning)
• Who benefits (patients in Abbotsford and nearby communities)

If you're waiting on imaging or planning care, this kind of announcement tells you where capacity has improved — but it doesn't replace a referral or booking through your care provider.

Upcoming Events You Can Join

Fraser Health posts events that range from career information sessions to public education. Two examples currently listed:

The dietitian open house is a recruitment event, so it's relevant if you're a dietitian considering a role with Fraser Health. The QPR session is public education — the listing notes that learning suicide intervention and prevention can help you save a life, which makes it useful for community members, not just clinicians.

How to Get Involved

Beyond attending events, there are a few direct ways to participate:

• Take the patient experience survey — a feedback channel for people who have received care.
• Attend a virtual open house or education session — useful if you're exploring a career with Fraser Health or want to build a specific skill.
• Use Ask Fraser, described as a digital health care navigator, if you're trying to find the right service before giving feedback.

If your goal is to influence how services work, the patient experience survey is the most direct route. If your goal is to join the workforce, the career-focused events are the better fit.

Finding Care While You're Here

The same site surfaces care options alongside its news and events. Depending on your situation, you can:

• Get care now through Fraser Health Virtual Care, contacting the team by phone or web chat
• Book a lab services appointment
• Get your drugs checked
• Find mental health resources
• Learn about maternity care options
• Connect to an Indigenous Health Liaison
• Learn about home and community care

For urgent but non-emergency needs, the site also points to urgent and primary care centres, such as the one in South Surrey, and offers guidance on where to go when a child is sick.

A Practical Way to Use This

Say you live near Abbotsford and have been waiting on an MRI. The news about the upgraded suite tells you imaging capacity there has expanded — but you'd still confirm your referral and booking through your care provider or the lab services booking path. Separately, if you're a dietitian, the October virtual open house is a low-commitment way to learn about roles. And if you simply want to weigh in on care you've received, the patient experience survey is open to you regardless of which service you used.

The pattern is consistent: news tells you what's changed, events tell you what's coming up, and the care and feedback links let you act on either.

Fraser Health serves more than two million people from Burnaby to Boston Bar, and its website organizes care options by how urgent your situation is. If you have a life-threatening emergency, call 911. For non-emergency needs, the site points you to urgent and primary care centres, virtual care by phone or web chat, a digital navigation tool called Ask Fraser, and specific services such as lab appointments, mental health resources, and maternity care.

Start with how urgent the problem is

The site's "How can we help?" section and its "Sick kid? Know where to go for care" prompt both push you toward matching the setting to the severity of the concern.

• Life-threatening emergency — call 911 or go to an emergency department.
• Urgent but not life-threatening — an urgent and primary care centre is an option. The site notes that the South Surrey Urgent and Primary Care Centre is open.
• Routine or ongoing concern — a family doctor or nurse practitioner, or one of the listed services below.
• Not sure where to go — use Fraser Health Virtual Care or the Ask Fraser navigator to get pointed in the right direction.

Fraser Health Virtual Care

If you have a health concern and want to talk to someone before deciding where to go, the site offers contact with the Fraser Health team by phone or web chat. This is the front door for questions about your care options rather than a replacement for emergency services.

How to use it:

1. Go to the Fraser Health Virtual Care section of the site.
2. Choose phone or web chat.
3. Describe your concern and ask which care setting fits it.

Expected result: guidance on whether to seek in-person care, which type of facility to use, or how to access a specific service.

Ask Fraser: the digital health care navigator

Ask Fraser is described as a digital health care navigator. It is designed for the "I don't know where to start" problem — you describe what you need and it helps route you to the right Fraser Health service.

Use it when:

• You know you need care but not which program or facility provides it.
• You want to find a service among the full list rather than guess.
• You are helping someone else (a child, a parent) and need to identify the right entry point.

Specific services listed on the site

Beyond urgent care and navigation, the homepage links directly to several services:

The site also notes that you can browse all services if what you need is not listed above.

Who delivers the care

Hospital and community-based services in the region are delivered by a team of more than 50,000 staff, medical staff, and volunteers. That scale is why the site leans on navigation tools — the range of services is broad enough that matching your concern to the right one is the main task.

Practical notes

• The site also lists news and events, including recruitment events such as a dietitian virtual open house and suicide prevention education sessions. These are not care entry points but can be relevant if you are looking for work or training.
• Service availability and hours are not spelled out on the homepage. Check the individual service page or contact Virtual Care before travelling.
• The homepage does not state costs or whether a health card is required for each service; confirm when you contact the team.

Fraser Health is a regional health authority in British Columbia, Canada, serving more than two million people across a geographic area that stretches from Burnaby to Boston Bar. It delivers both hospital-based and community-based health care, with services provided by a team of over 50,000 staff, medical staff, and volunteers. Its website, fraserhealth.ca, functions as a public entry point for finding services, booking some appointments, and accessing health resources and information.

Where Fraser Health operates

Fraser Health covers a large, diverse region of B.C. that includes both dense urban centres and smaller communities. The "Burnaby to Boston Bar" span means the authority serves residents across the Fraser Valley and surrounding areas, not a single city. If you live in or are visiting this region, Fraser Health is likely the authority responsible for your hospital and many community health services.

What services and resources the site points to

The homepage organizes access around common needs rather than a single service list. From the site, you can reach:

• Urgent and primary care – for example, the South Surrey Urgent and Primary Care Centre, which the site notes is open.
• Guidance on where to go for care – including information for when a child is sick and general "know where to go" options.
• Virtual care – contact options by phone or web chat, plus information on Fraser Health Virtual Care.
• Ask Fraser – described as a digital health care navigator.
• Home and community care – information and connections for care outside hospitals.
• Indigenous Health Liaison – a way to connect to an Indigenous health liaison.
• Lab services appointments – booking a lab services appointment.
• Drug checking – a "get your drugs checked" service.
• Mental health resources – links to mental health support.
• Maternity care – information on maternity care options.
• Patient experience survey – a channel to give feedback on care.

A "Browse all services" link provides the fuller directory if what you need isn't listed on the homepage.

How to use the site to get care

1. Start with your situation, not the department name. The homepage is built around questions like "How can we help?" and prompts such as a sick child or a general health concern.
2. Choose the matching entry point. For non-emergency but urgent issues, look for urgent and primary care options. For general questions or navigation, use Ask Fraser or virtual care contact options.
3. Book where booking is offered. Lab services appointments are explicitly bookable through the site; other services may route you to a phone line or web chat instead.
4. Use "Browse all services" if your need isn't covered by the homepage shortcuts.

The expected result at each step is either a direct booking, a contact channel, or a page explaining your care options — not a single universal intake form.

What else the site shows

Beyond service access, fraserhealth.ca carries organizational news and events. A current example is the opening of an upgraded MRI suite at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, described as improving patient experience and expanding access to care. The events section lists things like a dietitian careers virtual open house and suicide prevention education (QPR) sessions, which are aimed at staff recruitment and public education rather than patient intake.

When Fraser Health is the right place to look

Fraser Health is relevant if you need hospital or community health services within its region, want to book a lab appointment, need mental health or maternity care information, or want to give feedback through the patient experience survey. If you are outside the Burnaby-to-Boston-Bar area, a different B.C. health authority will typically be your point of contact. For anything life-threatening, the site's care-options guidance points toward emergency care rather than the navigation tools described here.

Fraser Health provides several services you can start accessing directly from its website, including booking a lab services appointment, finding mental health resources, learning about home and community care, connecting with an Indigenous Health Liaison, and getting your drugs checked. The right entry point depends on what you need: use the online booking path for lab work, the resource pages for mental health and maternity options, and the contact options (phone or web chat) when you need help navigating care. Fraser Health serves more than two million people from Burnaby to Boston Bar, so confirm that your location falls within the region before proceeding.

Start With the Service You Need

The homepage groups common tasks under a "How can we help?" section. Each item is a direct entry point rather than a general information page.

If you are unsure which applies to you, "Ask Fraser" is described as a digital health care navigator, and Fraser Health also offers phone and web chat contact through Fraser Health Virtual Care.

Booking a Lab Services Appointment

1. Go to the "Book a lab services appointment" link from the homepage services list.
2. Follow the booking flow to select a location and time. The site does not publish the full menu structure, so treat the booking page itself as the source of truth for available sites and hours.
3. Expect a confirmation of your appointment details once the booking is submitted.

If you cannot find a suitable slot or your situation is urgent, use the "Get care now" path or contact the team by phone or web chat instead of waiting on the booking system.

Finding Mental Health Resources

The "Find mental health resources" entry point leads to Fraser Health's mental health and substance use information. This is a resource-finding path, not a crisis line by itself — if you need immediate help, use the "Get care now" option or contact emergency services.

Fraser Health also runs related education events. For example, a Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) suicide prevention education session is listed as an upcoming event, described as learning about suicide intervention and prevention. These sessions are open learning opportunities rather than a substitute for clinical care.

Home and Community Care, Maternity, and Indigenous Health Liaison

• Home and community care: The "Learn about home and community care" link covers options for care delivered outside hospitals. Use it to understand what is available before contacting a care team.
• Maternity care: "Learn about options for maternity care" outlines choices for pregnancy and birth. Availability of specific options depends on your location within the region.
• Indigenous Health Liaison: This connects Indigenous patients to a dedicated liaison. It is a culturally specific support pathway, separate from general navigation.
• Drug checking: "Get your drugs checked" provides access to drug checking services, relevant if you want to know what is in a substance before use.

When You Are Not Sure Where to Go

Two homepage prompts handle uncertainty:

• "Sick kid? Know where to go for care." — guidance for deciding between urgent care, primary care, and emergency.
• "Health concern? Get care now." — a starting point for active health concerns.

Fraser Health also operates urgent and primary care centres, such as the South Surrey Urgent and Primary Care Centre, which the site notes is open. These centres are an option when you need care that is not an emergency but cannot wait for a routine appointment.

Verifying You Are in the Right Region

Fraser Health covers Burnaby to Boston Bar. If you live outside that area, the services and booking links on fraserhealth.ca may not apply to you. The site lists locations you can browse to confirm coverage.

Common Sticking Points

• Assuming everything is bookable online. Lab appointments have a booking path, but many other services route through phone or web chat rather than self-serve scheduling.
• Using a resource page for an urgent problem. Mental health resource pages are for finding ongoing support; for immediate concerns, use "Get care now."
• Skipping the navigator. If the service list does not match your situation, "Ask Fraser" or Fraser Health Virtual Care by phone or web chat is the intended fallback.
• Missing location limits. Not every service is available at every site; check the specific service page for where it is offered.