B.C. Becomes First Province To Sign Individual Health Deal With Feds, Worth $1.2 Billion

British Columbia has become the first province to sign on to the federal government’s nearly $200-billion health accord.

This investment includes $25 billion for tailored bilateral agreements with provinces and the feds announced yesterday that British Columbia will be seeing more than $1.2 billion over the next three years.

That includes $325 million per year in new funding and a continuing $82 million per year in previously announced mental health and substance use funding, aimed at helping to accelerate efforts already underway to improve health care access and services.

BC’s plan includes developing an innovative model of care at 83 acute care sites throughout the province so nurses can spend more time with patients.

By introducing additional recruitment and retention initiatives, patients across the province should have improved access to team-based family health care, including to family doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners, ultimately helping to reduce diagnostic and treatment backlogs.

The plan also supports efforts led by the First Nations Health Authority to increase the number of individuals and communities with access to culturally safer, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate healing and treatment services, and mental health and substance use care.

British Columbia says it will also improve how health information is collected, shared, used and reported to Canadians.

Recognizing the significant disparities in Indigenous health outcomes, both levels of government say they are committed to ‘’meaningfully engage and work together with Indigenous partners to support improved access to quality and culturally appropriate health care services.

All levels of government will approach health decisions in their respective jurisdictions through a lens that promotes respect and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.’’

For more information, visit Government of Canada.