COQUITLAM – The province today unveiled a mobile application, which
allows people to locate a range of health services in British
Columbia using an iPhone, iPad or iPod.
The BC Health Service Locator app lets people find walk-in clinics,
hospitals, emergency rooms, immunization clinics and after-hours
pharmacies nearby. Mobile users can filter the results to view a
particular type of health service, such as walk-in clinics, or view
wheelchair-accessible locations. The keyword search provides the
opportunity to view results in different locations or find a
particular type of health service. Details attached to the
locations include the health service description, hours of
operation, contact information and address.
Users can view the latest health alerts posted on the HealthLinkBC
site from within the app, and have instant access to call 8-1-1 for
non-emergency health information and 7-1-1 for hearing-impaired
assistance. This app is designed for more immediate, non-emergency
medical assistance and information. For immediate emergency help,
always call 9-1-1.
The BC Health Service Locator app was created by HealthLinkBC and
is available only through the iTunes App Store. The Province is
currently working on ways to make this app available to all mobile
platforms.
By using volunteers to help develop the app, the Province minimized
development costs, making the project more affordable, and making
it easier for the provincial government to take the leap into the
world of mobile app development.
The BC Health Services Locator app builds on the Province’s range
of initiatives to make the health system more accessible – such as
calling HealthLinkBC 24/7 at 8-1-1 to access a registered nurse or
dietitian or the new surgical wait times web sites at:
www.health.gov.bc.ca/swt/.
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