Hospital at Home project launched in Lower Mainland

VANCOUVER, BC: BC government has launched a Hospital at Home (HaH) program in several hospitals in Vancouver to offer patients convenient, safe and timely acute-level care from the comfort of their own home. HaH is an internationally recognized model that is both safe and effective, and is designed to improve patient comfort, privacy and independence. The teams include doctors, registered nurses, pharmacists, occupational and physiotherapists, and speech-language pathologists, among others. Other specialists may be provided as needed so care is tailored to a patient’s individual needs. Eligible patients at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), UBC Hospital (UBCH), St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) and Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (MSJH) can choose to receive acute care in their own home rather than the hospital, if deemed safe and appropriate.
The program is open to qualifying patients at VGH, UBCH, SPH and MSJH who have a diagnosis, such as (but not limited to) sepsis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or dehydration.
Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said, “Piloted in the Island Health’s hospitals, the Hospital at Home program has had remarkably successful results. As our government is committed to strengthening people’s access to high-quality health services, the launch of this program in the Lower Mainland will help improve care at Vancouver hospitals.”
Since March 2024, the Hospital at Home program has supported as many as 18 patients at a time in Vancouver. Qualifying patients must be medically and geographically appropriate for the program and participation is voluntary. While in the HaH program, patients have a virtual call bell and phone number to connect with their care team 24/7. If patients no longer want to participate in the program or their condition changes, the health authority will co-ordinate their transfer back to the hospital.
The multidisciplinary teams of health-care professionals make daily visits to patients at their own homes. Patients receive one visit a day from the HaH nurses, who are also available to patients 24/7 for consultation and check-ins. Other members of the HaH team are also available to provide virtual visits.
Care teams provide services, including medication management, blood draws, IV therapy and supplemental oxygen. Transfers to hospital can be arranged for services provided only in hospital.