Two Fraser Health programs have received a combined $2.6 million in new funding from Health Research BC. Both are rooted in the Fraser Valley: one supports Indigenous elders in Chilliwack, while the other builds on a social prescribing program that has already connected thousands of seniors to care across the region.

Social prescribing takes an unconventional approach to health care. Rather than treating medical conditions alone, it connects seniors with community workers who link them to social programs, physical activity, and other non-clinical supports. The idea is that loneliness, housing stress, and isolation are health issues too — they just don't always come up in a doctor's office.

"Social health is a huge part of health, especially for older and more vulnerable people," says Dr. Grace Park, one of the project's co-leads. "When seniors meet with a community connector through social prescribing, different concerns come up, such as fear of becoming homeless because of rising rent costs, issues that have a huge impact on their lives but don't usually surface when talking to a physician."

The program launched as a pilot with United Way in 2019 and has since grown significantly, connecting more than 3,000 people to services through 21 community connectors in the Fraser Health region alone. Social prescribing is now active in more than 30 countries. With $1.3 million in new funding, the team will collaborate with BC universities, other health authorities, and community partners to evaluate the program's impact and expand it province-wide.

The second program, the Indigenous Caregiver Support Model, receives another $1.3 million to expand its home-based care for Indigenous elders in Chilliwack. Launched in 2023 and co-designed with the Stó:lō Service Agency, First Nations Health Authority, and Métis Nation BC, the program has supported 33 elders and their caregivers in the Eastern Fraser Valley so far. Caregivers receive skills training and a financial honorarium to help offset the cost of caregiving, while elders receive regular home visits from Indigenous-led clinical teams.

"This model is an example of what is possible when care is built on relationships, trust and community," says Amanda LaBoucane, interim vice-president of Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety at Fraser Health. Many elders in the Chilliwack area have experienced the lasting impacts of residential schools and the child welfare system, she noted, and the program aims to rebuild trust through culturally safe, community-driven care.