Cardiovascular disease (heart disease, blood vessel disease and stroke) is still the number one cause of death for Canadians, and research shows that rates of cardiovascular disease will go up over the next 20 years as more people develop age-related risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Cardiac Services BC

Research has shown that British Columbians have inequitable access to services for diagnosing and treating heart disease, depending upon where they live. The PHSA has created Cardiac Services BC to address this issue. It is responsible for planning, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating and, in some cases, funding cardiac services across the province in collaboration with senior administrators and physicians in the other health authorities. A centrally planned and coordinated approach to cardiac services - medical, surgical and diagnostic - will guide the province in defining both the scope of services offered and the expectations of service.

The goal of the program is to improve the way cardiac services are managed and accessed throughout the province. Recognizing that a coordinated approach that includes prevention as well as diagnosis and treatment is necessary to deal with cardiovascular disease, Cardiac Services BC is also be developing a provincial database on the burden of cardiovascular disease that will be used for planning with the health authorities and Ministry of Health.

More information on the cardiovascular health of British Columbians and how Cardiac Services BC fulfills its mandate can be found in the Cardiac Services BC Annual Report 2010.


Cardiac Services BC
700-1380 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H3
Phone 604.875.7305
E-mail: dmccauley@phsa.ca