Fraser Health social-prescribing team receives $1.3M boost
Published 10:30 am Thursday, March 19, 2026
The concept of ‘social prescriptions’ – prescriptions for wellness – has been gaining traction in recent years, and new funding will see a Fraser Health team help it advance provincewide.
Dr. Grace Park and Margaret Lin are co-leads of one of two Fraser Health teams chosen for Michael Smith Health Research BC awards supporting research aimed at strengthening care for older adults living at home.
With the funds – $1.3 million – Park and Lin “will collaborate with B.C. universities, other health authorities and community partners to evaluate the impact of social prescribing on older adults and the health system, and strengthen partnerships between the health system and community partners,” a March 13 news release states.
Last August, Park – a White Rock physician and regional medical director for home and community care in Fraser Health – described the health authority as a pioneer of social prescribing in Canada, “because we have been able to implement it in a systemic manner throughout the region.”
First launched in 2019 in partnership with the United Way, the phenomenon involves providing prescriptions for “wellness” rather than illness, to connect seniors to community resources for exercise, socialization and improved nutrition while they are still independent.
Family physicians and nurse practitioners identify seniors who could benefit, then the prescribing physician connects them to a seniors’ community connector – such as Brella Community Services in South Surrey – to work with them on a wellness prescription. Just like a typical prescription, the dosage and amount is tailored to the individual’s needs.
Park’s August comments accompanied news of two Michael Smith Health Research BC development grants totalling $125,000 received at that time to – in partnership with United Way, Simon Fraser University and UBC – “develop a framework for evaluating and expanding social prescribing even further.”
“If future grant applications are successful, we will be able to support other health authorities to implement social prescribing in their regions as well,” she said.
There are currently 21 community connectors and more than 3,000 people connected in the Fraser Health region alone, the latest release notes, adding that worldwide, more than 30 countries have joined the movement.
“In Fraser Health, we’ve been able to build a bridge between the health system and the community,” said Lin, who is also regional project lead.
“It’s a beautiful thing because every health authority’s program will look a little different to best support their communities, and we will be able to share our learnings to support social prescribing across B.C.”
Fraser Health’s director of evaluation and research services Kate Keetch said evolution of the initiative – along with that of the health authority’s Indigenous Caregiver Support Model, which also received new funding – “is a testament to the passion and dedication of the research teams, and an example of how research truly is care.”
The grants are among five awarded by Health Research BC, which is investing a total of $6.3 million over three years through its Advancing the Use of Evidence in Seniors’ Home and Community Care Program, to support research teams “to bring proven seniors’ care approaches into everyday care settings and evaluate their impacts,” according to information at healthresearchbc.ca
“This investment … creates a unique opportunity to learn not only what works, but why it works and how it can be adapted across diverse care settings,” Dr. Geoff Payne, Health Research BC president and CEO, explains in a post on the website.
“This will ensure research evidence is implemented to address a critical provincial priority.”