What are the BC HealthFiles?

The BC HealthFiles are a series of easy-to-understand fact sheets about a wide range of public and environmental health and safety issues.

BC HealthFiles provide information about many childhood and adult diseases; childhood immunizations; environmental health hazards; problems with pests; maintaining septic systems; infant dental care; childhood vision problems and how to protect yourself from communicable diseases. They also give advice to travellers on precautions to take while abroad, safety tips around swimming pools, how to avoid food poisoning, and many other topics.

In addition to being accessible on this Web site in both HTML and Adobe PDF formats, the BC HealthFiles are distributed through the province's health units/departments and various offices (i.e. employee health and wellness services, native health centres and physicians offices/clinics). The BC HealthFiles provide both alphabetical and category cross-indices, making it easy to locate and use specific BC HealthFiles as needed.

How are BC HealthFiles produced?

The management and development of the BC HealthFiles program is coordinated by the BC NurseLine. New BC HealthFiles can be produced quickly, in response to a newly emerging health issue, and distributed through a province-wide network of established channels to a broad audience.

The BC HealthFiles are regularly updated. They are also highly cost-effective, since they are only printed in quantities required by specific offices for their immediate individual needs, thereby avoiding the problem of overprinting and the subsequent stockpiling of outdated materials.

To receive email updates on the BC HealthFiles program, see the E-mail Subscription Service.

Last Revised: June 11, 2008