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Services

These services are available at BC Cancer – Victoria or Royal Jubilee Hospital.


 

Chemotherapy is a treatment that involves use of chemical agents to stop cancer cells from growing. Chemotherapy can eliminate cancer cells at sites great distances from the original cancer. As a result, chemotherapy is considered a systemic treatment.

 

 

Open 7:30 - 3:30 weekdays, the TeaLC Cafe offers a wide range of beverages, baked goods, light lunches and sandwiches made to order. A bright and relaxed seating area offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy a break. Partial proceeds support Volunteer Services and patient care at BC Cancer – Victoria.

 

 

The Pebbles Gift Shop provides patients and staff with a lovely environment for their daily shopping needs. The gift shop is located on the second floor directly across from the TeaLC Cafe. Volunteers assist customers with their purchases.


 
Interpreter services can be arranged for patients who have difficulty speaking English. It is important for patients to understand what happens and what is said during their visits. 

To help you communicate with your health-care professional, the Provincial Language Service offers an interpreting service 24 hours a day, in over 150 different languages and dialects. Sign language interpreters are also available for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. 

Patients or family members can ask a member of the health-care team to place a request for an interpreter (at no cost). 

Please call 604.297.8400; toll-free 1.877-BC TALKS (1.877.228.2557). For more information on the service please see the Provincial Language Service website. 

We encourage you to bring someone you trust to help you communicate your needs. 

BC Cancer – Victoria's library also has materials available in other languages that help English-as-a-second-language patients better understand their cancer diagnosis and treatment.
 

 

Lab tests are common for most cancer patients, so you will likely visit the lab on a regular basis. The information desk at the main entrance of the Royal Jubilee Hospital can give you directions to the lab located at the RJH. 

 

 
BC Cancer – Victoria has a large welcoming library in the Alex and Jo Campbell Patient and Family Support Centre on the third floor. 

There is a professional librarian available to help patients, their families, members of the community and staff answer their questions and there are volunteers who can help visitors to register, get a borrower's card, and sign out items.

Library Catalogue: search for books, videos, CDs and more.You can request items by clicking on "Add to cart" and then "Borrow." The library lends to residents of BC and the Yukon (free return postage may be available for books). 


Recommended Websites: websites on cancer and health, compiled and evaluated by BC Cancer Librarians and BC Cancer experts.


Also check the main BC Cancer Library page for more help and information.

Patient Information Library

The Patient Information Library at BC Cancer – Victoria is a lending library for public use. Patients, their families, and members of the community can find information about cancer. The Patient Information Library has books, videos, audio CDs, and pamphlets for various ages and languages. 

Items may be signed out for four weeks and can be mailed to out-of-town borrowers. Free return postage may be available for books.


Staff Library

There is a staff library stocked with textbooks and journals. Members of the public are welcome to use these materials in the library, but they are only available for loan to BC Cancer staff members.


Contact:

Phone: 250-519-5517 
Toll-free 1-800-670-3322 ext. 695517 (within British Columbia and Yukon only)

Email: library_vic@bccancer.bc.ca


Hours:

The Library is open weekdays 8 a.m.to 4 p.m., closed on weekends and statutory holidays. 

 

Please refer to the Registered Dietitian section under "Services" for information.


Contact:


Call 250-519-5525.

 

 

Patient & Family Counselling Services provides free, confidential and professional counselling services for patients, family members and support persons on cancer-related issues. Our services include individual, couple, family and group counselling support as well as monthly education workshops, weekly relaxation classes and twice monthly therapeutic touch clinics. 

 

Our counsellors and social workers can help you address diverse issues, including both the practical and emotional challenges of dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment, as a patient, family member or support person.

 

Please refer to the section on Support Programs for a list of programs offered by Patient & Family Counselling.


Contact:

To access Patient & Family Counselling services, call our Program Secretary at 250.519.5525 or toll free at 1-800-670-3322 ext. 695525.

 

 

Located on the third floor of BC Cancer – Victoria is the Alex & Jo Campbell Patient & Family Support Centre.

Built with funding support from the BC Cancer Foundation and the generosity of Vancouver Island residents, BC Cancer – Victoria provides a unique meeting place for patients, family members and other supporters.


This beautiful space includes an extensive Library dedicated to cancer specific publications as well as current information about community resources. Resources for children and teens as well as a small exchange library of recreational reading are other features which may interest you.


A professional librarian, as well as trained peer navigators, will answer your questions and help you find the resources you need.


The Support Centre is also the place to access supportive care programs, including Nutrition, Patient & Family Counselling, and education programs offered by our multi-disciplinary teams. Some programs offered within the Centre on a regular basis include:


  • Weekly Relaxation Classes
  • Therapeutic Touch Clinics
  • Support Centres
  • Individual, couple & family counselling
  • Restorative yoga
  • Chemotherapy education

The Support Centre was created as a place for patients for patients and their supporters to be able to sit quietly, relax or connect informally with others. We invite you to come up to the third floor and take advantage of YOUR Support Centre. Sip some herbal tea, enjoy the fireplace in winter, read, work on your laptop...or make some progress on our ever-changing puzzle.


It's here for you... and it is our hope that you will enjoy and benefit from this space and our services.

 

 

All cancer patients are eligible for consultation services from this clinic.


Typically, those who attend this clinic are having challenges with managing symptoms related to their cancer and/or their cancer treatment. Most often, the symptom of concern is pain, but it may also include severe nausea, shortness of breath or unusual fatigue. This inter-disciplinary team includes physicians who specialize in pain and symptom management for cancer patients. Also included on the clinic team are nurses, pharmacists, 

counsellors, dietitians, other support staff and volunteers.


Referrals can be made by BC Cancer oncologists or other staff, other specialists, family doctors, patients and family members. To make a referral, call during week days to 250.519.5503 or toll-free 1.800.670.3322 local 695503.


The Pain & Symptom/Palliative Care Team currently hold a clinic twice a week on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

 


Location: The pharmacy is located on the 2nd floor of BC Cancer – Victoria across from the 2nd Floor Reception.

Pharmacy hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday

Closed: Weekends and statutory holidays

Phone: 250-519-5510

Toll-free (in BC): 1-800-670-3322 Local 695510

Fax: 250-519-5514

Refills: Phone, mail, or fax your request. Please allow at least 2 business days for processing. 

When to call the pharmacy: If you have refills on your prescription, you can call the pharmacy directly and leave a message requesting your refill.

When to call the doctor’s office: If you have no refills left on your prescription, you will need to contact your oncologist or family doctor’s office for a new prescription. Your doctor can fax the new prescription directly to us. To ensure there is enough time for all the necessary arrangements, please call the doctor’s office at least 2 weeks before you run out of medication.

Picking up your prescription: Bring identification (ID) when picking up prescriptions from the pharmacy. One piece of primary ID (eg. driver’s license, passport, provincial identity card issued by the province of BC, etc) or two pieces of secondary ID (eg. BC Cancer identification card, care card issued by the province of BC, birth certificate, Canadian citizenship card, etc). 

Designating someone to pick up your prescription: When someone else is picking up your medication, he or she must provide your name and a signed letter from you, or one piece of your primary ID or two pieces of your secondary ID.

Labwork: For some treatments, you will need to have labwork done and reviewed before your prescription can be filled. 

Drug Coverage: All BC Cancer approved medications used to actively treat your cancer are provided free of charge at the BC Cancer Pharmacy. Prescriptions for medications for supportive care, such as antinauseants or pain control medications, must be taken to and paid for at a community pharmacy.  For more information, see Drug Funding 

Inpatient services: BC Cancer – Vancouver only
 

 
We invite you, as a prostate cancer patient or partner of a prostate cancer patient, to join the Victoria Prostate Cancer Supportive Care (PCSC) Program, located at BC Cancer – Victoria. The PCSC Program was initiated in 2013 at the Vancouver Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital.

This is a comprehensive survivorship program for men with prostate cancer, their partners and families from the time of diagnosis onwards, which provides support with treatment decision making, rehabilitation needs post-treatment and lifestyle management. 

We offer 6 modules of care that both you and your partner can participate in:

Introduction to Prostate Cancer and Primary Treatment Options

A 2-hour group information session for men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, which is jointly presented by a urologist and a radiation oncologist. Diagnosis, treatment options, side effects and side effect management strategies are discussed. 

Managing the Impact of Prostate Cancer Treatments on Sexual Function & Intimacy 
A 1.5-hour group information session that focuses on sexual side effects of prostate cancer treatments and sexual rehabilitation. 

Lifestyle Management 
A healthy lifestyle has been shown to    improve the quality of life for men with prostate cancer. We hold two regular group information sessions:
  • Diet and Prostate Program: Education and Recommendations (DAPPER)
  • Exercise for Prostate Cancer Patients
We also provide exercise evaluations by a certified exercise physiologist, and work together with the Island Prostate Centre in order to refer patients and partners to the available community exercise programs.

Recognition & Management of Treatment-Related Side Effects of Androgen Deprivation Therapy
A 1.5 hour information session for men with prostate cancer, starting or currently on hormone therapy, and their partners.  A Registered Nurse will discuss potential side effects and strategies to mitigate them.

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy for Urinary Incontinence
A 1.5-hour group information session that is suitable for patients both pre and post  prostate cancer treatment to understand what can be done to reduce the effects of surgery and radiation therapy on urinary function. 

Counselling Services
Between 35-45% of all cancer patients will experience significant anxiety or depression at some point along their cancer journey. We are working together with BC Cancer to increase counselling services in the future. For further information please contact the program coordinator.

All information sessions are offered monthly at the BC Cancer – Victoria.

Please contact the PCSC Program Coordinator to register for the PCSC Program and find out more information:
Tel: 250-519-5500 ext. 693709
 

 

Psychiatry is a key component of care at BC Cancer, providing clinical psychiatric services for cancer patients. Psychiatrists are medical specialists trained in the diagnosis and management of mental illness. Psychiatrists at BC Cancer have a special interest and expertise in working with cancer patients and their illness experience, assisting them with psychological issues, symptom management, treatment crisis and rehabilitation issues. They work as part of a multidisciplinary psychosocial cancer care team collaborating closely with Patient and Family Counselling Services. 


Referral for a consultation must be made by an oncologist, other specialist or a family physician.

 

 

Please refer to Radiation Therapy for information.

 

 

There are a number of professionally facilitated support groups offered on a monthly basis for cancer patients and/or their family members. These groups change, based on patient needs. 

 

Currently, we are offering monthly support groups for the following: 

 

  • Lung
  • Brain Tumour
  • Women with Metastatic Disease
  • Ovarian & Advanced Gynecological Cancers
  • Partners of Patients with Incurable or Metastatic Cancer

Education groups are also offered on a monthly basis. Topics and format vary and are based on patient and family member needs. 

 

Currently, we are offering educational sessions throughout the year on the following:

 

  • Tools to Relax & Improve Sleep
  • Brain Strength:  Coping with Cognitive Challenges
  • Fear of Recurrence
  • Grief & Depression
  • Cancer Transitions™ – Post-treatment Wellness Program
  • Managing Pain:  Non-Pharmacological Approaches
  • Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
  • Speaking of Cancer:  Strategies for Difficult Conversations
  • Memory Attention & Adaptation Techniques (MAAT)
  • Children's Art Program

Please refer to Support Programs for specific times and dates of programs.

 
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