The CHANGE Program
The CHANGE Program was created by leading health professionals to provide family medicine clinics with the tools they need to offer effective, lasting lifestyle programs to patients with metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes.
Why CHANGE?
- your quality of life matters; the risk of stroke, heart disease or Type 2 Diabetes is rising in our communities.
- the CHANGE program works; your family doctor engages a dietitian, an exercise specialist, and other allied healthcare professionals to ensure you receive specialized expertise.
It’s hard to make choices from all of the health options you are presented with. Your Family Health Team can guide you on which options might work best for you. This 6 minute video provides an overview of the CHANGE program.
CHANGE in the Pacific Northwest
We started the CHANGE Program in 2018, in partnership with local Family Physicians, Metabolic Syndrome Canada, UBC Kinesiology, UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, UBC Faculty of Dentistry, Northern Health, Nisga’a Valley Health Authority, the Doctors of BC, the FPSC, Shared Care, Indigenous Health Directors & Elders, as well as other stakeholders and partners, the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice and its communities are leading the way in British Columbia as the very first site to deliver the CHANGE Program, an evidence-based, innovative primary care lifestyle support for patients.
The CHANGE Program is currently offered in Terrace, Houston, and the Nisga’a Valley communities for patients most at risk.
Weight-Inclusive Approaches to Health
At CHANGE BC, we recognize that health and well-being are influenced by many factors beyond body size. A weight-inclusive approach focuses on creating supportive environments, reducing weight stigma, and promoting healthy behaviours for people of all sizes. We invite you to explore this Northern Health resource to learn more about fostering respectful, inclusive, and evidence-informed approaches to health.
Learn more: Northern Health – Weight-Inclusive Approaches to Public Health
Bringing Exercise into Primary Care
Physical activity is one of the most effective tools for preventing and managing chronic disease, yet many patients face barriers to accessing personalized exercise support. Through the CHANGE BC program, the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice has successfully integrated Clinical Exercise Physiologists into rural primary care, helping patients improve their health while strengthening team-based care. Explore this storyboard to learn how this innovative model was developed, implemented, and sustained across the Pacific Northwest of British Columbia—and the lessons that can help shape the future of rural healthcare.
Driving Health Improvements Through the Health Data Coalition
As the Health Data Coalition (HDC) Lead Facilitator for the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice, I am dedicated to helping physicians and teams harness the power of data to improve patient care and health outcomes for patients enrolled in the CHANGE program. Through the HDC Discover app, I support practices in tracking meaningful changes in areas like metabolic health, while also building a broader understanding of trends across our communities, region, and province.
I believe that when we use data effectively, we can advocate for better care, identify where support is needed most, and demonstrate the real impact programs like CHANGE BC have on people’s lives. My role is to make this data accessible and actionable so that together, we can drive improvements that matter – for individual patients, for practices, and for the health of our communities as a whole.
