Vancouver Coastal Health opening Lily’s Community Health Centre

VANCOUVER Coastal Health (VCH) announced on Tuesday that it is opening Lily’s Community Health Centre – the largest Community Health Centre in Vancouver. Located at 38 West Hastings Street, the new 50,000 square foot health-care space will support community members in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and surrounding neighbourhoods. Lily’s Community Health Centre will begin welcoming clients throughout March.

“It’s clear that so much thought and care went into the design of Lily’s Community Health Centre,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This beautiful new space brings essential health-care services together under one roof, making it easier for people to receive connected, team-based care for a wide range of needs. We’re deeply grateful to the partners who worked so hard to make this centre a reality, and to ensure that people in the Downtown Eastside can access the care they deserve, no matter how complex their needs may be.”

This new Community Health Centre, that is funded and operated by VCH, will consolidate programs and services from the Pender and Heatley Community Health Centres, along with some services from the Robert and Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre, including primary care, Intensive Case Management, home health and home support, adult mental health and substance use care as well as an eye clinic. Co-locating these services promotes interconnected team-based care at one site, resulting in enhanced coordination and convenience for clients.

“Lily’s Community Health Centre brings together programs and services that will improve the health-care experience for clients living in the Downtown Eastside,” said Vivian Eliopoulos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health. “We are grateful for the support of many key partners – including Host Nations, staff and medical staff, clients, community organizations, as well as generous donors – for helping us support healing and well-being within the communities we serve.” 

Lily’s Community Health Centre is designed to promote client-centred care. Supporting existing programs and services, the new space is accessible, has an expanded ambulatory care area, and has rooms for health education programming. Standardized layouts allow for future flexibility in care delivery, while spacious rooms, wide hallways and large windows provide abundant natural light as well as workflow efficiencies for staff and medical staff.

“We’re excited to welcome clients from Pender and Heatley to Lily’s Community Health Centre,” said David Cawley, Mental Health Nurse at Lily’s Community Health Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health. “This new space is more centrally located, larger, brighter and more modern. By bringing complementary services together in one place, it allows our team to collaborate more closely and provide more cohesive and convenient person-centred care.” 

To support the delivery of culturally safe care, VCH collaborated with the Host Nations – xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) – to create a calming, healing environment in the new space. The site features colourful mural installations by Squamish Nation artist Sinàmkin – Jody Broomfield as well as dedicated respite and smudging rooms. Programs and services at this location will operate under the name Groundspring, which refers to the groundwater and springs that made up the False Creek mudflats in the area.

Lily’s Community Health Centre is supported by generous donations to VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation. VCH extended its sincere gratitude to The 625 Powell Street Foundation, Peterson and the Lee Family, for their generous philanthropic support of this project. The site is named in recognition of philanthropist Lily Lee, who worked as a nurse in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside.

“Lily’s Community Health Centre is a powerful example of how philanthropy supports care beyond hospital walls,” said Angela Chapman, President and CEO, VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, we are taking another step towards that goal — helping bring high-quality care to our community members where and when they need it most.” 

Lily’s Community Health Centre occupies the first two floors of the building. The housing portion, Bob and Michael’s Place, located at 32 West Hastings Street, opened in June 2024 and provides 231 below market homes.

Stephanie Higginson, Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Care Access, said: “For people in the Downtown Eastside, accessing care for complex needs can be a challenge, especially if services are spread out across several different clinics and centres. Lily’s Community Health Centre will ensure that people can get the services they need in one consolidated location, removing barriers to care and providing a streamlined, coordinated experience for patients.”

George Chow, Parliamentary Secretary for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown, said: “With the opening of Lily’s Community Health Centre, people living in the Downtown Eastside can now better access health care that supports their needs alongside housing that is affordable and community oriented. I’m excited to see people in the community receiving support and I’m grateful for the effort our government and partners have done to ensure people are able to live full and healthy lives.”

Terry Yung, MLA for Vancouver-Yaletown, said: “Lily’s Community Health Centre represents more than a new building – it’s an investment in the strength and resiliency of the Downtown Eastside. As the MLA for Vancouver-Yaletown, I’m proud to see this centre open in the heart of our community. During my time as Board Chair of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., I was a strong advocate for this project because I saw firsthand how critical community-based care is. By bringing integrated health, mental health and substance use services together in one accessible location, we’re reducing barriers, building trust and creating lasting connections to care. This centre will support healthier individuals, stronger families and a more resilient community for years to come.”