Palliative ‘Live Well’ & Roadmap to Practice

The Shared Care Palliative Care team, chaired by Dr. Lilli Kerby, launched the Live Well campaign to equip practitioners and patients with tools to reduce stress, enhance quality of life, and ensure care remains rooted in dignity, connection, and quality for those facing a life-limiting diagnosis

Access resources at kblivewell.ca >

Dr. Sue Benzer and KB Division’s community ambassador, Bronwyn Murray, published Roadmap to Practice in Kootenay Boundary, a key resource for practitioners exploring permanent or locum opportunities in the region.

Know someone considering KB? Share the guide >

KB Episodic Care Clinic Launched!

Prima Health, with support from the PCN and KB Division, launched kbaccess.ca in late January—the new Kootenay Boundary-wide episodic care clinic for patients without a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Chaired by Dr. Shelina Musaji, the KBAccess team designed an innovative model that efficiently rosters over a dozen part-time physicians, distributing the workload while ensuring accessible care. In just its first few weeks, the clinic has already delivered over 400 patient encounters.

Learn more at kbaccess.ca >

Lower Columbia CHC Breaks Ground

Progress continues on expanding Community Health Centres (CHC) in the Kootenay Boundary region, with Prima Health, the KB Division, and the Lower Columbia Community Health Centre Network team leading the charge. In Trail, the Lower Columbia CHC has secured a permanent home downtown, with doors set to open in Spring 2025. 

With advocacy from our local MLA and support from KB Division, Prima Health remains committed to advancing these initiatives—ensuring better access to team-based, community-led healthcare across the region.

Read all about the Lower Columbia CHC 'breaking ground' here >

Empowering the Citizen Patient Series & New Patient Pathways for Surgery in KB

The full Empowering the Citizen Patient education series is now available at KBPACC.ca, offering valuable resources to help patients take charge of their health. From optimizing appointments to managing medications and handling first aid at home, these practical, easy-to-access articles provide essential guidance for patients.

Meanwhile, the KBPACC patient education team has introduced the 'Patient Pathways: Surgery' brochure, a step-by-step guide to support patients through their surgical journey. Additionally, a new online community forum will soon launch, creating a space for patients to connect, share experiences, and support one another—both emotionally and logistically—throughout their healthcare journey.

Download the Patient Pathways: Surgery in KB brochure or order copies for your clinic here >

Pillar 1: Connect with Colleagues

There will be plenty of down time as always at KB Division's AGM - come, let your hair down and take time to connect with colleagues. November 7, 2024!

Open to all KB Division members - look out for the email invite or contact us!

Pillar 2: Great eats

Fresh, home made food from scratch - friendly, traditional pub fair right on the columbia river in Robson! November 7, 2024

Open to all KB Division members - look out for the email invite or contact us!

Pillar 3: 12 Glorious Craft Taps, One Glorious Place

Come and try a sampler from the Lion's Head's fantastic rotating taps featuring beer from 15 different breweries across BC. November 7, 2024

Open to all KB Division members - look out for the email invite or contact us!

Pillar 4: KB Division LIVE

Get the scoop on KB Division initiatives and get live feedback on any questions you have! November 7 , 2024

Open to all KB Division members - look out for the email invite or contact us!

Two important updates aimed at supporting patients without a primary care provider.

1. KBScreen.ca has launched, providing virtual cancer screening for colon, breast, cervical, and lung cancers. This service is specifically for patients who don't currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Patients can access these screenings directly through KBScreen.ca.
    
2. A new campaign in partnership with Interior Health is being launched this month guide patients seeking a family practitioner. The campaign emphasizes two key steps:
   1. Register with the Health Connect Registry at kbhcr.ca, the fastest way for patients to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
       
   2. Explore other available healthcare resources, such as the 'See Your Pharmacist' program, MSP-covered virtual care, and screening services. These resources help patients navigate the system and access care while waiting for a primary provider. Digital list and printable PDF of resources available here!

To assist clinics, we have posters and cards available to hand out to patients who come in seeking a family doctor. Please reach out for these materials to support your patients effectively.

Want posters and cards for your clinic? > Email Us!

KB Episodic Care Clinic Gathering Steam!

KBs new episodic care clinic (clinic name to be decided) has made further strides over the summer with more than 25 practitioners expressing interest in taking shifts at the clinic. KB Division continues to push forward with this initiative.

The clinic promises to include a full-time MOA, nurse practitioner, part-time clinic manager, and rotating physicians. This team-based model ensures seamless care while maintaining a balanced workload for all involved.

Beaver Valley Clinic Operations Transitioning to Prima Health

On October 1, 2024, the Beaver Valley Medical Clinic will transition from private operations to operations under Prima Health. 

This shift is designed to reduce the administrative burden on practitioners, allowing them to focus more on patient care, while supporting long-term clinic sustainability through improved recruitment.

All current services—primary care, lab services, allied health, and nursing—will remain unchanged. Although patients will not see visible changes, the clinic’s operational structure will shift, with Prima Health providing ongoing support. Clinic staff will transition to become employees of Prima Health, with physicians contracted through Prima.

Three More Empowering the Citizen Patient Articles

The seventh, eight and ninth Empowering the Citizen Patient articles have been published, including "Benefits of Early Screening", "First Aid for Home and Play", and "Learning about your health conditions". Articles are available to read, download and print and share with patients at kbpacc.ca

Specialist Referral Guides!

Kootenay Boundary specialist referral guides are back in the news following the peer to peer practitioners lounge in May. Guides have been developed for OBGYN, internal medicine/heart function clinic, ophthalmology, urology, radiology and the Kootenay surgery clinic.

Access on Pathways >

Provincial Attachment Portal MOA Webinar!

In mid-April, Health Link BC introduced enhancements to the HCR including the ability for providers (or their delegates) to receive patients for attachment directly into their Provincial Attachment System portal. An MOA webinar to support them in using the Provincial Attachment System (PAS) portal is being held on June 19.

Register for the June 19, 12-1pm session

Episodic Care Clinic Takes Next Step

For many months, KB Division has been supporting KB practitioners in establishing a new episodic care clinic for unattached patients. We are excited to announce that on May 22, 2024 the advisory committee for the new episodic care clinic approved proceeding to the next stage in the process, with the aim to have the clinic operational by year’s end.

The episodic care clinic will have a mixture of virtual and in-person appointments for unattached patients with urgent or semi-urgent health care needs. The idea is to have a nurse practitioner dedicated to the clinic and spread other appointments across many family doctors throughout the region.

Being Proactive to Maintain Your Health, and Selkirk RPM Support Shout-Out

The sixth Empowering the Citizen Patient article - Being Proactive to Maintain Your Health - launched in mid-May with media coverage across the Kootenay Boundary. Articles are available to read, download and print online at kbpacc.ca.

And a shout-out to KBRH and KLH medical staff for their continued support of scholarships for Selkirk Rural Pre-Med students. $6,000 was raised again this year to support students pursuing a career in medicine.

A New Way to Connect with Colleagues!

In April, we launched a new WhatsApp channel for the KB Family Physician and Nurse Practitioner community! There are two groups: (1) Fun, and (2) Work ... pick one, or pick both!

Contact Rose Hoher at rhoher@kbdivision.ca to join colleagues on WhatsApp!

The Latest News on our Kootenay Boundary Primary Care Network

If you're looking for the latest news on our Kootenay Boundary Primary Care Network, visit the PCN Dashboard — a website for members of the PCN including providers, PCN staff, MOAs, clinic managers, and other PCN partners. Updates this month include:

• New group education available for patient referral: (1) Diabetes, and (2) Advance Care Planning
• Cultural Safety Talking Circles
• Updates on new practitioners to the region
• ...and more!

Click/tap here to visit the KB PCN Dashboard

Prima Health Explores Supports for KB Primary Care Clinics

In April, the Prima Health team met with practitioners across multiple communities to further explore how Prima Health could support primary care clinics in their areas. Across all communities, practitioners felt that there is a strong need to continue to explore new clinic models that could include Prima operation to reduce administrative burdens, or community partnerships with respect to real estate. There is support for continuing to explore these models, and further discussions will continue throughout the spring to plan next steps.

Click/tap to check out Prima Health's mandate & work to date

Community Connections in Trail, and a New Article to Empower the Citizen Patient!

The fifth Empowering the Citizen Patient article launched in mid-April with media coverage across the Kootenay Boundary, and the KB Patient Advisory Committee & Community (PACC) took part in Trail's "Community Connect Fair" in late-April.

Click/tap to read the latest article "Taking a Closer Look at Supporting Our Psychological Well-being" ... and share it with your patients!

Peer to Peer After Hours Lounge at the Josie!

Practitioners are invited to the Peer to Peer After Hours Lounge on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 at the Josie Hotel, for an evening dedicated to fostering camaraderie and collaboration amongst family physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, and specialist physicians. 

Look out for the invitation to your inbox!

Download the New “Nursing Roles in the PCN Cheat Sheet”

The PCN team has introduced a new "Nursing Roles in the PCN Cheat Sheet" - a great resource to learn how diverse clinic teams are integrating nurses into KB practices.

Dr. Tobias Gelber said "You start to share work and recognize this is helping my day a lot, and helping my patients a lot. And it just grows from there." Dr. Andrée-Anne Cromp added "Our patients - especially the ones with chronic illnesses - feel more empowered because they have access to more education."

Download the role of nursing in the PCN cheat sheet here

Update on Meeting with MLA Katrine Conroy, Mayors, and CAOs

In March, the Prima Health team met with Minister of Finance Katrine Conroy and MLAs Brittny Anderson and Roly Russell, alongside mayors and municipal Chief Administrative Officers to inform, educate and inspire them to support the initiative to introduce 6 regional clinics in Kootenay Boundary.

Watch the video explaining the importance of Prima Health's regional service plan

New Community Organization Partner and Psychological Well-being Article

Alongside long standing relationships with the KB Patient Advisory Committee & Community (PACC) and the KB Aboriginal Services Collaborative (KBASC), our PCN is widening this advisory circle to include the Kootenay Boundary Community Services Co-operative (“thekoop”), a regional umbrella organization that has 19 Kootenay Boundary social services agencies as its members.

Plus, don't miss this month's Empowering the Citizen Patient feature article: "Taking a Closer Look at Supporting Our Psychological Well-being".

Click/Tap here to read the latest article!

The 'Welcome Gurney' is Coming Soon!

KB Division's new Community Ambassador, Bronwyn Murray, is working on an online resource for new practitioners and their clinics, including daily clinical resources and tips for new practitioners as well as tried and tested recruitment, onboarding and retention resources for clinics. Kootenay Boundary's "Welcome Gurney" will be launching soon.

Look out for the email!

Care4All Primary Care Simulator

KB Division’s PCN team has developed the Care4All Primary Care simulator. The simulator puts participants on a desert island with limited health care resources and funding … and one objective: enable everyone who wants primary care on the island to get it.

In the next few months, the PCN team will be inviting practitioners to join in community-focused events to try the simulator together.

Invite coming soon to your inbox!

The Prima Vision

In mid-March the Prima Health team is meeting with Physicians, Mayors, community reps, and chief administrative officers (CAOs) to get their support in promoting the Prima vision to provincial leaders. Focusing on the need for a provincial approach that tackles 5 key elements:

1. Capital Investment
2. Enhanced Team-Based Care
3. Operational Investment
4. Community Participation
5. Networked Clinics

Download the 1 pager and learn more about the Prima Vision!

Two More Articles to Empower the Citizen Patient!

More great news from KB's Patient Advisory Committee and Community - they've now raised 12,000 in grants to support patient education, engagement and empowerment through 2024.

And the PACCs Empowering the citizen patient campaign contiues to gather steam with over 1,000 visitors to the campaign site since it launched and the 3rd and 4th articles being promoted in newspapers across the region in the last month. This months articles include caregiving and caregiver resources, and getting the most out of medical appointments.

Click/Tap here to read the latest articles!

Recruitment and Retention Community Ambassador!

We're thrilled to announce that KB Division's new Community Ambassador role is in-da-house! Bronwyn Murray offers KB region-wide personalized support for physicians and nurse practitioners new to Kootenay Boundary. Whether it's children's programs in Rossland, recreational facilities in Trail, or winter driving lessons in Nelson, Bronwyn is here to help practitioners land (and stay) in our KB communities.

Have a new Locum, resident or permanent provider and need a hand orienting them to your community? Click/Tap here to contact Bronwyn!

And Our Recruitment and Retention Toolkit Coming Soon!

*New* PCN Direct Booking Cheat Sheet 

Check out this handy resource with tips & tricks on how to implement direct booking with PNC team members in your clinic.

Depending on the discipline and the skills and experience of the individual clinician, many issues can be assessed and/or treated by a PCN team member without requiring an initial visit or formal referral from the primary care provider.

Click/Tap here to learn more about direct booking with PCN staff.

Community-Led Clinics Work

The Future of Clinics one-page 'Value Propositions' graphic helps you answer the question ... Is the community-led clinic approach a fit for your practice? 

How will community led clinics impact patients, practitioners, clinical teams and communities? And how do we mitigate the risks?

Click/Tap Here to explore the community-led clinic approach

$7K Grants Success, and Taking the Reins on Medications

Exciting news - the Patient Advisory Committee and Community (or KBPACC) has won $7,000 in grants in the last few months and continues with their 'Empowering the Citizen Patient' campaign.

This month's article features top-tips for taking the reins on medications. Tell your patients!

Click/Tap here to read Dr. Smith's top tips for 'Taking the Reins on Medications'

Practitioner to Practitioner (P2P) Dinners!

Got a topic you’d like to discuss over a delicious meal with colleagues? 

Introducing a 'Clinic Supports' initiative giving KB Division members (you!) the opportunity to connect with colleagues on topics that affect your lives as practitioners.

Get your request in soon, funding is limited, and only available until March 31, 2024 for this pilot program.

Click/Tap Here to Suggest a P2P Dinner

HHR 5-year Projection. PC SIM Coming...

Our Division has conducted extensive research into practitioner supply and demand for the entire interior region. The results are in, according to our Health and Human Resources' 5-year Projection, the shortfall of longitudinal and sub-specialty practitioners in the Kootenay Boundary is expected to grow by approximately 60% in the next five years.

In response to this pressing issue, our Division has developed the Primary Care Simulator, or PC SIM. This innovative, interactive, web-based tool enables practitioners and community stakeholders to experiment with different models of care and efficiency levers within our healthcare system. The aim is to try and use the limited resources available to achieve full attachment. Practitioners will get an opportunity to work with the simulator at various events in the next few months.

In the meantime, please review HHR 5-year projection, and don't hesitate to contact kbdoctors@kbdivision.ca if you have any questions.

Community-Led Clinics Work

With widespread support from practitioners, a multi community proposal for a phased roll-out of community-led clinics in Kootenaby Boundary was submitted to the Ministry of Health in November 2023. A not-for-profit organization - Prima Health - has been set up to provide the backbone infrastructure for these community-led clinics. 

Kootenay Boundary stakeholders involved in the application, including local governments, community organizations, private clinics, members, and IH, are now engaged in discussions with multiple organizations, including the Ministry of Health to move this initiative to the next phase of the proposal ... with the hope of launching Kootenay Boundary's first community led clinic in 2024.

Click/Tap Here to review the short summary of the status of our community-led clinics work.

Empowering the Citizen Patient

KB's Patient Advisory Committee and Community (kbpacc.ca) has launched a new 'Empowering the Citizen Patient' campaign offering practical tips, and helping everyone in our region participate more effectively in their health care at all levels.

The series of articles has media support and will roll out across the region. Upcoming topics include handling medications, caregiving and caregiver supports, preparing for and getting the most from appointments, and mental health supports. Visit kbpacc.ca for info.

Please email kbdoctors@kbdivision.ca with the #1 topic you'd like your patients to read about and we will pass it on to the PACC for consideration!