NewsFlash

See You at our Forum :  Nov 30-Dec 1

‘Integrated Systems of Care in our Rural Communities’  is an opportunity for our physician leaders and members, our operations team, along with other rural divisions, health authority and other partners to collectively consider the Ministry’s strategic agenda, and share how we are moving this process forward in and across our rural communities.  If you are interested and have not received an invitation to register for this event, please contact Diana Hardie at dhardie@divisionsbc.ca 

Evolving our Division’s Governance

Our Division is in the process of reshaping our governance to be compliant with the new Societies Act and to better support our organization.  Thank you to the three long-standing board members who were approved at our fall AGM to continue: Rebecca Lindley, Board Chair; David Butcher, Treasurer; and David Whittaker.  Meanwhile, physicians across our Division are invited to step forward and contribute to a number of important committees including a Board Development (which will nominate additional Board members) and a Finance Committee.  For more information, please contact Rebecca Lindley rebecca@wildmedic.org or Kathy Copeman, Executive Director, kcopeman@divisionsbc.ca 

Out and About in the Community

Blazing a Trail Around Team-Based Care in Pemberton

In this VCH article, Erica Vanzanten, Nurse Practitioner, shares what it’s like to be one of the key members of the interprofessional team -- fully supported by the physician community – responsible for delivering primary care in Pemberton and outreach clinics to surrounding Indigenous communities. Read more.

Clearwater Trauma Informed Workshop Attracts 73 Service Providers

The purpose of the three-day event was to create trauma informed community schools to address the underlying causes that impede young people thriving and achieving success. Fifty-six of the 73 service providers were teachers, school counsellors, and administrators with many at the elementary level.  The workshops were led by Dr. Linda O’Neill who is a practicing counsellor, a certified trauma specialist, and counsellor educator at UNBC. Coordinator. “Participants got a lot out of the workshop and will be able to build on what they learned with the upcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences Summit in Vancouver in November,” shared Margot Venema, Project Lead.

L to R: Marie Giesbrecht - Co-Chair, Margot Venema – Project Lead, Dr. John Soles – Physician Lead, Ivan Reygadas – Co-Chair, Linda O’Neill – Presenter

Feature Physician: Dr. William Ho

There’s a new physician in town and he’s both hard-at-work and hard-at-play. 

Dr. William Ho started practicing in Pemberton at the beginning of 2017.  Prior to his arrival, he was practicing in Australia in a variety of locations including regional and remote areas. This was undertaken whilst serving as a Medical Officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

William and his wife, Sarah, are outdoor enthusiasts and moved to BC for the snowy winters but found themselves equally in love with the gorgeous summers. 

In the winter months, it’s all about skiing, and in the summer months, you’ll find William on his mountain bike, hiking or camping – generally trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

When asked about rural practice, he is enjoying the connection to community and seeing the community flourish from a grassroots perspective.  He’s especially loving his ‘lack-of’ commute and the variety of patient presentations that walk through his office doors.

At the chapter level, William is involved in implementing the Patient Medical Home model in Pemberton by looking at how patients are currently being served, networks that are already set up, and where improvements are needed to increase and improve the current model of patient care.  

For physicians considering rural and remote practice, William promises, “There is life beyond city limits…and it’s not all as isolated or as scary as you are imagining!” Take the leap. You’ll be in good company.

Update on Patient Medical Home Proposal

Based on input from our chapters and in alignment with the R&R’s key theme of ‘Strengthening Comprehensive Rural Health Services’, the Division intends to strengthen the Rural Patient Medical Home in each of its communities through two main strategies:

• Supporting our newer communities through an assessment and planning process that builds on the strengths of each community, while ensuring partnerships are in place to support the team-based improvements.
• Implementing community-specific interdisciplinary team-based initiatives that focus on addressing unique service delivery gaps related primarily to adults with complex medical conditions and/or frailty.

Our goal is for interdisciplinary team-based care to be supported by structures and processes that enable collaboration across all organizations and disciplines, while continuing to engage the patient voice, and ensure cultural safety and acceptability in care delivery.

We plan to achieve this by enabling and supporting unique interdisciplinary team-based innovations led by and rooted in strong, community-based primary care teams that have the potential to be spread to other rural and remote communities. 

Our work will continue at the grassroots, community level, and build momentum and collaboration with and through local, regional, and provincial relationships.

Through locally focused and unique implementations we will support needed change and inform the requirements/enablers for spreading this change in other rural communities.

Pending proposal approval, we are expecting to begin this work before the end of 2017.