It's That Time of the Year:
Nominations Are Open for the 2018 Quality Awards!

The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC), which supports PVN, has just launched the 2018 Quality Awards, its annual celebration of people and projects that made health care better in our province. And it’s the second year that the Council will celebrate a patient, caregiver or family member who advanced the patient voice in BC’s health care system.

The Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice award recognizes a nominee who assumed a leadership role and contributed in any number of meaningful ways, including inspiring other patients and health care organizations to collaborate in pursuit of better health care.

Additional categories celebrate projects within the four areas of care, a Leader in Quality, an Everyday Champion, and a Quality Culture Trailblazer. Learn about them here.

Do you think a project that you participated in would make a great nominee? Did you work alongside someone whose contributions to improving quality of care deserve recognition? Send your nominations by June 30!

Award winners will receive a $2,500 sponsorship to support and disseminate learning from their projects or ongoing learning and development, and will be recognized with an awards ceremony at the Council’s Health Talks event in February 2018.

Last year we were thrilled to see PVN Patient Partners as the winner and the runner-up for the Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice category, and we’re looking forward to seeing this year’s champions!

RSVP for an Educational Workshop

The Council regularly offers workshops on different topics related to improving patient safety and quality of care in BC. These events are typically geared towards health care providers, but excellent for all those who want to broaden their skills and knowledge. We’re excited to let you know that we are now sponsoring patient partners to attend them!

The first workshop for which we’ll sponsor two patient partners’ attendance is the Design Sprint, which will explore innovative ways that design thinking and creativity can support change, transformation and problem solving. Participants will learn how to apply numerous tools and techniques to a wide range of contexts. If you’re a patient partner living in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley region and would like to participate, make sure you RSVP for this learning opportunity by May 27.

But if you live in another region, don’t worry: BCPSQC holds workshops throughout the province, so we will soon be offering more opportunities for patient partners to attend. Check out the upcoming workshops.

Results of Engagement Opportunities: A Patient Partner Speaks to an Okanagan College Nursing Class

In 2016, Okanagan College contacted us in search of an experienced caregiver to speak to a health promotion and gerontology class. They wanted to discuss family members who care for older adults, and to identify health promotion strategies and community support for family caregivers. Our patient partner Lois Dalrymple was selected and the students loved hearing about her experience, according to course instructor Dana Susheski:

"So often we get caught up in caring for the client, that the family perspective is not heard. The students really appreciated learning more about the stressors and health promotion strategies Lois uses, and she also talked a lot about community resources and how their home had been modified to meet the needs of her husband over the years."

Read the full blog post.

Let's Grab Coffee & Learn about Storytelling!

Network and learn how to tell your story with impact in this fun interactive session in Surrey, the first of a series of PVN Learning Café events that we’re planning for upcoming months:

Oversight & Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

The third PVN Oversight & Advisory Committee meeting of the year took place on April 25, with an overview of the BC SUPPORT Unit’s work and its partnership with PVN; a review of the development process for our strategic plan and a discussion about its next steps; and a brainstorming of ideas on how the committee could help promote “What Matters to You?” Day.

Take a look at the meeting minutes if you’d like to learn more about what was discussed.

Vancouver Public Library Internet Essential Series

Do you ever feel like you would love to use social media, but it seems too complicated for you to get started? If the answer is yes, here’s a useful tip: Vancouver Public Library launched Internet Essentials, a series of introductory classes for people who would like to learn the basics about social media. Topics include the difference between Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter; staying safe online; changing your privacy settings; and setting up the basics of your accounts.

Classes are free of cost and will take place in May and June in different branches around Vancouver, but you must register ASAP to save your spot, as they fill up quickly! See these and other learning opportunities on our calendar.

And after you take a course, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Questions or Suggestions?

Your feedback is very important to us. What kinds of volunteer opportunities are you interested in? What else would you like to see in our newsletters?

Send us an email, phone 604.668.8240 or 1.877.282.1919, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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