Partnerships for Better Health

Fall brings a new season and the opportunity for renewal. In this edition, two Patient Voices Network (PVN) patient partners are showing the way to how we can strive towards better health in BC. We continue to bring you stories that matter in patient and public engagement across BC and are looking forward to a busy fall.

If you have something to share, please submit your idea!

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Provincial Grant to Enhance Family Councils’ Voice in BC

Residents living in long-term care and their families deserve to have input into decisions which affect their daily lives. Residents, who are able, advocate for themselves via Resident Councils. Family Councils advocate on behalf of their loved ones, the resident community at large and family caregivers as part of the care team.

In June 2023, the Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC (ILTCCABC) announced a grant had been received of $300,000 from the Ministry of Health. This will help enhance the voice of long-term care residents and better promote independent resident and family council structures in all long-term care homes across BC.

Lisa Dawson, PVN Patient Partner, VP/Secretary of ILTCCABC and Chair of the Vancouver Coastal Association of Family Councils, says the grant will help support and advance the voice of family councils at various levels.

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Share Your Work at Quality Forum 2024 (QF24): Submit Your Abstracts

This is your chance to share your project or idea with people who are passionate about improving health care!

Year after year, Health Quality BC looks forward to highlighting all the excellent work taking place across the health system at the Quality Forum. QF24 is accepting abstracts for rapid fire presentations, storyboard presentations, and storyboards during the main Forum programming taking place on April 24 and 25.

In 300 words or fewer, tell us about any topic related to health quality – across any of the Dimensions of Quality or Areas of Care. We want to learn from you on how you’re improving the health of patients, families and communities, fostering a high-quality health system, or creating better environments for those who work within it.

Full submission guidelines, including a submission checklist, more information on presentation formats, additional submission requirements and the scoring criteria for each abstract category, can be found on the HQBC website.

Deadline is Friday, October 6, 2023

Submit Your Abstract

New Resource Alert!

People learn in different ways. Some like a written resource, while others are happy to listen to learn. Health Quality BC is committed to building resources and tools that help you be better prepared and confident to work together. Our latest resource, A Guide to Authentic Patient Engagement – Video Series is a companion to the Guide. It’s designed to meet you where you are in your planning, at a time that’s convenient for you.

The video series is easy to navigate.

Video Series

Prevention is on your plate

PVN patient partner Patrick O’Connor is passionate about prevention. He has partnered with the Canadian Heart Function (CHF) Alliance Network – through their Patient-Focused Newsletter – to share his lived experience and how prevention has changed his life and could change yours!

My name is Pat O’Connor and I am writing this to save lives. In 2007 at age 55, I had a quadruple bypass followed by three stents in 2009. I passed the stress test before the surgery and before the stents. I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, macular degeneration, and psoriasis. After the stents, I had angina for three years requiring a nitro patch, nitro spray, and two naps a day; morning and afternoon. I knew I was going downhill fast and had to do something different. My quality of life was suffering.

A nursing friend who had worked in the office of the head of cardiology at UBC gave me a copy of the documentary, Forks Over Knives. The film and book were based on the China Study sponsored by Oxford University, Cornell University, and the Chinese government which found that chronic diseases are strongly correlated with animal consumption. The more animals consumed, the more chronic disease. The less animals consumed, the better your health. Of course, this is different for each person’s unique lifestyle, so any diet changes should be talked through with a healthcare provider.

Read more of Pat’s story and plea for a preventative approach to heart disease on page 7 of the August edition of Empower: Empowering Patient Objectives with Engagement in Research, The Canadian Heart Function Alliance Network Patient-Focused Newsletter.

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Consultation on Safe Long-Term Care

Did you know more than 200,000 older adults and persons living with a disability reside in long-term care homes throughout Canada? Did you also know you have an opportunity to help ensure long-term care residents get the care they deserve?

The federal government is conducting a public online consultation to inform the development of a Safe Long-Term Care Act. Learn more about how to participate here.

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Upcoming Events

• Patient Partner Orientation | September 20 | 6:00 – 7:00 PM | Register
• Patient Partner Orientation | October 11 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Register