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Happy Holidays from Health Quality BC

What a year it has been for the Patient Voices Network! So many of you have worked hard to find ways to improve the quality of health care in BC. We thank you for your commitment to supporting a health care system that works for all. Health Quality BC wishes you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. We look forward to supporting you in 2024!

From Diagnosis to Action
The Dementia Companion Handbook

In 2008, patient partner Mario Gregario received a life-altering diagnosis of dementia. “Sometimes when people receive a life-changing diagnosis, they become depressed. I looked at it as how can I improve myself and the next generation.”

Determined to help others improve their experience after diagnosis, Mario focused his efforts. “After my diagnosis, there was no hope or cure, that’s how they phrased it. I don’t want my care providers to sugarcoat it, but you can phrase it in a way that gives us hope in how to live our lives into the future.”

Mario’s living experience led to his work with Providence Health Care’s Shared Care Team* to develop a Dementia Companion Handbook. The handbook’s goal is to improve communication between health care teams and patients.

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New Resource Alert
Engagement Opportunity Tracking Form

PVN patient partner Terry Wilde is a busy man. He came to PVN four years ago after experiencing and witnessing a lot of gaps in care and health care harm for his wife. He looked for a way to turn his grief into action.

“I was going to fight but that was not going to heal me. By joining in health care improvement, I have made a greater impact in improving care,” said Terry.

In four years, Terry has over 30 engagement opportunities under his belt. He believes that organization is a critical part of his success.

“Getting involved in more and more opportunities is part of my healing process.” He added, “They kept asking me about my experience, so I created this tracking document to see what I had done.”

Patient Partner Volunteer Opportunities Tracker - Excel
Patient Partner Volunteer Opportunities Tracker - PDF

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The Latest in Patient and Public Engagement

People & Community Partnerships: Building Connections for Health Quality Virtual Event

On December 6, Health Quality BC held a virtual event – People & Community Partnerships: Building Connections for Health Quality. We brought together close to 100 people committed to and interested in advancing the voice of patients, families, caregivers, and communities, to share, learn, and inspire collective action across BC. There were lots of connections made and ideas shared. Our hope is that this is the first of many conversations on the importance of engaging people in health quality.

Taking the Pulse of PVN and How it’s Working for You!

HQBC supports PVN to be a nimble, partnership-focused platform supporting authentic engagement. A “good” experience helps you get to where you want to go. We want you to have everything you need to confidently work together. Through a survey and focus groups, we have been checking to see how things are going. We are planning to share the results of what we heard in the new year.

Introducing the Newest Members of our Health Quality BC Team

Meet Rachel Schmidt (she/her)

Rachel recently joined Health Quality BC from a snowy landscape in the West Kootenays, where she lives with her husband and pups. She brings many years of experience leading and managing health care quality improvement projects, and experience as a mother who had to navigate a complex health care system for her son. 

Rachel loves the outdoors, road trips, concerts under the stars, and teaching contemplative art courses in her spare time. She is excited about the work ahead and looks forward to working alongside patient partners in the North and Interior, which are the regions she will be supporting.

Meet Jace Basilan (they/them)

Jace joined Health Quality BC to provide support in improving quality care in BC. Prior to working with HQBC, they volunteered in various non-profit organizations in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver to expand their experience. In their downtime, Jace enjoys playing adventure video games, attending pop culture conventions, and exploring the city’s food scene. As the new project coordinator, they look forward to supporting the team’s work and success in patient and public engagement.

Questions or Suggestions?

Your feedback is very important to us. 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 and Facebook.
 

PVN is guided by patient and health care partners and administered by:

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