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We’d like to give a warm second welcome to health care partner Kate McNamee, who is now the permanent Leader for Care Experience at Providence Health Care. In this blog piece, we say goodbye to Sara and connect with Kate to hear more about the role, as well as the organization’s partnership with PVN.
If you’ve been a part of patient engagement opportunities at Providence Health Care in the past year, it’s very likely you’ve encountered Kate McNamee. With her fun-loving personality and clear passion for her work, Kate is hard to miss! Since 2016, Kate has been working as the Care Experience Leader, supporting the organization in implementing person- and family-centred care practices and partnering closely with PVN. It’s recently been announced that Kate, who originally joined the team as a maternity leave replacement, has officially taken over the role permanently! Sara Charlton, who held the position prior to Kate, will be moving on to a new role at Providence Health Care. We thank her for all of her incredible work and wish her all the best in her new position!
In her new role, Kate will work to further patient engagement, ensuring that patients, caregivers and family members are seen as partners on the care team. While the scope of the position can be challenging, Kate is excited about working with PVN to build on the organization’s many strengths and continue to embed person- and family-centred care into Providence Health Care. “I would not be able to do what I do without the help and support of the Patient Voices Network,” says Kate. “Working with our Engagement Leader is fundamental to connecting patients and family members with our various engagement opportunities. Through PVN, I have been able to really get to know our patient and family partners and develop really good relationships.”
Moving forward, Kate hopes to build on this fantastic working relationship and continue advancing the patient voice, noting that patient and family involvement needs to be integrated into health care discussions from the beginning stages. “I’m excited for the future,” she says. “I love the team and I love the work we do. I hope at Providence Health Care we don’t move forward with any project, improvement plan, or idea without ensuring patients and families have a say from the beginning. Patient engagement should be weaved into the tapestry of how we operate in health care.”
We couldn’t agree more. Give a warm welcome to Kate!
