Co-Chair, Centre for Mental Health & Addiction – Partnerships in Care Committee

Improving the care of people with severe mental health and addictions is vital to a healthy British Columbia. BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services is transforming the way they support people with lived experience, and their family members, across British Columbia. The Partnerships in Care Committee is seeking a patient partner to co-chair the group in creating, implementing, and evaluating of services directed at BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services.

Open to: Patient partners across the province

Lead Organization or Department

BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Aim

The Partners in Care Committee aims to enable a joint partnership between patients, families, and healthcare staff across key disciplines. The committee exists to create positive, safe, equitable, trauma-informed and culturally safe services, programs, interactions and environments at BCMHSUS' adult mental health and substance use services.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility

Please note, interviews will be completed for this position Sept 25 - Oct 1 • Must have experience in leadership roles (can be formal or informal, e.g. leading meetings, leading teams) • Must have lived or living experience of concurrent mental health and substance use disorders (as a patient or family member) • Preferred to have experience receiving services from Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, Heartwood Centre for Women (HCW), and/or Coast Mental Health Rehabilitation and Recovery • Must have strong interpersonal skills and strong verbal and written communication skills • Preferred to have some skills in group facilitation (e.g. leading meetings) • If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Volunteer Agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Cathy Almost

Logistics

• Vacancies: 1 • Date and Time: Every 2nd Thursday of the month from 9:30-11:00am (subject to change on a case by case basis) • Location: Teleconference or in-person at Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (3405 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby, BC) • Commitment: one year

Reimbursement

If driving in the Burnaby area parking and mileage will be reimbursed within two weeks based upon BCMHSUS policy. If attending via teleconference or video conference no expenses are anticipated.

Background

Partners in Care is a collaboration between patients, families and staff at three facilities:

1. Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addictions (BCMHA): BCMHSUS tertiary care facility for people 19+ across BC with severe and complex concurrent disorders.
2. Heartwood Centre for Women (HCW): BCMHSUS tertiary care facility for self-identified women 19+ across BC who struggle with severe and complex substance use challenges.
3. Coast Mental Health Rehabilitation and Recovery (Coast R&R): Program contracted by BCMHSUS that provides care to former BCMHA and HCW clients who require longer treatment in order to solidify their recovery in preparation for community living.

The Staff Co-Chair is Ayesha Sackey, Clinical Services Manager at BCMHA. Other members of the committee include patients, families, staff at BCMHA, HCW, Coast R&R, and BCMHSUS more broadly. Purpose of engagement: Partners in Care is seeking a patient partner to co-chair the committee, alongside a healthcare partner, so that the committee is facilitated and led in true collaboration. Working in partnership with the Staff Co-Chair, the Patient Partner Co-Chair will be responsible for:

• Duties shared with the Staff Co-Chair, including but not limited to: Managing and leading Partnerships in Care meetings, ensuring dialogue is open, honest, respectful, accessible and inclusive; Developing the agenda, identifying opportunities for engagement and determining the level of engagement most appropriate for each topic; Designing activities to elicit meaningful input from the committee.
• Duties led by the Client/Family Co-Chair, including but not limited to: Advising on how clients and families will be recruited onto the committee; Working with staff, providing support and orientation to new clients and families; Representing the client/family voice at BCMHSUS events (e.g. new staff orientation).

Terms-of-Reference

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cathy Almost
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern Region
250.615.9932
calmost@bcpsqc.ca