Member, Kootenay Boundary Shared Care Steering Committee – Regional Cancer Care Project

The Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice/Shared Care needs patient partners to attend a series of strategic meetings to provide input on cancer care services in our region. We know that high-quality cancer care takes a village and having people or family members with direct experience contribute to this conversation is an essential ingredient to improving the system.

Open to: Patient partners in the Kootenay Boundary area

Lead Organization or Department

Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice

Aim

1. Support the development of a regional team-based cancer care approach, with a particular focus on improved communication processes and coordination between cancer care providers across Kootenay Boundary (KB). 2. Understand and map current patient flow and pathways, to determine when patients interface with local cancer care teams and when/how referrals are made. 3. Understand and document the roles and responsibilities across cancer care providers to help ensure that care needs are addressed and timely decisions are made. 4. Increase understanding of wait times from the patient’s perspective and identify opportunities to improve the patient experience.Patient partners will be asked to share their journey through the health care system in KB, including both excellence in care and barriers encountered. Patients will also be asked to weigh in on how system changes may have impacted their care or the care of others.

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

• Experience at the Kootenay Lake Hospital, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital or Boundary District Hospital
• Experience working in large groups
• Comfort telling your story
• This work is expected to continue over a year

Logistics

• Vacancies: 2-3
• Bi-monthly regional meetings over a period of 12-14 months, and one patient journey mapping workshop. First meeting to take place end of February, early March

Reimbursement

Travel expenses will be covered within 4-5 weeks.

Background

For the last several months, the Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice/Shared Care and Interior Health have facilitated conversations between physicians, cancer care teams and other partners like BC Cancer Agency to better understand system challenges. We now need to better understand the challenges patients face when accessing cancer care services in KB so that all efforts made to improve the system are focused on reducing barriers for patients. Terms of Reference to be developed once the Steering Committee is formed.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Carol Stathers
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Okanagan, Interior Region
778.516.3308
cstathers@bcpsqc.ca