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Because your voice matters.

Indigenous Patient Partner, Improving Health Care Quality Focus Group, BC Ministry of Health

Posted • Last updated

Closed

Commitment: One-time

Connection method: Virtual

Open to Provincial Region, Patient partners across BC

Last updated

The 2020 In Plain Sight report (IPS) found widespread racism against Indigenous people, resulting in harm to Indigenous patients and their families. IPS tells government, in collaboration and cooperation with Indigenous peoples in BC, to ensure relevant information regarding Indigenous-specific racism can be shared with patients, Indigenous-specific racism is recorded and made public, and the current environment of secrecy and distrust is ended.

The Ministry is requesting feedback from participants who have experienced harm in the health care system. Patient partner feedback will help inform health care policy and changes to processes that enable quality improvement and help prevent future harm.

Individuals will be invited to participate in a virtual meeting in the fall of 2025. Prior to the meeting, individuals will be contacted by Ministry staff via telephone to discuss the engagement opportunity, confirm suitability and answer questions in advance. Grounded in HQBC’s Culturally Safe Engagement principles, the project team will make every effort to engage in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way, including having an experienced individual help guide the discussions.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of Consult on the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.

Eligibility

  • Willing & comfortable to share health care experiences in a group setting
  • Specific health care experiences [details below]
  • Have access to technology and the internet to participate in the engagement opportunity
  • Comfortable using technology to attend online/virtual meetings
  • An interest in improving health care services
  • - Participants (or their dependents) have experienced harm in the health care system, including physical, cultural (racism and discrimination) and psychological harm. - Knowledge of, or experience with quality review processes is an asset. - There is a potential risk that patient partners may experience emotional distress through reflecting on their care experience or hearing others’ care experiences. With this in mind, we ask that partners only consider participating if they feel it would be safe and comfortable to do so. - It is important to hear the voices of many perspectives in this work. We seek to have an inclusive approach and encourage diverse representation from across the province, including people from different ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds. If comfortable doing so, please indicate if you identify with any of the following groups. This information will be respected and only shared with those involved in the engagement selection process.  Person of colour o Person with disabilities o Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) o Newcomer to Canada o LGBTQIA2S+ o None of the above o Prefer not to answer o Other (can specify in the RSVP)
Patient Partners ARE NOT required to be PVN members to participate in this engagement opportunity.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Katherina Herman Manager, Patient Care Quality | BC Ministry of Health (778) 974-2705 qualitymodernization@gov.bc.ca

From Our Community

Nancy J. Wood

Patient Partner, Sidney

Nancy J. Wood

I was thrilled to discover the Patient Voices Network, where the array of places to be the voice of a patient is vast and incredibly interesting. Besides my ongoing “gig” with the BC Emergency Medicine Network, I have enjoyed being involved in several one-off initiatives. I love working with professionals who genuinely value the perspectives of their patient partners.