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Because your voice matters.

Interviewee, Primary Care Network Planning for the South Peace Interview

Posted • Last updated

Closed

Commitment: Short-term

Connection method: Virtual

Open to Northern Region, patient partners from Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge

Last updated

Volunteer Opportunity
Are you part of a vulnerable population in the Chetwynd, Dawson Creek or Tumbler Ridge area? We want to hear from you about the unique health needs of your community to ensure the primary health care services provided in the South Peace region are meeting your distinctive needs!

RSVP Now

Lead Organization/Department
Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice

Aim
The aim of the South Peace Primary Care Network Steering Committee is to hear the personal stories, experiences and perspectives of diverse patient partners to inform and drive the direction of primary health services in this area.

Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of consult on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will listen to and acknowledge your ideas and concerns, and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.

Eligibility
• Utilize health care services in Chetwynd, Dawson Creek or Tumbler Ridge
• Identify as a vulnerable population (e.g. is a senior, has a physical or intellectual disability, is from the LGBTQ+ community, is a newcomer/immigrant)
• Please note:
– The placement process for this opportunity may include an informal interview between the volunteer and the health care partner.
• 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
• As required by the October 14, 2021 Public Health Order released by the Provincial Health Officer, proof of vaccination is required to access any in-person meetings at a Northern Health site. Proof of vaccination can be provided by way of a Vaccination Passport or Vaccination card, along with government issued photo ID. For patient partnership activities that are virtual only (via Zoom, video conference, phone, etc.), proof of vaccination is not required.

Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Date and Time: 45 minute Interviews – During business hours (8am-5pm MST, or 9am-4pm PST)
• Location: Teleconference or Zoom
• Commitment: One Time
• Questions will be provided in advance. The patient partner will be asked to answer several questions about topics such as attachment to a doctor, access to primary health care services, and cultural safety/cultural humility to help inform this work. Patient Partner answers will be kept anonymous for the purposes of reporting back to the Committee.

Reimbursement
No out of pocket expenses are anticipated for this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria, but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Cathy Almost at calmost@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation

Background
The goal of conducting this patient engagement is to better understand patient needs in the South Peace region so the South Peace Primary Care Network Steering Committee can take this information into consideration when planning next steps with primary care planning and establishing a Divisions-like structure for the South Peace Physicians.

The South Peace Primary Care Network Steering Committee (comprised of physicians, health authorities, First Nations health directors, and local government representatives) is exploring the primary health care needs of the diverse populations of the South Peace. The Committee would like to understand the assets, gaps and barriers for those accessing/trying to access primary health care services. To do this they are conducting focus groups and interviews with a range of organizations and individuals -in particular, they are keen to gain perspectives from patients that have diverse backgrounds and needs (e.g. First Nations, seniors, those with a disability, LGBTQ+ individuals and newcomers/immigrants).

This opportunity is associated with a project to further primary health care initiatives for the South Peace communities of Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek, West Moberly First Nations, Saulteau First Nations and Kelly Lake Cree Nation. There have been ten focus groups that have been undertaken with physicians, allied health professionals, Northern Health, First Nations communities, First Nations Health Authority, local government, industry, and social agencies. It is the intent of the project leads to honour lived experiences voices of diverse health care needs with these one-on-one interviews. The questions asked may bring up difficult feelings towards health care if they trigger memory of a traumatic event, but our team will let the patient guide the conversation and he/she can decline to answer any question that makes them feel uncomfortable. We will also send the questions in advance so that patient partners know exactly what they are getting into with the interview. The care setting is relevant for anything primary care-related which could include acute care, community care, and residential care.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cathy Almost
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern Region
250-615-9932
calmost@bcpsqc.ca

From Our Community

Laura Parmar

Physician Quality Improvement Coach — Northern Health

Laura Palmer

It has been so rewarding to go from an idea to working with such a great group of dedicated people from so many different organizations towards a very fun and rewarding project. Several extremely engaged PVN members expressed interest in being part of piloting a patient virtual care peer support system. I am confident that this is the beginning of many more exciting collaborations!