Member, Island Health’s Nanaimo Oceanside Community Health Services Quality Committee

Volunteer Opportunity
Are you interested in improving Community Health Services, Primary Care and Mental Health and Substance Use services in the Nanaimo/Oceanside area? If yes, consider joining our Quality Committee!

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Lead Organization/Department
Island Health, Community Health Services

Aim
This committee is looking to improve service delivery for the Community Health Services in Nanaimo and Oceanside. Our focus is person- and family-centred, evidence-based, safety focused, and sustainable care. Patient Partners will:
• be invited to attend the Quality Committee in Nanaimo/Oceanside
• be asked to give input from a patient perspective on quality improvement initiatives
• be asked to review any data brought forward

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
• Open to patient partners from Nanaimo, Parksville, Oceanside, Qualicum
• Experience receiving care, or having a family member receive care from Community Health Services and/or Oceanside Health Centre.
• Comfortable sharing their health care experiences, and sharing their ideas with a large group of health care partners.
• Comfortable with using Zoom for virtual meetings, and receiving documents by email.
• Please note:
– This opportunity, as with all Island Health patient engagement opportunities, is not open to Island Health staff members or patient partners who are currently employed by Island Health. If you have questions regarding this, please email patient.experience@islandhealth.ca
– The placement process for this opportunity may include an informal interview between the volunteer and the health care partner.
– Applicants must have previously attended a PVN orientation session and completed the Patient Partner Commitments form. If you have not attended an orientation session but you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Charmaine Niebergall directly to see if accommodations may be possible.
– 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 an Island 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/Time: Every second Thursday of the month from 8:30-10:30
• Location: Videoconference (via Zoom)
• Commitment: 1 meeting per month for 12 months with the possibility of renewal

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 Charmaine Niebergall cniebergall@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.

Background
A Quality Committee has been developed with the goal of creating an integrated model with other service providers. More specifically, we will be working with a variety of other programs and services that work and function well together. This Quality committee is made up of patient partners and Island Health Leaders from Community Health, Primary Care, Mental Health, and Urgent Care with the intent of improving client and staff experience. Patient partners are invited to share their experiences as it relates to supporting improvement/quality in community care. Patient partners will receive agendas in advanced of meetings for time to ask any questions or for support. An index of commonly used acronyms has also been developed to help patient partners with health care acronyms.

Lead Organization or Department

Charmaine Niebergall
Engagement Leader, Patient & Public Engagement | Vancouver Island
778.700.2064
cniebergall@bcpsqc.ca