Posted • Last updated
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Commitment: Long-term
Connection method: Virtual
Open to Fraser – Vancouver Coastal
Last updated
Volunteer Opportunity
Vancouver Coastal Health is leading a provincial Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Advanced Practice (AP) to support the provision of ACT across BC. If you are a family or patient partner interested in building capacity among service providers and providing input on provincial standards this is the opportunity for you!
Lead Organization/Department
Vancouver Coastal Health
Aim
• To create a provincial network of ACT service providers and leaders by creating capacity-building opportunities (e.g., education and training), building Communities of Practice (CoP), and engaging ACT service providers from various disciplines in the development and refinement of tools that will support the provision of ACT.
• PFAC members will provide input on those activities that impact the most important partners in our project – patients and families. While we will consult the committee on specific initiatives, we aim to involve the committee in other initiatives they may highlight are of particular interest (e.g., curriculum development, website content, family experience surveys, etc).
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
Open to volunteers from across the province who are:
• Patients and families from ACT Teams.
• Comfortable working in a group and sharing experiences.
If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Patient Partner Commitment, are unsure if your experience is a good fit, please contact Jami Brown directly.
There will be an informal conversation about the opportunity. The goal is to find the best fit for all involved.
Logistics
• Target number of committee members: 12
• Date/Time: Start in January 2023. Date to be determined with patient partners.
• Commitment: 5-hour meetings every two months, with some ad hoc as needed. Possibility of opportunities to provide feedback in between emails. One year, with the opportunity for renewal.
• Location: Virtual via Zoom.
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 Jami Brown- jbrown@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.
Background
To maintain relevance, the ACT service-delivery model must continue to evolve to service changing populations and treatment amidst a modern mental health and substance use context. This can be recognized through the addition of interventions to address changes in psychosocial contexts as well as improving clinician’s abilities and competencies of new practices.
By engaging patients and families as partners it is our hope that initiatives across the project will have a direct line to an engaged committee for consultation that will impact the most important ACT partners, patients and families, while we will consult the committee on specific initiatives, we aim to involve the committee in other initiatives they may highlight are of particular interest. For example, we are currently developing “ACT 101” curriculum for all service providers on an ACT team and, will be launching a public facing website next month. The purpose of creating this committee is ultimately to ensure that the provincial ACT- Advanced Practice holds more relevance and validity across the population ACT serves.
