Member, Westshore Community Health Center Planning Committee

Community Health Centres (CHCs) are health care organizations that provide primary health care services to advance health equity and well-being for all communities. A CHC for the Westshore is in the planning phase, as part of the overall primary care reform strategy for the region. Their group is seeking one or more community member(s) with an interest in planning equity-oriented primary health care services!

Open to: Patient partners from Western Communities of Victoria (View Royal, Colwood, Langford, Metchosin, Highlands)

Lead Organization or Department

Primary Care

Aim

• To develop a full proposal for the establishment of a CHC in the Westshore by the fall of 2020 (expected to be operational in 2021) • Patient partners will bring the voices of people with lived health care experience to this process by providing input in planning the overall structure of the organization and the services it will deliver

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

• Personal or family experience with health issues and health care system utilization and willingness to lend expertise to planning • Access to a phone or computer with internet connection • Experience working with non-profit organizations is an asset Please note: This opportunity is not open to patient partners who are currently employed by Island Health and may include an informal interview. Patient partners must have previously attended a PVN orientation session and completed the Volunteer Agreement. If you have not attended an orientation session but you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Ashley Clark directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Number of vacancies: 2 • Date/Time: currently meetings are via Zoom every second Thursday at 3:30pm for one hour • Location: Webinar • Commitment: One week to six months

Reimbursement

Meetings are entirely virtual. If meetings take place in person, costs of travel and parking will be reimbursed.

Background

Primary health care services are the services traditionally provided by a family physician or nurse practitioner and their team, which may include professionals such as primary care nurses, social workers, mental health clinicians and other professionals. This initiative is part of the broader planning process for primary care reform in the Westshore. The Western Communities are the most rapidly growing populations in the province and lack of access to primary care is a serious problem. This is especially true for people facing more complex physical and mental health conditions and who have other barriers to accessing health care. The idea for a Community Health Centre came about to discuss this gap. We have involvement in several community non-profit organizations who offer services to marginalized populations, as well as Island Health, the South Island Division of Family Practice and the BC Association of Community Health Centres.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Ashley Clark
Engagement Leader, Patient & Public Engagement | Vancouver Island
250.812.8908
aclark@bcpsqc.ca