Posted • Last updated
Closed
Commitment: Long-term
Connection methods: Virtual, In-person
Open to Provincial Region
Last updated
Volunteer Opportunity
You are invited to join a group of individuals from rural, remote and Indigenous communities to share your experience and perspective on topics relating to health care in British Columbia.
Lead Organization/Department
BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC)
Aim
The group consists of rural, remote and Indigenous citizens (including 5 PVN patient partners) whose perspectives will help guide the work of the provincial Rural and First Nations Partnership Table on specific topics, along with additional focus areas identified by the group. Priorities for discussion will include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Co-creating culturally safe and humble primary care
• Designing, planning for and implementing Team-based Care
• Increasing citizen and community involvement in health care transformation processes
• Improving access and transitions for patients in rural, remote and Indigenous communities
Level of Engagement:
This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.
Eligibility
Open to patient partners across the province who:
• Reside in a rural, remote or Indigenous community in BC
• Have a passion for improving health services in BC
• Have an interest in providing individual and community perspectives on rural, remote and Indigenous health issues
An effort will be made to have representation from all geographic regions of the province and ensure a variety of perspectives and experiences are represented, inclusive of race, ethnicity, age, ability, language, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender identity, religion and sexual orientation
Please note: As connection and relationship building is important to the Council, we would like to meet with short listed patient partners as part of our selection process.
If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Patient Partner Commitments, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Cassy Mitchell.
Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Date and Time: minimum of four times per year virtual and in-person. Adjustments to this expectation will be determined by circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Commitment: one year
Reimbursement
Pre-approved travel and accommodation expenses will be covered for face to face meetings, as per the BCPSQC reimbursement policy.
Background
Charles Boelen authored a paper for the World Health Organization in 2000 around the partnership Pentagon/Pentagram. This has subsequently become the foundational model, accepted by all medical schools in Canada as a framework for socially accountable health education. We have adapted this by adding a 6th partner to use this framework for socially accountable health system change. The partners involved in this work include:
Citizens: The people of BC at a provincial level that would include a coalescence of groups looking at supporting health in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. From an equity perspective we need to ensure Indigenous representation.
Health Administrators: In our context Health Authorities, both geographic and First Nations Health Authority /self-governing Nations.
Policy Makers: Ministry of Health initially but one can quickly see the potential for other ministry involvement.
Academia: Educators and learners.
Providers: The perspective of those providing health care services.
The 6th group we have added to this model is:
Linked sectors: this includes industry who has a vested interest in the health of the people working for them and the impact of their work on health, as well as nonprofits working in areas related to the social determinants of health e.g. environment, housing etc.
All of the above groups meet individually and then representatives from each group connect together.
The Citizens group has been meeting since 2020 and these positions will be replacing two patient partners who recently completed their terms. Following the recruitment of two new members, a full onboarding will be provided.
As part of the citizen’s group you can expect a casual environment with structured conversation covering the following four topics:
• Co-creating culturally safe and humble primary care
• Designing, planning for and implementing Team-Based Care
• Increasing citizen and community involvement in health care transformation processes
• Improving access and transitions for patients in rural, remote and Indigenous communitie
