Participant, Shared Care Maternity Community of Practice Inaugural Engagement Event

Volunteer Opportunity
The Shared Care Committee (a partnership between Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health) is supporting the development of a Maternity Community of Practice – a group of health care providers and other partners who share a common interest in, and concerns about maternity care issues and who work together to address these interests and concerns by interacting on an ongoing basis.

To begin building the Community of Practice, we’re bringing together a group of 30 physicians, other healthcare partners, & patient partners for a five hour interactive virtual engagement session.

We need 4 patient partners to join the engagement session to provide input on maternity care priorities and help set concrete actions to improve the patient & family pregnancy journey (including prenatal and postnatal care, services, & supports) in communities throughout BC. This includes (but is not limited to) addressing access to care, transitions in care, & coordination of care.

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Lead Organization/Department
Shared Care Maternity Community of Practice Steering Committee

Aim
This first of its kind (virtual) event aims to:
• Inspire a common vision for a Maternity Community of Practice;
• Identify and Validate shared priorities in maternity care;
• Lay the foundation for a collective way forward, including strategizing and developing working groups to align with maternity care priorities; and
• Set the tone for broader engagement expanding our reach to more health care providers and partners.

The patient partners will be key to the success of the engagement event by providing unique perspectives as the individuals having received/receiving maternity care, resources, & supports as we strive to improve the pregnancy journey, & overall health and well-being of young & aging women, & their babies.

Share your feedback (during Zoom break out groups) on maternity care priorities and how a Community of Practice can help to improve maternity care . Provide input about a provincial strategy & how it can translate & link to improving maternity care in local communities.

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 patient partners across the province who:
• Have direct experience (within the last 5 years) with prenatal &/or postnatal care, resources, & supports. This includes care, resources, & supports from family physicians, obstetricians, midwives, nurses, educators, & community organizations
• Are comfortable using Zoom to attend a virtual event
• Are comfortable sharing your story in a group environment
• Geographic representation across each health region is also preferred.

Please note that the placement process may include an informal interview.

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 Cassy Mitchell

Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 4
• Date and Time: November 29, 2021 from 8.30am to 1.30pm (with 2 breaks scheduled)
• Location: Online Zoom event
• Commitment: One-time. However, there may be the opportunity of attending further education events and related activities.

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 Cassy Mitchell cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.

Background
The Shared Care Committee, representing a partnership between Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health, has approved the development of and funding for a Maternity-focused Community of Practice.

We’re defining a Community of Practice as a group of providers and other partners who share a common interest in, and concerns about maternity care issues and who work together to address these interests and concerns by interacting on an ongoing basis.

The Shared Care Maternity Community of Practice (CoP), transitioning from and leveraging the Shared Care Maternity Spread Network, will provide an opportunity to support the pregnancy and overall health and well-being of young and aging women, and their babies, as well as address gaps in the system by equipping physicians and their maternity care partners with resources to foster relationships, share knowledge (best practice, successful solutions) and together optimize patient care.

The Shared Care CoP will align and integrate with the provincial Maternity Services Strategy, Patient Medical Homes, and Primary Care Networks and will leverage learnings from the Child & Youth Mental Health & Substance Use CoP.

Shared vision for the Maternity Care Community of Practice:
Maternity care is person-centred, timely & accessible, culturally safe, & seamlessly integrated as a core service of the Patient Medical Home – Primary Care Network.

The Maternity Community of Practice is most directly related to community care & acute care.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cassy Mitchell
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Provincial
250.279.o717
cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca