Currents
December 2013
Island Health’s newsletter for staff, physicians and volunteers
Happy Holidays from Dr. Brendan Carr, President and CEO
A
s the holiday season approaches, I want to take
this opportunity to wish you, your families and
loved ones near and far, a safe and happy holiday
season. No matter what your faith, I hope you take time
to celebrate and give thanks for the blessings that we
share as residents of Vancouver Island and the
surrounding Islands and communities.
This time of year is a time to reflect and renew. As
Island Health moves forward, we will reflect upon the
hard work that has brought us to where we are today
and we will renew our focus on our people, our
communities and how we achieve excellence.
I encourage each of you to take time over the holidays
for personal reflection and renewal, and to focus on
your emotional, physical and spiritual health. If our goal
is to improve the health of the communities we serve,
then I believe we must make a commitment to our
personal well-being in order to be at our best every day
and to be role models for healthy living.
On behalf of our Executive Leadership Team, thank you
for your efforts over this past year. The work done in
every corner of our organization is important and your
care and commitment are valued. Each of you is a key
part of a team that is positively impacting the lives of
thousands of people. I am excited about what I know
we will accomplish together in 2014 and I look forward
to the years ahead as we chart our course together with
a view to improving the lives of the people we have the
privilege to serve.
From my wife Caroline and our family, I wish each of
you, your families and loved ones a restful and relaxing
holiday season.
Inside this issue
Postcards from the northern shores
2
Students award RJH Psychiatric Day Hospital team for
fostering a supportive learning environment
4
Dr. Tom Rimmer honoured as BC’s family physician
of the year
5
Showing we C•A•R•E by living our values
6
Become an Agent of Change with the United Way
7
A sweet reward for surviving construction disruptions
at Campbell River Hospital
8
Victoria Hospital Foundation’s gala fundraiser supports
Visions for healthier communities
9
A patient’s perspective on influenza immunizations
9
Special inserts: IHealth and Accreditation updates
10
Brendan
Currents—December 2013
1
A journey of discovery: Michelle Morfitt (far left)
and fellow classmates huddle together on the
eight hour boat ride from Rivers Inlet to
Da’naxda’xw.
Postcards from the northern shores
M
ichele Morfitt, an Aboriginal
Recruitment and Retention
Advisor along with her fellow
classmates set out on a 4-hour boat
ride from Port Hardy to Rivers Inlet
last June, the first leg of a week-long
visit to two remote First Nations
communities near the northern tip
of Vancouver Island.
Part of a “Health and Wellness in
Aboriginal Communities” course
offered by North Island College
(NIC), this course offers students the
opportunity to experience firsthand
what it’s like to live in a remote First
Nations community and connect
with the families who live there.
Currents—December 2013
The first three days were spent in
Rivers Inlet where students stayed
with host families. “We toured sacred
sites and the old village ruins, shared
meals and spent time at the Big House
learning about their traditions and
culture. We also participated in a
community celebration that included
food, dancing and singing,” said
Michele. “With only about 60 people
living in Wuikinuxv Village, we really
felt like we were part of the
community.”
During the day participants attended
teachings provided by Dr. Evelyn
Voyageur PhD, Elder in residence for
nursing at NIC and her brother, Paul
James Willie, a former biochemistry
teacher, treaty manager and health
director for the Wuikinuxv Nation.
Both Elders shared their Nation’s
history of traditional spiritual
practices while weaving in the
science that supports the practices.
Students also toured the local
health centre and met with the
nurse stationed in Rivers Inlet.
As a Cree woman, Michele
acknowledges there are many
shared cultural foundations among
the Aboriginal people of Canada.
Nevertheless, each Nation has its
own distinct language, history and
traditions and there is truly no
2
substitute for getting to know people face-to-face and sharing
experiences on a deep and personal level. “Learning about a people
through on-line training, such as PHSA’s cultural competency course,
is a good start but it needs to be extended into actual experience
and participation for the learning to take hold,” notes Michele.
On day four, students thanked their host families and set out on an 8
-hour boat ride to the Da’naxda’xw Nation. There they were invited
to attend a 300-person potlatch at the Big House. Families from
Rivers Inlet, Kingcome, Alert Bay and Vancouver Island First Nations
gathered to witness a pole raising ceremony, a coming of age
ceremony and other ceremonies over the two-day celebration.
Watching from the shore as ‘Namgis Chief Bill Cranmer arrived by
boat to the beat of drums and songs was an unforgettable moment –
highlighting the richness of traditions that, not long ago, Nations
were forbidden to express and were often jailed for doing so.
This course is open to anyone wishing to enhance his or her
understanding and practice of working in partnership with Aboriginal
people and communities. For more information, visit the NIC
website or contact [email protected].
From the Big House in Wuikinuxv Village, Dr.
Evelyn Voyageur discusses the Sacred Circle of
Life, which connects all living things to the cycles
of the earth, seasons and passing of generations—
everything and everyone is connected.
Bear Facts:

Is traffic slowing down
your daily commute?
Try navigating bear
traffic! On the drive
to their morning
teaching session, the group
had to stop and wait for a
bear to mosey off the road
before they could proceed to
the Big House. In fact, Bear
traffic was so heavy, students
had to drive the
10-minute walk to the Big
House to avoid a grizzly
encounter.

Food in these communities
costs 250% more than what
you pay at your local
supermarket! When the
weather doesn’t cooperate,
food shipments can be
delayed for weeks while
pilots wait for safe boating or
float plane conditions. This is
when traditional food
preservation methods really
come in handy.
Learning how to prepare salmon (L-R): NIC
instructors, Jane Larsen and Pat Corbett-Labatt;
Island Health Palliative Care Nurse, Roma Knox
and NIC nursing instructor, Cara Tilston.
Currents—December 2013
3
Students nominate team at RJH Psychiatric Day Hospital
for creating a supportive learning environment
C
ongratulations to the RJH Psychiatric Day
Hospital Team which recently won the
UBC College of Health Disciplines’ Practice
Education Award 2013. Nominated by
practicum students of the Psychiatric Day
Hospital team, this award celebrates the
team’s collaborative, interdisciplinary
approach to providing services to clients while
supporting students in their learning.
The team includes social workers, nurses,
occupational therapists and recreation
therapists. Undergraduate and graduate
students in these disciplines are chosen from
across BC and Canada and assigned a
Currents—December 2013
supervising therapist on the team. However,
the majority of their six to 12 week practicum
is working with the entire team.
“During my practicum, I felt very much like a
student of the whole team, and I think I
benefited greatly from that,” said Sylvie
Rousseau, a student Occupational Therapist
at UBC.
“It’s wonderful to receive this kind of
recognition from the outstanding students we
have been fortunate enough to work with,
and often hire,” said Drew Barnes, Psychiatric
Day Hospital Team Coordinator.
“During my
practicum,
I felt very
much like a
student of the
whole team...”
4
Duncan’s Dr. Tom Rimmer awarded BC’s
family physician of the year
D
r. Tom Rimmer has many
reasons to be gratified by his
career choice to become a rural family
physician in Duncan.
The College of Family Physicians of
Canada added to that list in November
by presenting Rimmer with the Reg L.
Perkin Award. The honour is given
each year to 10 outstanding family
physicians – one from each province –
who are acknowledged as Canada’s
Family Physicians of the Year.
“The hands-on experience you gain in
rural training sites is phenomenal,” said
Rimmer. He now serves as preceptor to
UBC medical students in third-year rural
practice and fourth-year family practice
programs. “I’ve had students in one
form or another ever since starting my
own practice. Teaching is a great way to
keep up your own skills.”
Rimmer values the teamwork at
Cowichan District Hospital including
doctors, nurses and staff members and
said it’s one the main reasons he was
drawn to establish his practice in the
region in 2000.
“I was very flattered and honoured,”
Rimmer said, adding that he knows
many colleagues,
particularly in the
“Duncan has the
Cowichan Valley,
who are equally
perfect blend.
deserving. “We’re all
We’ve got a semiinvolved in multiple
rural environment
initiatives – working
to make the health
and a great medical
system better.”
community. One of
the real appeals of
working in small
communities is you
get to practise all of
the skills you
learned in medical
school.”
As the college notes,
recipients of the
award are
“recognized for
exceptional
professional
achievements and
contributions to
their patients, family
medicine, teaching
and research, and
their respective communities. They
represent excellence in family
medicine in Canada.”
Rimmer credits the rural family
practice program at the University of
British Columbia (UBC) and BC’s rural
locum service with giving him the skills
and experience to pursue his medical
goals.
Currents—December 2013
“Duncan has the perfect
blend. We’ve got a semirural environment and a
great medical community.
One of the real appeals of
working in small
communities is you get to
practise all of the skills you
learned in medical school.”
In announcing his award,
the college noted several of
Rimmer’s leadership roles
including: physician lead of
the Mental Health Module
with Island Health, mentor
of the Cowichan Valley
Community of Practice
through the Physician
Information Technology
Office, where he supports physicians
transitioning into electronic medical
record systems, founding Board
Member of the Cowichan Valley
Division of Family Practice Society,
which was instrumental creating the
Cowichan Maternity Clinic and
development of a Cowichan District
Hospital care program.
BC Family Physician of the Year
Dr. Tom Rimmer with Chili, his
occasional companion at the
Somenos Medical Clinic in Duncan.
For further information on Dr.
Rimmer and other award recipients,
please visit: http://fpoy.cfpc.ca/
5
Living our values
at Island Health
Call to
- Phone calls ensure surgical
patients are on their way to a safe recovery
I
t’s amazing what a difference a
simple phone call can make. To
improve the discharge process for
surgical patients, the surgical day
care (SDC) and post anesthetic
recovery (PAR) teams at Royal
Jubilee Hospital implemented a Day
After Discharge (DAD) phone call
process that connects frontline
nurses with surgical patients the day
after hey return home from a
surgery.
Care runs deep (l-r): Karen Ganderton, Frances
Bowen and Claire Delaney
W
hen NRGH Lab Technologist
Karen Ganderton and Laboratory
Assistant Claire Delaney learned that a
colleague with Multiple Sclerosis needed
a little help to make ends meet, they
used their hearts —and Karen’s head —
to come up with a solution.
To get a head-start on fundraising
efforts, Karen offered to shave all off all
of her hair. This was no small task.
Karen’s lovely locks hadn’t seen scissors
since her last trim seven years ago, but
she didn’t flinch once as the braids came
off.
A scout leader in her spare time, Karen is
no stranger to community service. Her
compassionate and courageous gesture
helped raise over $3,600 for their
colleague while her lovely locks were
sent off to Wigs for Cancer.
At Island Health, staff do more than just
talk about our values, they live them.
Special thanks also go out to First Choice
Haircutters on Bowen Road, Country Grocer,
Parksville Save-On Foods and Parksville
Quality Foods for their generous
contributions.
Currents—December 2013
Here’s what two RNs were able to
accomplish in just 15 minutes:
Phoned 10 patients
within 24 hours of
their discharge from
surgery at Royal
Jubilee Hospital;
One patient
expressed a 10 out of
10 on the pain scale,
prompting the RNs
to:
a. Locate the
patient’s most
responsible
physician; and
Deborah Bachand, RN, manager,
NSQIP & Quality Improvement
Projects for Surgical Services says,
“By checking in, we’re able to
identify and respond to questions
or concerns and work with people
and their care providers to prevent
an unnecessary trip to the
emergency department after a
surgery.” The DAD call also gives
patients a chance to share feedback
about their care, which can be
passed on to staff and physicians.
One patient’s mother writes, “My
son had knee surgery at RJH; the
day after discharge, one
of the nurses called him
“My son had
at home. The call
knee surgery at resonated powerfully
with my son; he felt truly
RJH; the day
cared for, not just
after discharge, another knee.”
one of the
nurses called him
at home. The call
resonated
powerfully with
my son; he felt
truly cared for,
not just another
knee.”
b. Have a
prescription
sent to the
patient’s
pharmacy—
with many thanks from the
patient and the physician!
Only 1 of the 10 patients said,
“no thanks” to a phone call. The
others were grateful for the
check-in and expressed their
thanks for the excellent care.
“We want everyone to
feel this way when they
receive a call from us,”
says Kate Sharratt,
manager, SDC and PAR at
Royal Jubilee. “If a quick
phone call can ease
someone’s fears, solve a
problem or save
someone from having to
return to the hospital,
we’re all for it. It’s about
making the best use of
our resources.”
For more information on DAD,
contact [email protected]
or to share your story on a home
grown solution that improves
patient care, satisfaction and safety,
email [email protected].
6
Are you an Agent of Change?
T
he Island Health United Way 2013 campaign is
well underway, with fundraising events being
held throughout the region.
Huge kudos to the staff at Queen Alexandra Centre
for Children’s Health and Gorge Road Hospital –
fundraising events at these sites have helped the
United Way Greater Victoria campaign get closer to
its target for this year – see our Victoria news page
for more details and fun photos.
It’s not too late to pledge your support – not only as
an ‘Agent of Change’ for a great cause, but also for a
chance to win one of the five fantastic prizes offered
this year.
Whichever Island Health region you work in, check
out the eligibility criteria and make a donation or
commitment to a payroll deduction today. You might
even win a new Apple iPad in time for Christmas!
Have you had a chance yet to visit the Island Health
United Way website? Add this address to your
favourites and check back often. We are continually
posting new stories, upcoming events in your region
and up-to-date progress checks on our fundraising
goals.
If you have any questions about United Way, feel
free to contact the representative nearest you:

Felicity Smith, Campaign Associate for United
Way Greater Victoria [email protected]

Island Health’s Loaned Representative for the
South Island, Kelly Norman
[email protected]

Laura Heikkila, Local Campaign Representative
for the Central and North Island
[email protected].
Top photo: Gorge Road Hospital’s United Way campaign kicked off on
Halloween, providing a perfect excuse for staff to dress up as Agents of
Change. In character are Cathy Fowler (Inspector Clouseau) and Brenda
Austin (as Pink Panther) with long-time and much loved volunteer
Lorraine Earp (holding sign).
Bottom photo: Also at Gorge Road Hospital (l-r): Kelly Norman, Loaned
Representative for the Greater Victoria United Way campaign; Cliff
LeQuesne, morning host at the Q radio station and staunch UW
supporter; Helen Wale, Island Health United Way Campaign Chair.
Currents—December 2013
7
Construction site ‘survivors’ enjoy a restorative
team lunch at Sunshine Wellness Centre
Above: Island Health President & CEO
Brendan Carr and CRH Chief of Staff Dr.
Jeff Beselt (lower right) joined Sunshine
Wellness Centre staff and volunteers at
a November 6th celebration luncheon
marking the end of North Island
Hospitals Project site preparation work
around the busy centre.
S
taff and volunteers at Campbell River Hospital’s Sunshine
Wellness Centre (SWC) were praised for their patience and
professionalism in the face of construction disruptions, at a ‘Survivors’
luncheon in November.
Site preparation work for the new $266 million Campbell River
Hospital required deconstruction of the south end of the SWC to
make way for a new ambulance access route to the existing
Emergency entrance.
“They’ve been amazing,” SWC Manager Pauline Melanson said of the
staff and volunteers. “We’ve had a lot of noise and vibration but they
kept positive and looked after their clients. I think we needed to
acknowledge it in a fun way.”
Luncheon attendees dressed in hard hats and safety vests. There was
‘Survivors’ cake and toy tools with the inscription “I survived SWC
deconstruction 2013”.
Jennifer Singer, Senior Project Coordinator for the North Island
Hospitals Project, praised the staff and volunteers for their patience
and grace.
“I’m amazed that with six months of construction right on the other
side of the walls, that everything was just running so smoothly,” she
said. “My construction hardhat is off to you for that.”
Singer said site prep contractor Palladian Developments did a great
job, responding to staff needs.
For the latest news on the North Island Hospitals project,
visit: www.nihp.viha.ca
Currents—December 2013
8
Victoria Hospital Foundation’s gala fundraiser supports clear
Visions for excellent care
T
he Victoria Hospitals Foundation’s 23rd
annual Visions gala held in November at
The Fairmont Empress raised an incredible
$458,000! More than 75 dedicated and
talented Island Health employees
volunteered their time, led by volunteer
committee co-chairs Rob Crisp and Donna
Murphy. This year’s gala raised funds for the
remaining medical equipment needed for
the Patient Care Centre as part of the
Foundation’s $25 million Building Care
Together Campaign. The Foundation would
like to extend a huge thank you to everyone
who worked so hard to help make the event
a success!
Pitching in for patient care, volunteers help bring Visions to life.
Patient perspectives: How your flu shot can help
people with vulnerable immune systems
R
achel Asplin worked for many
years as a nurse on 7B at Victoria
General Hospital, and says during that
time, she never really understood the
importance of influenza immunization.
But her opinion has shifted
dramatically now that she is dealing
with our health care system from the
other side, as a patient.
Rachel has incurable Hodgkin
Lymphoma, stage 4, and after four
rounds of chemotherapy, and a stem
cell transplant, she has no immunity of
her own. “When I come in for
treatment, I need to be certain that the
health care workers I come in contact
with are not going to infect me with
something like influenza,” she says. Not
only is she worried about whether
Currents—December 2013
she’d be able to fight a virus, but also,
how an illness could affect her cancer
treatment. “If I am sick, they delay the
treatment until I am well again. Going
for a week or two without treatment
can have a big impact on whether or
not it is successful.”
Rachel is urging all health care
providers to put the safety of their
patients first, and get immunized
against influenza. “It is important,”
she says. “Please, just do it.”
Additional staff influenza clinics are
planned at various sites until midDecember. You can also find
community immunization clinics
(public health and pharmacies) using
Immunize BC’s Flu Locator.
RN Rachel Asplin
9
IHealth
A Tale of Transformation
Dr. Chris Vuksic
by Dr. Chris Vuksic,
Chief of Care Transformation and IHealth
W
hen I told my family,
particularly my adult
children, that my new job
was “Chief of Care Transformation and
IHealth”, they laughed. Admittedly,
while my lack of computer skills may
have been at the root of their collective
hilarity (I still think “application” is
something you fill out for a new job),
their real question was not about
technology but “what the heck is ‘Care
Transformation’ and what does it have
to do with an Electronic Health Record?”
Transformation sounds pretty lofty and
seems to be a term that is increasingly
popular when speaking about
healthcare reform, both in Canada and
internationally. It is a word that is also in
danger of becoming just another “catch
phrase” unless there is a fundamentally
important idea attached--one that
inspires real and profound change.
The Oxford dictionary defines
transformation as “a marked change in
form, nature or appearance”. Different
from simple change, this suggests
something pretty significant, like
metamorphosis, conjuring up a picture
of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon,
bearing no resemblance to the
caterpillar.
Dr. Brendan Carr, Island Health’s
President says that true system
transformation begins with change in
each one of us individually.
www.viha.ca/ihealth
Hold on just a minute — this all sounds
pretty uncomfortable. And for what
purpose? Before we all sign up, do we
all need to change? And why?
So I wanted to share with you some of
the issues or “drivers” that are indeed
driving us to change:
1. Provider centred care:
In today’s world of increasingly
complicated and costly healthcare,
individuals and their families feel
more and more lost. They describe
“falling between the cracks” and the
haphazard sharing of information
among care providers who seem
more focused on “curing sickness”
rather than maintaining health. They
tell their stories over and over again
in each care episode. Clinicians often
seem to ask, “What is the matter
with you?” rather than “What
matters to you?” The system seems
centered on those who provide care,
not on those whose health is at
stake.
2. Quality vs. cost
Increasing costs and more
sophisticated treatments and
technologies do not necessarily
translate into better quality or better
access to care.
Our citizens wait for important
services yet hospitalization can
actually lead to significant harm —
in 2000, 16,000 Canadians died from
an adverse event in hospital.
3. An aging population, chronic
disease and health disparity
Our population is aging with
increasing rates of chronic disease
which are not well served by a
traditional model of care in
hospital.
Many of our citizens are
disadvantaged or suffer
considerable disparity in their
health status. It is essential that we
expand our definition of health to
include the very basic needs of
individuals such as food, housing,
sanitary conditions, education,
social connectedness and
community support.
So the urgent need to change, for
every one of us, is very real.
But what do IHealth and an Island
Health wide electronic health record
have to do with any of this? How can a
piece of technology transform our
health care system and the health our
citizens?
Stay tuned for Part II of IHealth – a tale
of Transformation, coming in the
January issue of Currents.
Check out the IHealth webpage and
FAQ at www.viha.ca/ihealth.
Newsletter Date
Accreditation 2014
December 2013
Helping you navigate the on-going accreditation process & prepare for the on-site survey in April 2014.
Accreditation All-Stars - VGH NICU
As Island Health approaches
the Accreditation 2014 onsite survey, staff of Neonatal
Intensive Care (NICU) at VGH
are working hard to prepare.
Guided by accreditation lead
CNE Gillian Kozinka, the
team is taking initiative,
holding their own regular practice tracers to
walk through what staff
may experience when
the surveyors arrive in
April.
are the most beneficial way
to help educate staff on the
processes we have in place,
review our resources and get
used to the language of accreditation,” she says.
A tracer follows the path of a
patient or administrative
process step-by-step, so that
the surveyor can evaluate
the quality and safety of the
care and services. It includes
discussions with staff,
physicians and patients .
“I can say wholeheartedly that our
monthly practice tracers Victoria General Hospital neonatal ICU RN Jen Harper
The NICU’s October
tracer focused on communication at points of
transfer. November
looked at medication
safety and reconciliation
along with discharge
preparation processes.
Feedback from the team
continued next page...
ROP of the month - Patient role in safety
Patients and their families
have a valuable contribution
to make to discussions about
patient safety.
Their input can be critical to
ensuring staff follow a practice properly or implement a
change in habit.
Informing and educating
patients and families about
their role in safety is one of
Accreditation Canada’s
many Required Organizational Practices.
Many people claim safety is
common sense, but people
sometimes choose convenience over safety. For
example, new parents may
be tempted to put the car
seat with baby in it down on
the table while they quickly
grab something.
Discussions with patients
and families can help them
refocus on safety. The conversation may be difficult
but it is an important aspect
of patient safety and promotes patients as partners.
Ask a Surveyor!
Tips and Links
Below are some resources on patient safety that you may find
interesting or helpful in meeting your area’s program standards for accreditation.
Accreditation Canada’s Patient Safety Strategy
http://www.accreditation.ca/uploadedFiles/
Patient_Safety_Strategy_%20phase_3_en.pdf
Island Health’s Elements of a Patient Safety Culture
https://intranet.viha.ca/departments/quality/psls/
Documents/Elements%20of%20safety%20culture.pdf
Island Health Patient Engagement information
http://www.viha.ca/quality/care/clinical/patient/
Accreditation All-Stars
Q
A
When the Surveyor asks me about
conversations I have with patients
about safety, what are they looking for?
The Surveyor is looking for evidence that
we, at Island Health, include the patient
and/or family in patient safety initiatives and
teaching. Some units have brochures they hand
out to promote safety, while others use sit down
discussions. The topics may include specific issues such as interventions (i.e. anticoagulant
use) or infection control practices, or broader
subjects such as patient participation in care.
continued
the day-to-day care of their premature baby. Results from the first Toronto pilot study showed more confident, competent
in the study as caregivers at the time
of discharge.
has been positive, with reports that
the tracers increase learning and contribute to patient safety. As the NICU
moves forward, the
tracers will rotate
“Participating
through staff and
an intervention site has given
capture multidiscipliaccess to many parent
nary responses for
maximum learning
resources, and encourages
across the team.
“We are excited to
share this quality improvement initiative
parents to be valued members with the accreditation surveyors,” says
Accreditation is not
of
the
care
team
while
their
Gillian. “Our families
just about the on-site
newborn is hospitalized.” and staff are embracsurvey , but encoming this culture
passes a continuous
~Gillian Kozinka, CNE
change and new
focus on improving
model of care, which
quality. Research can
also help us meet many aspects of our
be an important part of that.
critical care standards.
The NICU is also involved in a national
study called Family Integrated Care
that expands on the family-centered
approach they use already, by involving parents in many more aspects of
“In the past three years, we have been
improving on processes based on the
feedback we received from the surveyors visit to our unit during Accredi-
Excellent care for everyone,
everywhere, every time.
Definition of
the Month
QMentum
is the model Accreditation
Canada uses to accredit health
care organizations. Based on a
continuous quality improvement
philosophy, it consists of
components including: program
standards, priority processes, selfassessment tool, patient safety
culture tool, Gallop poll and
on-site survey (including tracers).
tation 2011. All this work contributes to our ability to provide the best possible care for
our newborns and their families at VGH.”