A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH
A message from Chris Mazurkewich, Interior Health’s CEO.
Ways you can stay engaged in your day-to-day.
Peer training and site facilitation enhances violence prevention in IH.
Meet some of the people working behind the scenes in Infection Prevention and Control.
Changes for the 2016/17 Influenza Protection Program.
New project to increase information for patients, reduce wait times.
Kimberley Health Centre offers one-stop care to community.
Featuring Sarah Wilson, Patient Care Coordinator, and the Summerland Health Centre.
Snapshots of our staff in action and trending health-care videos.
Kimberley Health Centre opens its doors. Story p. 14.
The @InteriorHealth magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues of @InteriorHealth can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please e-mail: IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Deadline for submissions to the November 2016 @InteriorHealth magazine is October 7. Editors: Amanda Fisher, Karen Hurst Designer: Kara Visinski IH Communications Contributors: Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Megan Kavanagh, Erin Toews, Breanna Traynor, Tracy Watson
Every person matters
Board Chair Erwin Malzer (L) and CEO Chris Mazurkewich (R) model the Salmo "dinner jackets" brought to the UBCM Convention by Salmo Mayor Stephen White and Councillor Jonathon Heatlie.
dramatically reframe the relationship between care providers and patient and allow health providers to provide services we may not yet have even considered.
A
big part of my job as chief executive officer involves travelling across the region to meet directly with the many stakeholders who influence or are influenced by the services that fall under the responsibility of Interior
Health.
I am really pleased when I can meet with the mayor and council, but also chat with locals in the coffee shop who give me a patient perspective of how things are going at their hospital or community clinic. We grow stronger and more relevant when we engage with the people we serve. The benefits of hearing the patient voice are complemented by the meetings we regularly have with business and civic leaders. The annual Union of BC Municipalities Convention is a key engagement opportunity. In September, IH Board Chair Erwin Malzer and I were able to meet with mayors and councillors of eight local governments, as well as chairs and directors of three regional districts and regional hospital districts, on a variety of issues. One consistent topic wherever we go is how we can work together to attract and retain high-quality health-care professionals to their communities, because local amenities are an important factor for professionals and their families who are deciding where to put down roots. Airports are just one example. We recently had a great discussion with Kelowna International Airport leadership about their strategic planning and the importance of accessible communities as an attractor for potential health-care professionals. We also met with Kelowna city council in late August as part of its 2040 community visioning exercise, and shared our perspectives on what health care in Kelowna, the province, and the nation might look like in 25 years. We all agree that the current pressures on health systems demand that we think differently about health service delivery. Technological innovation, for example, has the potential to
Building relationships with our Aboriginal communities is another important objective for Interior Health as we work to reduce the significant gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. In September, a combined group of IH senior staff and board representatives joined First Nations partners at the Partnership Accord Leadership meeting in Enderby as part of our ongoing collaboration to improve how we deliver service to Aboriginal populations. This meeting was enriched for me by a tour Erwin and I took last spring through the Cariboo-Chilcotin to meet with a number of chiefs in their home communities. There is no better way to truly understand a situation than getting a first-hand look at a community and the health sites people frequent for their medical needs. Similarly, a tour through Kootenay-Boundary in late September allowed us to meet with our staff and physicians in Nakusp, New Denver, Nelson, Castlegar, Grand Forks, and Rock Creek to understand both the opportunities and challenges of delivering health care in rural communities. We also were able to connect with local, regional, and provincial elected officials; the Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice; and our foundations and auxiliaries, which are so important to the successful operation of our health facilities. On our way back home, we stopped in at Christina Lake where all the auxiliaries of the area were holding their annual meeting. It was personally rewarding for me to recognize the commitment of these volunteers to support patients, clients, and residents. Really, engagement is something we all do in health care every day. Nurses and patients; managers and staff; senior leaders with elected officials – we build relationships through genuine conversations, with the patient at the heart of every interaction. It makes a difference. I am seeing and hearing the positive shift in my travels and interactions. And the credit goes to everyone across IH – for the tremendous work you are doing to consciously engage and collaborate with our stakeholders to create a better health-care future.
Training from within Peer training and site facilitation enhances violence prevention in IH
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or Chris Foley and Ben Phillips, two of Interior Health’s Health, Safety, and Prevention trainers, preventing violence in the workplace is top of mind.
“Violence prevention involves a proactive and preventative mindset that all staff can take when approaching their tasks day to day,” says Chris. “Our role is to help maintain the safety and well-being of all staff through education and training; providing people the tools needed to work more safely. Employees are then able to assess risks, make critical decisions at the point of care, and know what to do during and after any episode of violence.” Over the last year, Interior Health has increased its focus on creating a safe workplace for our employees, patients, and clients by providing provincially mandated violence education to all employees. “We know we cannot achieve better care and health for our patients if we don’t create a safe workplace for our employees,” says Shannon Campbell, Workplace Health & Safety Lead. “One way we prioritize employee health and safety is by ensuring all employees receive the violence prevention training and education they need.”
20 more working their way through the mentorship process. Between Chris, Ben, and the new facilitators, they will ensure as many staff as possible receive the PVPC education. “Using the site-facilitator model has allowed us to reach a much larger audience, in a much more timely and responsive manner,” says Shannon. “Our facilitators are able to provide the PVPC training in-house, on a schedule that better suits their operational needs, and it provides far greater flexibility for staff to attend the training.” All IH employees can register for the new PVPC courses in i-Learn (key word ‘violence prevention’). For those working in high-risk areas, violence prevention training must be updated by March 30, 2017. To express interest in becoming a PVPC site facilitator, send an email to Workplace Injury & Prevention. WH&S continues to offer Code White Advanced Team Response training for larger acute sites requiring this level of training.
With the support of Chris and Ben, violence prevention training will spread rapidly throughout IH. “As part of the Violence Prevention Program, we have adopted a train-the-facilitator approach where we are training and mentoring site facilitators to deliver the Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum (PVPC) independently at their respective worksites,” says Chris. “As we have more site facilitators trained, my role, along with Ben’s, will switch to mentoring and supporting these facilitators and advising our managers in the various aspects of violence prevention.” To date, there are 24 employees trained to facilitate the Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum and
Ben Phillips (L) and Chris Foley train IH employees to become site facilitators who will then deliver Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum in-class training at their own worksites to other employees.
I
nfluenza, commonly knows as the “flu,” is ranked among the top 10 leading causes of death in Canada, hospitalizing an average of 12,200 people and killing approximately 3,500 people in any given year.
The most vulnerable people are those with weakened immune systems, such as older adults and babies. These are often the people within our health-care system. At Interior Health, it is essential that we all participate in preventing the spread of the influenza disease. Our goal is to protect our vulnerable patients, clients, and residents while they are in our care. To help prevent the spread of influenza, IH has an Influenza Protection Program supported by an Influenza Prevention Policy. This policy was last revised in August 2016 and applies to all covered individuals during the official influenza season (typically Dec. 1 through March 31 the following year). The Influenza Protection Program provides free, on-site immunization clinics in a number of locations for employees, physicians, volunteers, students, residents, and contractors working within IH sites. It’s important that everyone, regardless of work location, is vaccinated against influenza or wears a surgical/procedure mask when working in an IH facility, or in the community, where we are providing care to patients, clients, or residents (i.e., hospitals, health centres, public health offices, and corporate offices). For this year’s worksite influenza immunization clinics, community pharmacies (e.g., Shoppers Drug Mart) will administer the influenza vaccinations. With this change, there are TWO things you must bring with you. 1. BC Care Card (or Driver’s Licence that includes a personal health number); and 2. Identification (ID) proving that you are an employee, volunteer, student, physician, resident, or contractor (e.g., IH ID, Student ID, Physician ID). Please present this identification to the pharmacist administering the influenza vaccination. Without this information, individuals will be unable to receive a flu shot at that time. The on-site influenza immunization clinics are limited and employees should consider other options available, including: peer nurse immunizers (PNIs), community pharmacies, influenza clinics offered by public health, and physician offices. Employees choosing not to be immunized must wear a mask while in an IH facility where patients, clients, or residents are under our care. This includes corporate employees sharing the same building/common areas as patients/clients (e.g., main entrances, hallways, stairwells, elevators, waiting rooms, washrooms, etc.). Visitors to IH patient care areas that have not had a flu shot will also be asked to wear a mask while in our buildings. Whether you decide to receive the flu vaccination or wear a mask, all employees need to self-report their decision at flu.interiorhealth.ca. A new provincial self-reporting process has been developed for physicians after they have received a flu shot or if they have decided to wear a surgical/procedural mask. This physician self-reporting tool can be accessed at medicalstaffhealth.phsa.ca. Flu clinic schedules are located on the Influenza Protection Program web page. Questions? Send an email to influenza@interiorhealth.ca.
Easing the Surgical Journey New project to increase information for patients, reduce wait times
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othing inspires fear and anxiety quite like the unknown. No truer is that statement than for a patient requiring surgery.
The questions are common: ‘How long will the procedure take?’ ‘Will I be completely sedated?’ ‘How long will the recovery stage last?’ Perhaps most popular is: ‘When will I get my surgery?’ “Surgical patients are entitled to the best care we can provide for them – and we are committed to giving them that care,” says Susan Brown, Interior Health’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Hospitals and Communities. “We know there are things we can do to improve timely access to elective surgery. We are about to embark on a project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, that is intended to help reduce the wait times for surgery across the region, while also keeping patients well informed throughout their surgical journey.” The project is a key component of IH’s surgical strategy, and will involve engaging IH’s two largest surgical hospitals – Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and Kamloops’ Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) – in becoming early-adopter sites. The sites will develop and implement new initiatives that are aimed at reducing the time patients wait for elective surgery and equipping them with more information before, during, and after they have their procedures. In addition to those initiatives specific to the early-adopter hospitals, all hospitals in IH will have improvements for which they will be responsible over the next 18 months. KGH and RIH will become two of 11 hospitals across the province participating in the early-adopter project, which was launched at the hospitals in late September. “We’re at the beginning of an 18-month journey,” says
Ben Rhebergen, lead for IH’s surgical strategy. “We are still working to define some of the initiatives, but will look to build on the great work already occurring at sites across Interior Health, and also partner with other health authorities to implement new projects. By December 2017, we want to have the pieces in place to improve the process by which our patients access surgery, including communication and reduced surgical wait times.” Components of the early-adopter project include: • • • • •
•
Increasing surgical capacity at KGH and RIH, with special emphasis on improving timely access for those patients waiting longest for their procedures; Improving the accuracy of waitlists by performing regular audits, to ensure that surgical waitlists are managed optimally and proactively; Improving communication with patients while they wait for their surgery; Scheduling surgical slates to be more efficient and effective for both surgeon and patient; Building on existing successful standardized care pathways such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for colorectal procedures, and expanding to one new, yet-to-be finalized specialty; Creating specialized care programs that will strengthen the referral and communication process between patients, their surgeons, and the hospital. For example, the exploration of pooled referrals that will match patients with the first available surgeon (which may reduce wait times), and surgical optimization clinics that will arm patients with more information about what they can expect before they go into surgery.
“There are some really exciting opportunities here,” says Dr. Andy Hamilton, medical lead for IH’s surgical strategy and co-chair of the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee. “It won’t be easy. It will take a lot of hard work and a willingness to embrace change. I am so grateful to all our surgeons and staff who are taking on this challenge and are working so hard to improve the service we provide to our surgical patients.” To learn more about IH’s surgical strategy, visit InsideNet > About IH > What We Do > Our Five Key Strategies. Ben Rhebergen (L) and Aaron Miller head up the team leading IH’s key strategy on surgery. Ben is the team lead and Aaron is the project manager.
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eople can be excused if they cast a jealous eye toward Kimberley because this little city tucked into the Kootenay Rockies has a primary health-care system that deserves to be envied.
excruciating flare-ups, with symptoms similar to an intensive sunburn. The flare-ups also severely dehydrate her.
Very few of the 8,000 residents are without a family doctor and every citizen has access to primary health services, thanks to the Kimberley Health Centre.
Dehydration and pain used to land her regularly in Cranbrook Emergency Department, but her family physician Dr. Shaun Van Zyl, in consultation with Primary Care Nurse Nigel Kitto, arranged a treatment plan that is keeping her out of the ED and much more comfortable in her daily living.
The secret is quite simple, says East Kootenay Primary Health Care CDM Manager Shannon Statham. “This is a patient-centered health site that truly cares about its community.”
“Every week, I walk half a block to Nigel’s treatment department and I get a saline solution through an IV. I’m there for two hours to get fuelled up and Nigel is so warm and accepting and concerned for my care.
As well, all health services in the town are located in one building, and the community’s seven physicians and Interior Health staff share a common philosophy – teamwork makes everything better.
“He and Dr. Van Zyl have made such a difference in my life,” says the mom of three adult children and grandmother of six little ones. “I regularly have these awful flare-ups, but yet I’m happy, knowing I have all the help I need in one location half a block away.”
Linda Garies arrived in Kimberley almost two years ago from Edmonton and, as a complex medical patient, she is overwhelmed with gratitude at the care she gets from the Kimberley Health Centre. “In a word, they are awesome. I have nothing but good things to say about the people who have helped me.” Linda, 58, has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia, as well as an extremely rare skin condition that causes
The team-based care at the health centre also worked in Linda’s favour when she was suffering from anxiety due to her illness. She attended an “excellent course” on coping with anxiety, taught by Mental Health & Substance Use Clinician Janice Regnier. Then she was further supported by MHSU Social Worker Kim Miller with the paperwork to get established in the B.C. medical system. “Kim was instrumental in guiding me on a path that was
mutually good for the medical system directly to a Home Health nurse or the and me. As a patient you want to have cardiac nurse or whichever person trust in people and Kim built that trust I need for my patient.” so well.” Primary Care RN Tracy Carroll and her People who live in small communities colleague Nigel are equally enthusiastic across Interior Health know firsthand about the care they are able to provide why health leaders are advocating the by working on an integrated team of development of primary care homes, health professionals. which will adopt the best attributes of the integrated services apparent in “It’s one-stop shopping – so you can many smaller towns. walk down the hall and talk to people, which is just so In Kimberley, when patients need to convenient both see their family doctor, they come to for us and our the health centre, which houses the patients,” says private medical clinic where physicians Tracy. have their own caseload and also help cover each other’s patients. They Nigel agrees share doctor-of-the-day duties so new co-location and residents who aren’t yet attached to a camaraderie are the GP have a place to get care when they “absolute nuts and need it. bolts of why it works so well. A client who needs to see a clinician in Home Health, Promotion & Prevention, “All the docs are or Mental Health & Substance Use available – they talk comes to the health centre. A person to me in between with chronic diseases, such as appointments. It’s congestive heart failure or diabetes, never a bother. finds his or her services at the health There is definitely a centre. mutual respect.” The two primary care nurses bring some of their individual interests to the job as well. Nigel, who also serves on the local city council, is an avid outdoorsman who encourages men to think Dr. Van Zyl, who worked in two more about their health. different practices before coming to He provides a free health Kimberley, says there is no comparison assessment that may lead with the benefits of his current to blood pressure practice. monitoring, lifestyle coaching, and/or referrals “This is by far the best option for to a dietitian or a mental patients, their families, the physician, health clinician. and the IH staff. My time is more efficiently managed. I spend less time “The beauty of it is we on the telephone and more time with have it all right here.” patients. I don’t have to fax patient referrals and hope they get there. If I Tracy offers a Well have a referral, I, or my staff, walk the Women’s Clinic and brings form over to the right department. acute-care nursing skills into the community, which she “If I have an urgent case, I can speak keeps honed with regular
shifts in the ED at the Cranbrook hospital. Tracy says group patient visits with physicians, shared electronic medical records, and the integrated skills of the health professionals all contribute to the success of the health centre. “We share the same goals – it’s about our patients.”
They also have access to private pharmacy, X-ray, respiratory therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, community nursing, home support, wound care, and dietitian services. As well, a private lab operates out of the health centre, which at one time was the community’s hospital.
Top: Dr. Shaun Van Zyl (L) and Primary Care Nurses Tracy Carroll (C) and Nigel Kitto are part of the team at the Kimberley Health Centre. Above: MHSU Clinicians (L-R) Janice Regnier and Kim Miller are also part of the team at the Kimberley Health Centre.
Sarah Wilson, Patient Care Coordinator @IH: What is your role in IH and why is it
important? I am the Patient Care Coordinator at the Summerland Health Centre. My role is to oversee and assist with the daily functioning of the Operating Room, Daycare Surgery, Post Anesthetic Recovery Room, Medical Device Reprocessing, and Pre-Surgical Screening.
@IH: What services do you provide?
On the surgical side of the health centre, we provide services in the specialties of Ophthalmology, Pediatric/Adult Dental as well as Ear, Nose, and Throat.
@IH: What makes a really great day at
work? When I get feedback from patients and family members who appreciate the quality of care we provide – we strive to deliver safe and efficient care that is always patient-focused. The patients and family members we see are very pleased with the experience they have here.
@IH: Do you have any highlights?
Something recent that stands out is the successful implementation of the Alex Gold instrument tracking program. This program allows us to know exactly which instruments were used on which patient and to create an electronic record of the sterilization processes. The implementation process involved colleagues from IT, Medical Device Reprocessing, and the OR. This collaboration led to the formation of new inter-professional relationships, which have enhanced my ability to network and perform my role more skillfully.
@IH: What is the best part about where you work?
The group of staff I work with – together they form a high-functioning, multidisciplinary team of experienced professionals. All of the staff work hard to deliver high-quality care while treating patients and colleagues with kindness and respect. Included in this group are the members of the Summerland Health Care Auxiliary. They support us with their volunteer services on cataract days as well as with very generous funding for the purchase of new surgical equipment.
Summerland Health Centre
43,649
Laboratory outpatient procedures performed in last year
4,191 2,299
Surgical daycare visits
62
1,700
192
Cataract procedures
Visits per day
Employees
Stats gathered from 2015-2016 data. Nominate a colleague, manager, or site for a future People & Places.
Radiology (X-ray) exams annually
50
Years old
Kimberley Submitted by: Cheryl Penson
Slocan Lake Submitted by: Ben Rhebergen Jade Lake (Revelstoke) Submitted by: Carole Pugle
Kelowna Submitted by: Joelle Wall
Where We Live & Work ... A Spotlight on Our Communities Covering more than 215,000 square kilometres, Interior Health is diverse in nature and composed of vibrant urban centres and unique rural communities. Photos are submitted by employees and posted to the InsideNet. Select photos are featured in @IH.
Submit your photos of the beautiful places that make up IH on InsideNet Spotlight Photos.
It's always great when we can show our employees, physicians and volunteers how terrific we think they are, even if it's just with an appreciation barbeque. Royal Inland Hospital did just that on Sept. 14, with a number of the hospital’s leaders taking a turn at the grill. Two of the smiling faces who helped out that day were Gayle Weiss, RIH Volunteer Services Coordinator (L), and Lynn Wallace, Professional Practice Leader for RIH Occupational Therapy.
It was “all hands on deck” when the residents, volunteers, and staff members at Trinity Care Centre converted their bus into the SS Jewel of Trinity for the Penticton Peachfest Parade.
Team-based care has taken a step forward in Grand Forks with the new Boundary Community Health Centre, which brings Mental Health & Substance Use and Public Health services under one roof, located across the street from primary care physicians at the Boundary Medical Clinic. On hand to celebrate the grand opening of the new site were (L to R): Suzanne Lee, Hospitals and Communities Integrated Services (HCIS) Manager, Boundary; Dawn Tomlin, HCIS Manager, Primary Care & Public Health; Cheryl Whittleton, HCIS Administrator, Kootenay Boundary; Dr. Geoffrey Coleshill; and BoundarySimilkameen MLA Linda Larson.
A research team at McMaster University suggests that getting vaccinated regularly now can protect us from other diseases later. Read the full story at CBC.
Learn about the benefits of purchasing local foods and how to include them in your cooking. Learn more about Cook it. Try it. Like it! at www.interiorhealth.ca.
Leslie McBain, now an advocate for harm reduction changes to drug policies and safe drug use, tells the story of losing her 25-year-old son to an accidental opioid overdose. Learn more at www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/overdose.