A publication for IH employees and medical staff

Transcription

1 A publication for IH employees and medical staff

2 A message from Chris Mazurkewich, Interior Health s CEO. Wellness wisdom for work. IH staff and patients drive important conversation. Nurse practitioners making difference in patients lives. One brave mother's journey to beat postpartum depression. FAST Trauma Suite at KGH s emergency department put to test. Robin Greencorn, Volunteer Services Coordinator at SLGH and Bastion Place. Staff-submitted photos of places where we live and work. Snapshots of our staff in action and trending health-care videos. On the cover: Tina Miller brings the patient perspective to health care. Story page 6.

3 magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Editors: Amanda Fisher, Karen Hurst Designer: Kara Visinski IH Communications Contributors: Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Erin Toews, Breanna Traynor, Tracy Watson. Every person matters

4 T he calendar tells us spring is here and I think we re slowly starting to see the signs. On my morning walks to work I m seeing grass turning green and buds appearing on trees. There is definitely a feeling in the air of renewal, of a fresh start. It s as if when we shed the winter coats, we gain a new outlook. And that makes it a perfect time to share Interior Health s refreshed Strategy Map the blueprint for where we are headed as an organization and what we need to do to achieve success. In this one-page visual communication tool, we outline current IH and Ministry of Health strategic direction, as well as our priorities as reflected in the goals and strategic objectives. The 2017/18 version has a new look and feel that reinforces our focus on community, along with some content updates that highlight the importance of developing and enhancing relationships with key external stakeholders, as well as effective health human resource planning and management. The new strategy map also shows alignment with the key strategies we ve been focused on over the last year through the inclusion of gold keys where relevant. On the topic of key strategies and our shift to community, I had the opportunity to attend the official opening of our new Central Okanagan Seniors Health and Wellness Centre on March 24 in Kelowna. It was great to be on hand to celebrate this new model of care and to learn about the good work underway to provide this needed service. A similar centre will open on the North Shore in Kamloops on April 10. Both are examples of the specialized care programs that are essential components of our primary and community care transformation work in this case, benefiting those with frailty and age-related medical conditions through interprofessional team care and access to specialist services. Referrals are made through family doctors or nurse President & CEO Chris Mazurkewich practitioners; and then a collaborative team made up of a geriatrician, physicians, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professionals provides targeted assessment and planning services. In addition to health assessment and treatments, the centres will provide education and connections to other community services to help seniors access programs that promote health and wellness, allowing them to live independently for as long as possible. To develop these centres, we ve collaborated and consulted with key stakeholders who are invaluable in bringing the new services to life. This includes partnering with local physicians through the Divisions of Family Practice in the Central Okanagan and the Thompson Region, as well as the Ministry of Health and other community partners. We ve also engaged with the people we are serving through the Patient Voices Network. This is an essential perspective that IH now relies on for many new initiatives. PVN volunteers guide us to be more patient and family centred in the services we provide. You can find out more about how we re learning from patients in the PVN story on Page 6. At the end of March, I was back out on the road again with new VP Anne-Marie Visockas to tour some of our sites in Kamloops, Salmon Arm, and Vernon. As always, I was impressed with the passion and commitment of our staff and physicians in all areas. One highlight was meeting the new nurse practitioners (NPs) working out of our North Shore Health Science Centre (NSHSC) Primary Care Clinic in Kamloops. NPs are integral to primary and community care transformation because they provide another primary care connection point within our system, helping patients to access the care and services they need. And we re already hearing of the successes read more about that on Page 8. I hope you are feeling energized and rejuvenated by the new season, as well as the new and exciting things happening in and around IH!

5

6 Interior Health was well represented at the 2017 Patients as Partners Dialogue in Vancouver on Feb. 28. Attendees were (L-R) Karin Maiwald, (staff); James Chan (staff); David Durksen (patient rep from Ashcroft); Karen Irving (patient rep from Kamloops); Karla Warkotsch (staff); Bonnie Spence-Vinge (patient rep from Cranbrook); Cheryl Whittleton (staff); Ben Rhebergen (staff); Barbara Perrey (patient rep from Lone Butte); and Joseph Savage (staff). T ina Miller and Bonnie Spence-Vinge come from different cities in Interior Health, but they share the experience of looking for services when a family member becomes ill with a mental health issue. Tina has two daughters with anxiety, one of whom tried to take her own life in September. Bonnie and her husband Mark have been caregivers to family members with mental health illnesses. They know firsthand how patients view the health-care system and what can be done to make it easier for patients and families. Both women are active participants in Patient Voices Network (PVN) and bring a different patient perspective to projects and committees in Interior Health. Although their primary experience was in the area of mental health, they also bring a cultural and academic perspective to the exchange of knowledge. Their latest involvement with health planners and leaders in B.C. was as participants at the 2017 Patients as Partners Dialogue in Vancouver. They were joined at the one-day session by seven Interior Health leaders, as well as three other IH patient representatives. It was a great experience. I really enjoyed being around people working toward change in the health-care system. It s always encouraging to see how organizers are taking input from people across B.C. on these important health issues, says Tina. A resident of Kelowna for 16 years, Tina is a member of the Nisga a Nation in northern B.C. and a recent patient partner with Patient Voices Network. She says she appreciated the opportunity to be able to share aspects of the Aboriginal culture with her group. I was able to explain that for Aboriginal people it s really important for health-care providers to look at the whole person,

7 not just the illness, and to build a relationship with the patient. Bonnie has been a member of PVN since Her first work was with the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative, bringing her expertise as an educator, senior administrator, and school psychologist to the discussion. She is currently a member of the East Kootenay Collaborative Services Committee. She sees firsthand the commitment to include the patient voice. Everyone is respectful and concerned and cares about the patient journey in health care and wanting to improve it. She would like to see a younger demographic of patient represented in the dialogues, noting those are the people who will be most affected by the transformation of Primary and Community Care services. Those younger people will have creative ideas for change and understand that the only solution is not more doctors and that there is value in finding different ways of providing care to meet the need. Bonnie is also enthusiastic about bringing the patient voice to the table before system design occurs, rather than presenting the model and then asking for feedback. I don t think it s effective to tweak or modify to accommodate our feedback after the fact. The patient voice can play a valuable role early on in determining the best way forward. We don t have the same expertise as the health-care professionals, but we are equal partners in the process and bring a different kind of knowledge. Above: Bonnie Spence-Vinge is a Cranbrook resident who has been a member of Patient Voices Network since She brings a wealth of knowledge from her career as an educator and also as a caregiver in her personal life. Below: Tina Miller is a member of the Nisga a Nation and a resident of Kelowna. She signed up in September 2016 to bring the patient perspective to health-care planning. Karla Warkotsch, Interior Health s Patient and Family Centred Care Representative to the Ministry of Health s Patients as Partners, agrees there is great value in patients guiding the system to be more patient and family centred. She says that within IH, patient representation has supported too many initiatives to list them all, but a few examples where patients shared their expertise include planning for Seniors Health and Wellness Centres in Kamloops and Kelowna, Electronic Medical Record Systems, Aboriginal Mental Wellness, and Primary Care engagement. Within each IH program and community, exciting connections are made with patient partners through Patient Voices Network so that the work of the health authority reflects the population voice and need, says Karla. In 2016 alone, Interior Health engaged 125 patients on various projects. Patients added their expertise through advisory committees, working groups, presentations, workshops, and as speakers. To learn more, visit InsideNet, Patient and Family Centred Care.

8 Nurse practitioners offering primary care in Kamloops North Shore s new primary care clinics are (L-R) Jennifer Balfour, Lorraine Lines, Bonnie Shelley-Glavine, and Mary Pickering. NPs = patient satisfaction

9 N urse practitioners at Interior Health s new Primary Care Clinic in Kamloops are enjoying meeting happy patients. Although they have health maladies to discuss, patients are thrilled to be connected with a primary care provider after being without a family doctor in some cases for many years. Donna Mendel, Director of Advanced Nursing Practice, Professional Practice Office, says the NPs are seeing immediate positive health outcomes with many of their new patients. After treating one patient and ordering a series of diagnostic tests, an NP at the North Shore Health Science Centre (NSHSC) Primary Care Clinic determined she was in immediate need of surgery. The NP consulted a surgeon who added the patient to his roster for emergent care. Within three weeks of seeing the NP, the woman had surgery and is on the road to recovery. A second NP saw a patient with diabetes, did a glucose test, which revealed she had not been managing her illness well without oversight from a physician or NP. She was on the threshold of becoming very sick. The NP was able to quickly develop a care plan and this patient is now on track and being treated appropriately to keep her blood sugars at a healthy level. The NPs said they have met with patients who were not aware of health services available in the community to support them with various chronic illnesses or caring for seniors with dementia. Those patients and their caregivers have been referred either to Interior Health s new specialized services in NSHSC or to other IH community services, such as Home Health or Mental Health and Substance Use, including Elderly Services. It s been a great relief to the patients to have this contact with primary care through the nurse practitioners, says Donna. Nurse practitioners are pleased that despite the fact many patients have not had primary care for long periods of time, they have received good care from interim options. Even those patients who are very complex in terms of medical needs and multiple medical conditions have been followed by Kamloops walk-in clinics and the RIH Emergency Department. Patients have been very well cared for in terms of maintaining complex medical management, as well as screening, says NP Mary Pickering. It is amazing that so many unattached patients are stable and doing relatively well. So far, 650 patients have been attached to nurse practitioners in Kamloops since the HealthLink BC Kamloops primary care waitlist was implemented late last year. The majority have found their NPs since the primary care clinic opened on March 6, with six NPs seeing patients of all ages. Recruitment is almost complete for the 16 NP positions in Kamloops. These nurse practitioners work in primary care clinics, a physician s office, Aboriginal health clinics, and in residential care. Four of the NPs see older adults; nine provide care for all ages, two focus on Aboriginal patients, and one works with a physician specializing in chronic, non-malignant pain. The NSHSC clinic is one of the largest NP primary care clinics in B.C. The 65 nurse practitioners working across IH play an important role in primary and community care transformation and are helping to shift the health system so more patients are able to access primary care in the community, says Jason Giesbrecht, Executive Director of Primary and Community Care Transformation for IH.

10 Jenna with Kael and Sydnee, now five and journey seven, and husband Jamie who Jenna says is amazing and always supportive. ernon resident Jenna Hunter was a busy mom. She had a newborn daughter and a two-year-old son. She had a loving and supportive husband and a great group of friends. But she also had a secret. Jenna wasn t able to sleep. She couldn t prepare a meal because she couldn t decide what to cook and was terrified of waking the babies. A trip to the grocery store left her frozen in the aisles, overwhelmed by choices and unable to move. She was exercising obsessively. Finally, when her new baby cried, she couldn t bring herself to react. That s when she knew she had to get help.

11 I felt something was wrong but I didn t know what it was, Jenna recounts. I wasn t feeling myself. I felt out of control, but I was really good at hiding it. I put on quite a show. I was worried about what people would think. I was someone everyone thought was so strong. Jenna was experiencing postpartum depression. People often talk about the baby blues, which are a normal up-and-down emotional response due to hormonal changes that result from child birth, says public health nurse Kerryn Keryluke. But those baby blues can develop to the point where every day is a bad day. Postpartum depression is a real illness and often goes along with postpartum anxiety. It s not something that comes and goes. It s not uncommon, and if you have previous depression or anxiety, you are more at risk. That s why B.C. has introduced an early postpartum screening program. By eight weeks postpartum, all mothers are now offered screening for depression by public health nurses using a specially designed questionnaire. As public health nurses, we target the emotional health of moms. We are all asking how they are doing and what kinds of support they have at home. But, like Jenna, some people will say I m fine. They are reluctant to ask for help. The screening tool draws people out. After finally breaking down and telling her friends what she was going through, Jenna reached out to Public Health in Vernon. I sat down and got real with myself. I made the call and immediately felt a bit of relief, she says. And Kerryn was great she was very open and she didn t judge me. She suggested I call my doctor and tell him how I am feeling. I went to my doctor and he was very supportive. He said it s not your fault and thanked me for sharing. After meeting with Public Health and her family doctor, who prescribed medication, Jenna was starting to feel more in control. She went to the Vernon Family Resource Centre for additional support. When I walked into Family Resources, I was still a ghost of myself. The lady at the centre asked how she could help me and I just broke down, Jenna recalls, her voice trembling with emotion at the memory. I said you have to help me there is something wrong with me. That was when I really started healing. Saying those words out loud really helped me. Now Jenna plans to become a nurse. She has one more year of nursing school. She is honest and open about her experience and is taking training to help other women through the Pacific Postpartum Society, which operates a help line. Jenna has a beautiful, caring nature. She is going to make a great nurse, Kerryn says. Sharing her story is one way of helping other moms out there. Because unfortunately the stigma still exists and all moms feel they have to be super moms. For more information about postpartum depression and anxiety, including where to find help, visit Vernon Public Health Nurse Kerryn Keryluke (L) helped Jenna Hunter get the help she needed for postpartum depression.

12

13

14 Photo courtesy of: The team involved in saving Marissa s life including representatives from Eclipse Helicopters, Penticton Search and Rescue, the B.C. Ambulance Service, and both Penticton Regional and Kelowna General hospitals. Teamwork saves teen s life I t started out like any other day for Marissa Lemioer, a teenager from Penticton, as she headed out ATVing with friends as she had done many times before. However, this day would come to a crashing halt. We hit a bump, and I was impaled by a tree. It went through my stomach and came out the left part of my back, says Marissa, matter-of-factly. Marissa s case was extremely complex and her condition was one of most critical the skilled team of first responders and Kelowna General Hospital s trauma team had ever seen. None of us have ever had a case like this, says Dr. Mike Ertel, Executive Medical Director. To take back the blanket and see a tree in a person, a 14-year-old girl it s pretty powerful stuff. I really question whether or not she would have survived had we not had the trauma room that we do at KGH.

15 In 2012, a single donor, Charles. A. Fipke, presented the KGH Foundation with a gift of $1 million to support the needs of KGH s emergency department. This incredible gift allowed the hospital to acquire the most advanced trauma suite in the country. The FAST Trauma Suite contains within it state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology. As a result, the trauma team of physicians, nurses, and first responders are capable of a much higher standard of urgent and emergent care than ever before. Not only did the FAST Trauma Suite make it possible to save Marissa s life, but it is an incredible teaching environment for academic learners. These modern, highly advanced acquisitions also allow KGH to attract the best and brightest physicians in the country, including Dr. Devin Harris, KGH s Emergency Medical Director and recently appointed Chief of Staff. Dr. Harris came to KGH from Vancouver, and speaks of being floored the first time he toured the department with what existed there. Earlier this month, those involved in saving Marissa s life joined together in Penticton for an emotional reunion. The event was organized by the KGH Foundation to show the immense teamwork involved in saving lives. Both Marissa and her mom Anne were in attendance to thank all those involved in saving Marissa s life. I ll never forget these people, said Anne. I can t ever think of how to repay them for it. Marissa is my baby, I m very thankful everything went the way it did. If it didn t, I don t know how I would be reacting today. So, this makes me very happy to be here and see these people. Her words and feelings were echoed by the first responders and medical staff in attendance. It s so nice to get together, said Dr. Ertel. The search and rescue teams and ambulance paramedics, in my opinion, saved her life. And just to thank them, I never had an opportunity. So it s so nice of the KGH Foundation to get us together. And to see Marissa and her mom is so gratifying. L-R: Dr. Mike Ertel, Marissa, and Anne.

16 Robin Greencorn, Volunteer Services Tell us a little about yourself and your background. I grew up in Kelowna and moved to Salmon Arm in 1997 when I met my husband. I started out in health care as a rehabilitation assistant and have worked for Interior Health for 22 years, 12 of those years in recreation, occupation, and physio therapies, and 10 as the coordinator of Volunteer Services for Bastion Place and Shuswap Lake General Hospital. I have always had a passion for fitness and worked as a personal trainer teaching all levels of aquatic and group fitness up until four years ago, when I decided to leave the industry to spend more time with my family. I have always loved helping people to achieve their goals and I feel blessed that in every capacity I have worked in Interior Health I have been able to do that: from teaching someone to walk again as a rehabilitation assistant, to utilizing their skill set and talents by finding them appropriate volunteer job placements that create mutually beneficial What are some of the day-to-day things you do as a Volunteer Services Coordinator? As the coordinator of Volunteer Services for Bastion Place and SLGH, my job is to provide volunteer support to staff and comfort services to residents and patients that enhance the quality of care we provide. The coordination of Spiritual Care, one-to-one patient visitation, patient drivers and escorts to and from appointments, volunteer Class 4 bus drivers for Recreation Therapy outings, extra support for Recreation Therapy programs and special events, weekly musical entertainment, and pet visitation are just some of the services I provide. I am also responsible for the screening, training, orientation, and support for all volunteers. And, I work with the Shuswap Lake Health Care Auxiliary as director and coordinator of the Youth Health Care Volunteer Why is your work important? My work is important because volunteers are important. I have 158 registered volunteers, between the hospital and Bastion Place. We have wonderful staff but they are very busy carrying out patient care; they don t always have time to sit with patients who feel alone or need a visit. Youth health care volunteers read to patients, play games, do puzzles, and sometimes just sit and hold their hands. Spiritual care volunteers are there to help out in crisis situations and provide counselling and support in times of need. Volunteers provide a listening ear, a gentle touch, and a caring presence that is why they are a crucial Robin Greencorn with one of her favourite volunteers, Moby, a labradoodle from the St. John Ambulance Pet Therapy program. part of the health-care team. The quality of life and social environment is enriched by the comfort and caring of What do you enjoy most about your job? I love my job because, every day, programs that I have put in place help to enrich someone s life. I get to provide the caring in health care, and I get to let people know every day that who they are and what they do Do you have a highlight or two something that really stands out for you? One of the greatest highlights in my job was when our amazing nursing staff helped to coordinate a wedding for a palliative patient in our new Sacred Space. The entire health-care team was involved, including the volunteer-on-call chaplain. Everyone worked together and went above and beyond to make it happen. I m also proud to say that in the 10 years I have been in charge of the Youth Health Care Volunteer Program, seven of them have pursued careers in health care and four are working at SLGH and Bastion Place today.

17 Shuswap Lake General Hospital and Bastion Place 17,635 Unscheduled emergency department visits 373 SLGH employees 43 Acute beds 3,052 Inpatient cases in 2015/ Residential beds 131 Bastion Place employees 1991 Year Bastion Place built Stats gathered from data. Nominate a colleague, manager, or site for a future spotlight.

18 Penticton Submitted by: Melissa Blaskovich

19 Squilax Submitted by: Carma Clarke Wasa Submitted by: Matt Wilkie Nelson Submitted by: Cody Grant Coldstream Submitted by: Sarah Hanson

20 The staff at Fischer Place in 100 Mile House had a little fun celebrating the luck o the Irish check out those green duds! We think your residents are certainly lucky to have you not just on March 17, but every day! The new Intensive Care Unit space at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail recently received some fishy housewarming gifts. Maternal Child Unit Manager Trish Thompson (R) is pictured here with ICU RNs Mia Shepley, Cori Fyffe, Chris Whelan, Nikki Grant, Darcy Thompson, and Mark Biagioni; Maternal Child Patient Care Coordinator Karina Poznekoff; and Critical Care Manager Sarah McLeod. On Friday March 24, elected officials, staff, physicians, and community partners gathered within the Central Okanagan Seniors Health and Wellness Centre at Cottonwoods to celebrate this new model of care. The centre benefits those with frailty and age-related medical conditions through a multi-disciplinary approach and access to specialist services. A partnership between Interior Health and the Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice, referrals are made through family doctors or nurse practitioners. Photo credit: Kelowna Capital News (Alistair Waters)

21 TRU Wolfpack athletes Michelle Bos and Shenise Sigsworth talk about the balance between basketball and nursing. They are both nursing students at Royal Inland Hospital. The Power of Words is a touching example of how using different words to send the same message can get dramatically different results. A video celebrating kids and grownups who are doing extraordinary things to make the world more awesome. In April we celebrate all our volunteer heroes.

22 VISION: To set new standards of excellence in the delivery of health services in the Province of British Columbia. MISSION: Promote healthy lifestyles and provide needed health services in a timely, caring and efficient manner to the highest professional and quality standards. Key Strategies GOAL 1 Improve Health and Wellness 1.1 Implement health promotion, health protection, and prevention initiatives 1.2 Work with First Nations and Aboriginal partners to plan and deliver culturally sensitive health-care services 1.3 Assess, recommend, and implement actions to improve the health of Interior Health s population 1.4 Deliver patient and family centred care GOAL 2 Deliver High Quality Care 2.1 With partners, deliver primary and community care to meet population and individual health-care needs 2.2 Implement health improvement strategies for targeted populations across the continuum of care 2.3 Provide efficient, effective acute services that are linked across a coordinated system of care 2.4 Deliver evidence informed quality and safety initiatives GOAL 3 GOAL 4 Ensure Sustainable Health Care by Improving Innovation, Productivity, and Efficiency 3.1 Implement innovative service delivery models 3.2 Develop priority plans and implement transparent decision making processes 3.3 Enhance IMIT solutions 3.4 Build research and education capacity 3.5 Develop and enhance relationships with key external stakeholders Cultivate an Engaged Workforce and a Healthy Workplace 4.1 Enhance health and safety in the work environment 4.2 Ensure effective health human resource planning and management 4.3 Build leadership capacity Quality Integrity Respect Trust Strategy Map March 2017