March 2022

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Read the latest VCH news for Medical Staff (Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Midwives & Dentists). The March 2022 edition of the newsletter is accessible on any device. ​​​​​​

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Message from VCH Leadership

Message from Dr. Dean Chittock, Vice President of Medicine, Quality & Safety and Dr. Chad Kim Sing, Associate Vice President of Medicine, Quality & Safety              

Dr. Chad Kim Sing (Left) and Dr. Dean Chittock (Right)​

​As medical staff, we make decisions every day that affect the health of those we care for. And those choices affect not only the people around us, but the world we live in.

In this Spring 2022 Medical Staff Newsletter we celebrate and recognize Vancouver Coastal Health's commitment to planetary health. As an organization, individuals, and health care providers, we have an opportunity and obligation to be accountable and responsible for building not only healthy persons, but healthy environments. This goes far beyond 'reduce, reuse, recycle' to a commitment around questioning and changing our approaches to delivering health care.

VCH has made planetary health a strategic priority, not because it's a popular movement but because it's the right and ethical choice for our organization and those in our communities.

Our work as medical professionals is constantly informed through learning and questioning. Our approach to planetary health should be no different. We encourage you to embed the question of 'how can we do the best we can?' to reduce the environmental impacts of our work and carbon footprint. Ask ourselves, 'are there better ways of doing business?' 'Can we do things in a different way?' These are questions we should be asking before each act of consumption, purchase and action as we provide service. Many of our colleagues are already asking these questions, and we've featured a number of their initiatives in this edition of the newsletter.

Many of you may not realize the power you have in your decisions: influencing purchasing choices, supplies, food services, contracts, diagnostics, and treatments. You hold considerable sway, both within our organization and within the larger health care community.

As medical leadership, we commit as well: to educate, remove barriers, and integrate a thought process around planetary health into all of our activities.  We ask the same of you.

In the last year alone, our health authority has helped those dealing with floods, wildfires and an extreme heat dome, all while still in the midst of a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has lifted a veil on inequities across our society, many of which are exacerbated or driven by climate change, such as food insecurity across our own nation.

There are already projects underway to support planetary health across VCH, and we encourage you to share your ideas with each other and with us. Reach out to medicalstafffeedback@vch.ca. We'll continue to share opportunities for learning and participating in new projects through this newsletter, on the medical staff website, and through the medical staff forums.  We hope you'll join us in our commitment to planetary health and making positive changes together.  

In the Spotlight
​Creating a Planetary Health 'anchor institution' at VCH         
Photo: Dr. Andrea MacNeill ​

​It was an awareness of the ecological impact of surgery, combined with a lifelong passion for the environment, that spurred surgical oncologist Dr. Andrea MacNeill's championship of meaningful change in the health care industry.

“I was struck by the visible waste in the operating room as a resident and felt there had to be a better way," she explains. “I learned that only a decade prior, hospital incinerators were a leading source of dioxins – a carcinogen – and was distressed by the paradox that in the process of taking out someone's cancer, we were creating more cancers."

A surgical oncologist at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), she also holds the inaugural role of VCH Regional Medical Director of Planetary Health and is a clinical associate professor at UBC.  Andrea's goal is to introduce and encourage personal, institutional and regulatory responsibility and actions across VCH that will create a culture of real, positive difference in sustainability. To her knowledge, VCH is the first health authority in Canada to explicitly acknowledge planetary health in its overarching strategy and to make such a substantial commitment to embedding it across the organization.

In 2018, Andrea led a study of the levels of greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions in the Canadian health care system, making Canada only the third country to do so. The methodology from this study is now a cornerstone of the Lancet Countdown's annual reporting on national health system emissions for over 40 countries.

In addition to her role at VCH, she's maintained an academic practice and in 2021 launched the UBC Planetary Healthcare Lab – a collaborative of experts and thought leaders from engineering, health economics, policy, public health, and behavioural psychology to work closely with VCH in a living laboratory model with ready access to real world data and accelerated uptake of best practices.

Health care, she says, is responsible for five percent of emissions in Canada, and VCH has both the opportunity and moral responsibility to take a leadership role in creating solutions to decarbonize our activities.

The business case for VCH taking a planetary health approach to care and operations is strong. By reducing our carbon footprint, the health sector stands to benefit more than any other industry as we bear the cost of treating the increasing burden of environmentally-mediated disease and, by extension, reap the benefits of better population health.

“The heat dome of 2021, historic wildfires and atmospheric rivers have forced a reckoning with the inevitability of climate change impacting our ability to deliver health care," she says. “Out of necessity, VCH is ahead of the curve. Our remarkable public health group has done ground-breaking work on predicting future climate events, identifying vulnerabilities, and helping us prepare for them."

Andrea believes that there are opportunities in every role across VCH to make decisions that reduce the impact of our work on the world around us – from our personal actions, to institutional choices, to driving systems-level change. 

VCH enjoys a high level of workforce engagement around planetary health. Individuals like Dr. Rashmi Chadha, a pain and addiction specialist at VCH, have been instrumental in mobilizing physicians and nurses in advocating for a just transition from fossil fuels and protecting nature. The Energy & Environmental Sustainability team has achieved impressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy use across VCH facilities and is advancing a circular economy strategy. As an organization with considerable purchasing power, VCH has an opportunity to address its own footprint while driving positive change throughout the supply chain.

Andrea has a vision of Vancouver Coastal Health and its facilities as not only places for reactive care, but 'anchor institutions' whose commitment to planetary health contributes to improved health and wellbeing in the broader communities we serve.

There will be many opportunities for medical staff to become involved both through their own areas of practice and corporate initiatives, Andrea says. She is co-constructing with Quality and Patient Safety a Planetary Health Quality Improvement initiative which will provide institutional support for people who want to improve processes of care while reducing our environmental footprint.

“Hospitals can become forces of social good for their communities and create positive value for people. I've been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support for this new role. We are very fortunate to have so many people who want to be part of this transition and to see VCH lead the way toward low-carbon, sustainable, resilient health care."​


Taking a bite out of food waste in health care  

Dr. Eileen Wong (Left) and Dr. Annie Lalande (Right)​

As inflation rises and supply chains grow taut, British Columbians are more thoughtful than ever about food security and waste.

Food waste is an issue that's not new for institutions, says Dr. Eileen Wong, and one that she's sought to address in long term care at Holy Family Hospital (Providence Health Care), by looking at it from the perspective of resident quality of life and enjoyment.

Recognizing how often enjoyment of food – or lack thereof – came up in family meetings with staff at Holy Family Hospital's long term care, in early 2018, she started a quality improvement project measuring the amount of food that LTC residents weren't finishing and to understand why, as it was a consistent cause of concern for families. 

“We want the best possible food experience for the residents," Eileen explains. “The idea came from idea of 'food is medicine' for the soul. We all eat food, we all need food, make it the best we can especially for people who are vulnerable. It's important that we take that extra time and effort to make the food experience better."

By making some simple changes, such as reducing portion sizes while retaining needed calories, food waste from cognitively intact residents dropped by half from December 2018 to September 2019. At the same time, the team learned that things like taste, temperature and texture were more important than dishware or surroundings.

Producing, distributing and preparing food all takes resources and energy – water, fertilizer, fossil fuel – so health care institutions have a responsibility to consider how this impacts planetary health, and what we can do to make improvement, explains Eileen.

We also have an opportunity and responsibility to consider ethnically appropriate foods in health care, she says, by considering introducing plant-based meal options or those informed by cultural background or religious beliefs.

Dr. Annie Lalande, a resident physician working with VCH in Dr. Andrea MacNeill's Planetary Health Lab, led a similar study of 100 surgical patients at VCH. Over the 12 weeks of the study, which weighed the amount of unconsumed food at each meal served to the patients, more than 565 kilos of food were wasted. It's not uncommon, she says. On average in Canadian hospitals, about 50 percent of food served to patients is thrown out.

“When you consider this in the context of the thousands of admissions we have at VGH alone every year, it's striking," Annie says. “We have seen even more clearly over the last year how the planetary climate and ecological crisis is a health crisis as well. Food systems are major drivers in this, and malnourished patients have much higher healthcare demands. We are in a loop where food drives illness and ecological crises, which then leads to more health issues, which then drives the ecological crisis further. We have a vested interest in increasing health on all these levels."

 While the program at Holy Family was interrupted by COVID, Eileen is trying to continue auditing food waste in all LTC facilities at PHC.

“We want a best possible food experience for the resident. When you're in long term care, the quality of your food becomes a central focus. As a physician there's very little we can due to chronic disease so quality of life is what we're looking at to improve." ​

Did you know?
​Doctors for Planetary Health - West Coast                                                                   
Photo: Dr. Rashmi Chadha​

Dr. Rashmi Chadha, an addiction and pain management specialist at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), is passionate about creating a community movement to address the climate emergency.

​In her work, Rashmi has seen firsthand the human impact of the climate crisis.

“Many of my patients are people that are homeless," says Rashmi. “Which makes them particularly vulnerable to climate change. This was especially evident last summer when BC experienced extreme heat during the heat dome."

In February 2020, Rashmi co-founded Extinction Rebellion – Health Professionals, which in April 2021, became Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast. The organization's mission is to remind people of the interconnectedness between human and ecological health.

“I felt that getting a group of health care professionals: physicians, nurse practitioners and medical students together, to do grassroots activism, could be a powerful image," says Rashmi. “As health care professionals, we are seen as a trusted voice within the community, and I thought it would be impactful for the general public to see physicians, in their spare time, protesting for the environment."

Through grassroots activism, the organization hopes to bring attention to the cost that climate crisis inaction is taking on people's health.

On November 4, 2021, the group protested in front of the Legislature in Victoria. Dressed in scrubs, members of Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast gave their prescriptions for climate action.

They hope to engage change at all levels of the community, from the provincial government, to the health authorities, to other doctors and their patients.

Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast believe that every decision must be approached with a climate change angle, including decisions made within the health care system.

Rashmi's advice to her fellow medical professionals is to get involved. Join your local Green+ Leaders team and start the conversation for change. Find like-minded colleagues and take your ideas for change to your managers.

“One silver lining of the pandemic," she says, “Is that it has helped people reconnect to nature. When we are not connected to nature, we forget how crucial it is."

More information on Doctors for Planetary Health – West Coast can be found here

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Reduction in routine 'group and screens' leads to a greener healthcare system

Photo: Dr. Andrew Shih (Left) and Dr. Jacqueline Trudeau (Right)

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Sometimes, the smallest changes can lead to significant outcomes.

When Drs. Jacqueline Trudeau and Andrew Shih decided to investigate the impact of reducing preoperative group and screens (GRS) for their Physician Led Quality Improvement (PLQI) project, they wanted to help ease the burden placed on patients, but also on the healthcare system as a whole.

Andrew, Medical Director and Regional Medical Leader of Transfusion Medicine at Vancouver Coastal Health, explains that their GRS reduction project, to some extent, was born out of the pandemic.

“Most preoperative consultations have been happening virtually due to COVID-19," says Andrew. “However, since the preoperative GRS still needs to be done at the site where the surgery happens, many patients were having to travel long distances, just to get their bloodwork done."

They developed a dashboard tool linking surgical procedures to transfusion rates, to demonstrate that if a patient's bleeding risk was low enough (less than two percent), then the likelihood of requiring a transfusion was also very low, meaning a 'routine' GRS prior wasn't needed prior surgery.

PLQI program advisors Emma Pienaar and Allison Chiu were instrumental in the development of the dashboard tool.

The dashboard was originally born out of a proof-of-concept spreadsheet which Jacqueline herself painstakingly developed, by linking the datasets and applying the concept of minimizing unnecessary GRSs in orthopedic surgeries.

“The goal is to produce a set of shared guidelines based on our local transfusion data," says Andrew. “This will hopefully help surgeons and anesthesiologists decide which patients require a GRS, and which do not."

Not only will patients and physicians be able to save their time and resources, but also, the environmental impact will be greatly reduced as a result.

“There are some key environmental benefits that we are hoping to highlight, from the reduction in carbon emissions resulting from less travel, to the decrease in medical supplies used," says Andrew.

By collaborating with the UBC Planetary Healthcare Lab, they're now expanding the date in the dashboard tool such as the distance a patient travels to obtain their GRS, to determine the environmental impact.

 

Based on roughly 15 percent of surgeries at UBC Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) from 2016 and 2021, the team concluded that patients travelled approximately 571, 593 km for unnecessary GRSs – this equates to an estimated 195.8 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Andrew says the project also highlights inequities within the healthcare system, particularly for those living in smaller, rural and/or remote communities.

“For patients needing to travel to an urban centre for their GRS, this often also means taking one or more days off from work, just to get a blood test done," says Andrew. “So we're hoping to make it possible for these patients to have their initial GRS done where they live, to help lower the burden placed on them."

Traditionally, testing took place at the operating centre to ensure the right patient received the right blood.  The team is working with blood banks across the province for testing closer to home. They're developing unique approaches to safely share results for identified peri-operative patients with the operating centres, to help them prepare properly-matched blood.

The team believes collaborating across health authorities will both help reduce the significant time and financial burden for patients in rural areas, and will provide a more welcoming and patient-centered approach.

“Some people living in remote communities, including Indigenous communities, may not feel entirely comfortable accessing care in larger centers, and are often more open to, and accepting of, care provided in their local community," says Andrew.

Andrew and Jacqueline are just two of many health professionals in B.C. and elsewhere working to reduce unnecessary testing for the benefit of patients, the healthcare ​system, and overall planetary health. ​


​The triple-bottom line: how unnecessary lab testing impacts patients, hospitals and the environment

Photo: Dr. Karina Spoyalo (Left) and Dr. Janet Simons (Right)

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Have you ever stopped to wonder whether all lab tests ordered for patients are absolutely necessary?

For Dr. Janet Simons, Co-Medical Director, Clinical Informatics, and Internal Medicine Physician at Providence Health Care (PHC), this question has been the focus of much of her work at St. Paul's Hospital (SPH).

“As a medical biochemist, lab medicine is an integral aspect of my work," says Janet. “So I'm constantly questioning, with both hospitalized patients and outpatients, 'do we always need all of the lab tests that are ordered on our patients?'"

She says at SPH, the norm has been to collect blood work from patients every morning, which can be unpleasant for the patient, and is often unimportant for their medical care plan.

“So by inserting a prompt in the system for physicians to choose whether or not to reorder blood work, we reduced the amount of blood we were collecting each day by approximately 30 percent," she says.

Each blood test requires several physical components, including the needle, plastic tubing, sterile coating and paper labels. Due to staffing and supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, some of these are now imported, resulting in additional emissions from shipping. 

“You can imagine the environmental impact not only from the amount of waste produced, but also from planes flying across the globe to deliver supplies," says Janet. “Decreasing the amount of blood and other lab tests is a relatively simple, yet highly impactful, means of reducing the carbon footprint of our healthcare system."

The UBC Planetary Healthcare Lab, led by Dr. Andrea MacNeill, creates innovative solutions to tackle the growing environmental effects of the B.C. healthcare system. Dr. Karina Spoyalo, General Surgery Resident at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and member of the lab, has been leading a study around eliminating excessive blood work.

“We've been focusing specifically on general surgery inpatients, and we wanted to see how often we've been collecting non-essential blood work," says Karina. “On average, nearly one in five patients in Canada undergo some form of unnecessary blood testing, and this is due to various factors, but ultimately it stems from a lack of standardization."

Their team found that 76 percent of uncomplicated general surgery patients at VGH were receiving unnecessary blood work. They also developed a set of recommendations to guide the appropriate use of lab testing, and avoid unnecessary investigations into patient presentations.

“We calculated the cost of the excess testing to be around $10,000 [over one year], which may not sound like a lot at first, but this is one small subset of patients, in one single division of surgery, at one hospital, in just one year," Karina says.

She says they're also trying to measure the total amount of carbon emissions generated during the lifecycle of each single consumable (a syringe, for example), to accurately determine the environmental impact.

“To me, this is the most interesting aspect, but it's also the most granular. We have to multiply the weight of each consumable by its emission factor, and then consider where it was produced, how it was transported to VGH and where it was discarded/recycled."

Quantifying all the carbon dioxide equivalents produced from each lab test helps demonstrate the positive impact of laboratory stewardship programs on the health of individual patients, and global health communities.

Thanks to curious minds like those of Janet and Karina, we'll be a step closer towards a more environmentally sustainable healthcare system. ​

Get Involved!

​If you have any content/ideas you would like to share for future Medical Staff Newsletters, please contact Darren Piper at darren.piper@vch.ca

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​Medical Staff website redesign

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​​The VCH medical staff website is being redesigned in order to provide medical staff with the information they require to feel supported and informed as critical partners in care delivery. 

Engaging with medical staff on the design of the new website is critical in ensuring an effective user experience, and providing information that is timely, useful, accurate, and relevant.

We want to hear from you!

If you are a physician, nurse practitioner, midwife or dentist, help us improve the website by completing an 8 minute survey  to let us know:

  • What information/resources should be included?
  • What are the current barriers?​
  • How can we enhance the navigation experience?

Also consider joining a focus group or 1:1 Zoom call, and you could win a pair of AirpodsPro with MagSafe charging case! ​


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Planetary Health in pictures

What does planetary health look like to you? We invite you to share a photo that represents how you see planetary health in your everyday lives. Although we won't be able to include all your photos in future newsletters we can certainly feature a few (with the appropriate photo credits).

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Photo Credit: Brian Lane

These are two photos that remind us how impactful it can be to have access to clean water and outdoor spaces.

Please email Darren.piper@vch.ca with your planetary health photo submissions, with applicable photo credits. ​


​​The BC Medical Quality Initiative (BC MQI) brings together healthcare partners to improve the quality of medical care in B.C.

Medical quality in B.C. is the shared responsibility of health authorities, government, regulatory colleges, professional associations, collaborative committees, and others. The BC MQI brings healthcare partners together to improve care for individuals and communities.

The BC MQI is responsible for keeping privileging dictionaries current. These are criteria-based standards which bring consistency to medical staff credentialing and privileging in B.C. – they help provide essential clarity around practice expectations for medical staff.

As a VCH medical staff member, your feedback is vital – help the BC MQI re-evaluate the use of privileging dictionaries by taking this 10-15 minute survey.

Your input will help support the responsible delivery of high quality health care across B.C.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the BC MQI office at BCMQIProgramOffice@bcmqi.ca. Help us measure sustainable progress in health care​


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Green transportation options for VCH staff

There are a number of active and clean transportation options to commute to/from work, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance air quality. 

Whether you're in Vancouver, Richmond, or one of the Coastal areas, there are different choices available for sustainable commuting.

By choosing a cleaner and more active alternative to a single occupant vehicle (SOV), just one day a week, you can help reduce GHG emissions by 20 percent!

Check out some of these great resources and incentives to help make your commute a little greener.


Bike to work 

Cycling has many benefits as a method of transportation – it's healthy, safe for the environment, and a great way to relieve stress.

Did you know – VCH staff are eligible for discounted memberships with Mobi by Shaw Go?

Bike share provides access to public bicycles for short-term use – perfect for commuting, running errands, or exploring the city.

Be sure to visit the VCH intranet for a variety of cycling resources, including seminars, staff discounts, and information about the award-winning VGH Cycling Centre.

Transit to work

Taking transit is a great low-carbon emission option, and it adds walking to your daily commute, which enhances overall health and wellness.

Did you know – VCH FT and PT staff who commute regularly by transit are eligible for the VCH Transit Subsidy Program? 

And if you don't live/work near a transit stop, consider driving to a Park and Ride lot, and hopping on transit from there.

Check out TravelSmart for more information on how to incorporate transit and other active transportation methods into your commute.


Inter-hospital shuttle service

The inter-hospital shuttle is a free service to travel between hospital sites in Vancouver, and since the onset of COVID-19, has been increasingly used by commuters.

The shuttle, operated by the Bett Lauridsen Commuter Centre, transports staff, faculty, and medical students (and on a limited basis, patients and visitors), along three inter-hospital routes.

Did you know – the shuttle has been in operation since 1996, and carries approximately 120,000 passengers each year!



Other alternatives

Carpool – GoOrca allows VCH staff to search for nearby colleagues with similar commutes to set up potential carpool matches. It's quick, secure, and a great way to reduce your carbon footprint!

Car Share – options like Evo and Modo are convenient and affordable, and they offer either electric or hybrid vehicles choices, which have a lighter environmental impact.

Thinking about investing in an electric vehicle (EV) of your own?

Did you know – Sixty percent of BC residents are interested in buying an EV, or already own one, according to a survey from Stratcom and Clean Energy Canada.

In April 2021, VCH began building the largest installation of EV charging stations in the province, at Richmond Hospital. A total of 30 EV charging stations will be installed in the Richmond Hospital parkade, and will be available for use by VCH staff, medical staff, and patients. ​

Events & Education Opportunities
​Upcoming Virtual Medical Staff Forums  

April 20 – Planetary Health and COVID-19 Update

Join us for a presentation from Dr. Andrea MacNeill, Regional Medical Director for Planetary Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, on the environmental effects of the health-care industry and how medical staff can help make a positive impact. There will also be a COVID-19 update and live Q&A session.

Panelists:  Dr. Chad Kim Sing (host), Dr. Ross Brown, Dr. Patricia Daly, Vivian Eliopoulos, Dr. Andrea MacNeill and Dr. Titus Wong  

Date and time: Apr. 20, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Topic: Planetary health and COVID-19 update

REGISTER HERE 

Submit questions in advance using the registration link, or via email to: Darren.piper@vch.ca.

See VCH Medical Staff Intranet for content from previous medical staff forums.

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May 18 – Save the date! Topic to be determined

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June 15 – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and COVID-19 Update

Join us for a presentation from Dr. Don Wilson, Regional Medical Director of Indigenous Health and first Indigenous member of the Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee, on cultural safety and the latest Indigenous Health initiatives at VCH. There will also be a COVID-19 update and live Q&A session.

Upcoming Courses & Conferences
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Title:Date(s):Format & Description:Cost:Target Audience:
Courses:    

Finding and Creating Joy in work  -

Institute of Health Innovation (IHI)

 

 

April 6, 2022

 

Register

here

 

 

 

Online Course with Coaching

Six weeks of biweekly video content, three all-learner calls, and an opportunity for added coaching

 

This online course with coaching is full of new thinking, resources, strategies, frameworks, and solutions will help workforces truly thrive — not just survive.  The course will share proven quality improvement (QI)  methods to create a positive work environment that fosters camaraderie, meaning, choice, and equity, and ensures the commitment to delivering high-quality care, even in stressful times. 

Regular Rate: $549 per person

IHI Premium Member Rate:
$412 per person

IHI Premium Plus Member Rate:
$275 per person

 

All Medical Staff in any health care  discipline who are interested in using QI methods to foster joy in work

 

Understanding and identifying Unconscious Bias –

VCH

 

 

April 19, 2022

1:00 – 3:00 p.m..

 

To register, log in to the Learning Hub

Online, Facilitated. 

This course is intended to help increase our awareness of inclusion literacy, understanding unconscious bias and cross-cultural competency.  The purpose of this workshop is to establish a foundational understanding of how biases are formed in the unconscious. Participants will have an increased awareness by reflecting on the on the results of Harvard Implicit Bias self-assessment.

No costAll Medical Staff

VCH/PHC Physician Led Quality Improvement – Level 1 Training.

 

 

Learn at your own pace

 

Register for this event

 

Online.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) offers dozens of online courses to medical staff (physician, midwives, NPs and dentists) on quality improvement, patient safety, and leadership, amongst others.

 

No cost

 

Note: Physicians are eligible for sessional payment of 5 hours once you have completed Level 1 Training.

New / Emerging Leaders

VCH/PHC Physician Led Quality Improvement

– Level 2 Training.

Register for this event

May 12 - 13, 2022 (12:30 - 4:00 p.m.)

July 7 - 8, 2022 (12:30 - 4:00 p.m.)

Aug. 18 - 19, 2022 (12:30 - 4:00 p.m.)

Online, Facilitated. 

A two half-day custom built training introduction to fundamental quality improvement (QI) skills and concepts. For those interested in leading a QI project, our funding model, and program supports will be discussed.

No cost

 

Note: CME accredited, SSC Funding provided for 7 hours sessional rate.

New / Emerging Leaders

Online LEADS Leadership Foundations program.

- Canadian College of Health Leaders

 

 

Fall Cohort Sept. – Dec., 2022

Register here.

 

Fall Evening Cohort Sept.-Dec., 2022

Register here.

 

Online, Facilitated. Approximately three (3) months in length

Completion of a LEADS Leadership Foundations program or its individual domain modules, provides the groundwork of leader skill learning. They also provides the opportunity for increased awareness of LEADS throughout organizations and community partners, contributing to the shifting of leadership conversations culture throughout the health system. 

Create a LEADS-based leadership development path that incorporates custom content, and a blended format of interactive webinars plus the time and space in between to reflect on learnings

Full Program
(Open Enrolment)  Fee: $1775 (+tax)		Aspiring Leaders
Conferences:    

2022 Canadian Conference on Physician Leadership - Our Planet, Our People, Our Health. Calling on Physician Leadership.

 

May 6-7, 2022

Pre-conference May 4-5, 2022

 

Register for this event.

 

In Person - Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto ON, with option to watch livestream or recorded sessions from home.

Are you concerned about your wellbeing, your patients, your planet? COVID-19 has challenged us to improve our approach, to become more adaptive and more inclusive. 

 

Prices dependent upon membership & pre-conference options / workshops.All Medical Staff
2022 Quality Forum

May 31 – June 2, 2022

 

Register for this event at the end of March.

In Person.

This is an annual conference that brings together British Columbia's health care community to share and discuss how to improve quality across the continuum of care.  More information to come as registration begins end of March!  Save this date in your calendar as it is an event not to be missed!

 

Prices dependent upon membership & pre-conference options / workshops.All Medical Staff

2022 National Health Leadership Conference (NHLC) -Leveraging leadership and people capacity for better health outcomes

 

June 6-7, 2022. 

 

Register for this event. 

Virtual.

Join us for the largest gathering of health leaders across Canada, to evaluate and analyze the challenges and lessons learned from the pandemic in terms of system and human capital and ask ourselves how we can empower leaders to elevate their people strategy, grow our leadership and human resource capacity, and focus on building back better by caring for people.

 

Fee: $395-$495 (+tax)

Early bird pricing until Apr. 22, 2022.

Members of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and HealthCareCAN are entitled to a $100 discount.

 

All Medical Staff

 

Scholarship Support for Physicians

VCH Physicians - The tuition / registration fees of the above course & conferences may be eligible for coverage from your SSC Physician Leadership Training Scholarship.  Before starting the course, complete a completed application form found here



Wellness
​Physician Health Program

The Physician Health Program is a valuable resource for B.C medical staff, medical students, and residents as well as their partners and children.

The program provides 24-hour access to a confidential helpline – anytime you need it – to receive support, referrals and counselling for challenges such as mental health, relationship stress, and career and life transitions. To learn more, visit the website.


LifeWorks Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) 

VCH staff, medical staff and their families can access counselling and individual wellness services by calling 1-833-533-1577 for all of their health and wellness needs. For more information, visit oneVCH. 

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Free Calm app premium subscription for VCH staff 

​TELUS Health has partnered with VCH to offer one-year, free Calm premium subscriptions to VCH staff and medical staff. For more info and for how to redeem, visit oneVCH.   

The VPSA has collated a list of resources to support wellbeing in your department / division.




​​​​​​Thank you

We would like to express a sincere thank you to each of the members of our Editorial Board, as well as to VCH Communications, Vivian Chan, Laurie Kilburn, Darren Piper, Allison Chiu and Brian Lane (Medical Quality Leadership & Practice). These individuals have taken the time to help ensure the sharing of timely updates that are relevant to our VCH medical staff within our diverse groups and Communities of Care.​



 

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​Contact List​​​

​VCH is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes input from racialized persons / persons of color, women, indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGTBQIA2S+, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
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