Funded projects need to:
- ‘Fit’ with CDMS purpose: physician engagement/support and collaboration with stakeholders
- Have the potential to improve the quality of care or the workplace experience (including project feasibility and the opportunity for sustainability)
- Have budget and measures (in reviewing the project) defined
- Not contravene FE funding rules (not for clinical services, equipment, ongoing operations)
Current Projects
New Hospital Build:
We continue to support ad hoc physician involvement upto $2000 per physician group to support discussions on the new hospital build when physicians are not funded by Island Health for this period.
CDH Family Physician Workforce Engagement:
Project Lead: Dr. Graham Blackburn
Supporting ongoing engagement between CDH family physicians and medical leadership regarding workforce planning issues around new/pending inpatient care models, communicating roll-out of new IHealth components, updates regarding other CDH engagement projects that impact the Dept of Family Practice; supporting the medical lead in communication efforts.
Inpatient Care Sustainability Project:
Project Lead: Dr. Sue Barr
Cowichan Tribes Longhouse Outreach MD Program:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
The request for this program was initiated and has been driven by the elders responsible for the longhouses. They have requested support for the cultural practises that take place in the longhouse. This has been identified by community health leaders also as a priority area. The local health care team and the elders involved in the planning both recognize this as an important area in which reconciliation can occur. The design of the program is driven by Qu’wut’sun tribes leadership, and the work will support the ongoing cultural and spiritual practices of Qu’wut’sun tribes. It is the opinion of the longhouse elders that receiving health
care services at the Longhouse itself, when physically safe to do so, provides superior cultural safety to receiving health care in an institutional setting. This project also has the potential to decrease the need for use of hospital services.
Providing preventative medicine screening on a scheduled basis will allow medical problems to be identified early. Being available on call to treat medical conditions would prevent transfer of patients that might otherwise require assessment in an Urgent Care Centre or Emergency Department.
ED SIM:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
The Emergency Department (ED) had a very successful first year of simulation in 2021-2022 and were eager to continue in the upcoming year. The team created a monthly simulation session based on topics chosen by the emergency department team. A curriculum of educational materials was provided to the department prior to each simulation session, then the team gets together for an interdisciplinary simulation once a month. Focus is on improving team-based care and improving the emergency department environment for resuscitation.
CDH ER Retreat:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
Focus of the retreat was our medical care in the Emergency Department (ED), future directions as a group, cultural safety, and how we fit into the medical and greater community.
Orthopaedic OR nursing sessions:
Project Lead: Dr. Ricardo Velazquez
To enhance recruitment, retention, and team building/ engagement, the OR Nurse educator approached Dr. Velazquez to do some teaching sessions (covering equipment involved with hip arthroplasty and fractures) for new nurses and nursing students. The sessions include the Orthopaedic OR resource nurse and industry representatives that support the equipment being reviewed.
IHealth CDH Planning:
Project Leads: Dr. Ryan Gallagher and Dr. Tracey Stephenson
• Focus (early stages) to ensure we have a robust system to connect with all providers at CDH (possibly department contacts for IHealth communications and supports)
• Support walkthroughs re: device locations/input on design (will enquire re: how this could work with the devices team)
• Peer mentorship for early users to help provide shoulder to shoulder mentorship re: clinical documentation
• Funding to help people get together to create and share department and group-specific templates (potentially some from South Island) and tools (shortcuts) which are more locally focussed for notes on PowerChart
• ClinDoc post implementation lessons learned from CDH ER (and other earlier GoLives in other areas, and for CPOE), to focus plans and provide mentorship for other proceeding CDH areas
Recruitment & Retention:
Recruitment & Retention Committee Chair: Dr. Christie Avenant
Recruitment and Retention funding aims to stabilize and expand medical staff resources at Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) by:
Help Identify recruitment and retention issues that are or may impact CDMS members including:
Residency Working Group:
Project Lead: Dr. Tom Rimmer
The primary care crisis has highlighted the need to train more family physicians and we are expecting a funding announcement shortly that will provide for the development of new training sites across the province. Once established, a Cowichan based residency site would likely host 4 R-1 and 4 R-2 residents who would join the existing R-1 and R-2 Indigenous site residents.
We continue to support ad hoc physician involvement upto $2000 per physician group to support discussions on the new hospital build when physicians are not funded by Island Health for this period.
CDH Family Physician Workforce Engagement:
Project Lead: Dr. Graham Blackburn
Supporting ongoing engagement between CDH family physicians and medical leadership regarding workforce planning issues around new/pending inpatient care models, communicating roll-out of new IHealth components, updates regarding other CDH engagement projects that impact the Dept of Family Practice; supporting the medical lead in communication efforts.
Inpatient Care Sustainability Project:
Project Lead: Dr. Sue Barr
- Detailed review of local (Cowichan) inpatient care service model including analysis of funding streams, burden of work, factors impacting provider sustainability, identification of service and quality gaps from perspective of care providers and site management
- Comparison of local service model to inpatient care models implemented in other mid-size hospitals in BC - particularly the other midsize communities who have been supported by Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) inpatient care incentive funding.
- Reviewing upcoming Physician Master Agreement (effective April 2022) and analysing how this may impact local inpatient care service model
- Integrating this work with Health Human Resources discussions within Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) Replacement Project planning, with the perspective of future state planning for the new hospital setting.
Cowichan Tribes Longhouse Outreach MD Program:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
The request for this program was initiated and has been driven by the elders responsible for the longhouses. They have requested support for the cultural practises that take place in the longhouse. This has been identified by community health leaders also as a priority area. The local health care team and the elders involved in the planning both recognize this as an important area in which reconciliation can occur. The design of the program is driven by Qu’wut’sun tribes leadership, and the work will support the ongoing cultural and spiritual practices of Qu’wut’sun tribes. It is the opinion of the longhouse elders that receiving health
care services at the Longhouse itself, when physically safe to do so, provides superior cultural safety to receiving health care in an institutional setting. This project also has the potential to decrease the need for use of hospital services.
Providing preventative medicine screening on a scheduled basis will allow medical problems to be identified early. Being available on call to treat medical conditions would prevent transfer of patients that might otherwise require assessment in an Urgent Care Centre or Emergency Department.
ED SIM:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
The Emergency Department (ED) had a very successful first year of simulation in 2021-2022 and were eager to continue in the upcoming year. The team created a monthly simulation session based on topics chosen by the emergency department team. A curriculum of educational materials was provided to the department prior to each simulation session, then the team gets together for an interdisciplinary simulation once a month. Focus is on improving team-based care and improving the emergency department environment for resuscitation.
CDH ER Retreat:
Project Lead: Dr. Ava Butler
Focus of the retreat was our medical care in the Emergency Department (ED), future directions as a group, cultural safety, and how we fit into the medical and greater community.
Orthopaedic OR nursing sessions:
Project Lead: Dr. Ricardo Velazquez
To enhance recruitment, retention, and team building/ engagement, the OR Nurse educator approached Dr. Velazquez to do some teaching sessions (covering equipment involved with hip arthroplasty and fractures) for new nurses and nursing students. The sessions include the Orthopaedic OR resource nurse and industry representatives that support the equipment being reviewed.
IHealth CDH Planning:
Project Leads: Dr. Ryan Gallagher and Dr. Tracey Stephenson
• Focus (early stages) to ensure we have a robust system to connect with all providers at CDH (possibly department contacts for IHealth communications and supports)
• Support walkthroughs re: device locations/input on design (will enquire re: how this could work with the devices team)
• Peer mentorship for early users to help provide shoulder to shoulder mentorship re: clinical documentation
• Funding to help people get together to create and share department and group-specific templates (potentially some from South Island) and tools (shortcuts) which are more locally focussed for notes on PowerChart
• ClinDoc post implementation lessons learned from CDH ER (and other earlier GoLives in other areas, and for CPOE), to focus plans and provide mentorship for other proceeding CDH areas
Recruitment & Retention:
Recruitment & Retention Committee Chair: Dr. Christie Avenant
Recruitment and Retention funding aims to stabilize and expand medical staff resources at Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) by:
- Contributing to developing a robust and responsive strategic plan for medical human resources for CDH
Help Identify recruitment and retention issues that are or may impact CDMS members including:
- Locum availability, funding
- Recruitment needs in individual departments, current and projected
- Systemic barriers to recruitment and retention
Residency Working Group:
Project Lead: Dr. Tom Rimmer
The primary care crisis has highlighted the need to train more family physicians and we are expecting a funding announcement shortly that will provide for the development of new training sites across the province. Once established, a Cowichan based residency site would likely host 4 R-1 and 4 R-2 residents who would join the existing R-1 and R-2 Indigenous site residents.
