2007 Award Recipients
Gold Apple Winners
Left to Right:
Lee VanMeter; Alice Jean Raffan; Dr. Holly Tuokko; Leslie Gamble; Judy Huska; Dr. Dan Horvat; Dr. Bill Clifford; Anita Dickson
Download the Awards Luncheon Program
TOP INNOVATOR – AFFILIATE
2007 Gold Apple Winner
Left to Right:
Linda Petch, HEABC Board Chair; Dr. Holly Tuokko; Alice Jean Raffan; Louise Simard, HEABC President and CEO
Alice Jean Raffan – Central Care Corporation
Dr. Holly Tuokko – University of Victoria
Psycho-Geriatric Care on Vancouver Island
Alice Jean Raffan of Central Care Corporation and Dr. Holly Tuokko of the University of Victoria’s Centre on Aging have been singled out for their work in the development and implementation of an innovative new healthcare model that focuses on the treatment of seniors living with serious and persistent mental illness.
Until recently, psycho-geriatric patients could only be treated at Riverview Hospital. Now, at Central Care Corporation’s Sandringham Care Centre on Vancouver Island, 46 patients are receiving care. With the complex needs of these patients, a new model was needed. Using the BC Ministry of Health Best Practices guidelines and created in consultation with geriatric specialists, a new philosophy of care was employed. With Alice Jean’s, known as AJ to friends and colleagues, vision and leadership, Central Care Corporation collaborated with Vancouver Island Health Authority and the University of Victoria to implement this new model.
A set of values were established for providing care that include a focus on client and family-centered care that is goal-oriented, and accessible and flexible. With these clear values and guidelines, Central Care Corporation was able to deliver care that met only the unique needs of these patients, but also supported staff in caring for them.
Alice Jean Raffan, RN, BScN, MEd, is Regional Knowledge Manager for Central Care Corporation. She has spent most of her years of practice in the care and service of older adults, in the community and in long-term care.
Dr. Holly Tuokko is a professor in the Department of Psychology and the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria. She is a neuropsychologist by training.
TOP INNOVATOR – AFFILIATE
2007 Award of Merit Recipients Top
Neall Ireland – Haro Park Centre Society
Primary Care Reform in Long-Term Care
Neall Ireland of Vancouver’s Haro Park Centre Society is being recognized for supporting quality of life for elders by incorporating leading-edge technology to enhance the delivery of care provided by house physicians and the entire interdisciplinary team. Neall redesigns work flow and systems using electronic healthcare records to support elder care. He has worked as a Care Aide at Haro Park’s Complex Care Facility since 1987 and is also the Goldcare Implementation Coordinator. Through his tireless efforts and boundless enthusiasm, Neall has become a leader in the industry and a valued resource to others, including health authorities, as they develop their electronic healthcare record strategies.
Graham Taylor – James Bay Community Project
Health Clinic – James Bay Community Project
The James Bay Community Project’s (JBCP) Health Clinic is being recognized with an Award of Merit for its innovative approach to healthcare delivery. JBCP is a Victoria-based, non-profit, integrated, interdisciplinary health program which incorporates parenting, counseling, and prevention programs with a health clinic for the benefit of the James Bay community and others who wish to access its services. Graham Taylor has been Manager of the health clinic since August 2003 and through his leadership, has helped make the health clinic a world leader in holistic and integrated health service delivery.
TOP INNOVATOR – HEALTH AUTHORITY
– SUPPORTED BY GREAT-WEST LIFE
2007 Gold Apple Winner Top
Left to Right:
Linda Petch, HEABC Board Chair; Lee VanMeter; Louise Simard, HEABC President and CEO
Lee VanMeter – Interior Health
Staffing Services Redesign
Interior Health undertook the Staffing Services Redesign Project to standardize staff scheduling and utilization processes throughout the region and address a number of human resource issues. The goals of the project were improved staff retention, standardized staff utilization, better end-user service for managers, casuals and staff, and reduced costs.
Having been involved with the staff scheduling component of staff utilization in BC healthcare for the past 15 years, Project Leader, Lee VanMeter knew that positive and permanent change needed to occur to achieve these goals.
A comprehensive Services Operating Procedure was developed by a design team consisting of a mix of about 40 staff from across the region including 35 managers, union, and front-line staff (including casuals) from the acute, residential, home and community, and mental health areas. A highly participatory and inclusive process, the design team created 22 workflows and reached consensus on all but one of them. The team addressed everything from urgent and emergent leave to rotation and position management and everyone worked hard to develop a system that would service the various needs of the entire region.
Already underway in two areas, the new system spearheaded by Lee has been heralded as a success. Recently, a third area formally requested the system be implemented there as well.
Lee VanMeter is the Project Lead for the Staffing Services Redesign and is based out of Interior Health’s Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
TOP INNOVATOR – HEALTH AUTHORITY
2007 Award of Merit Recipients Top
Freda Betz-Martin – Fraser Health
Burnaby Hospital Bed Capacity Utilization
This project was focused on ensuring that the bed capacity at Burnaby Hospital was used in the most appropriate manner to meet the needs of the patients on a timely basis. The objective was to improve patient flow and significantly reduce delay in the system of how patients move from admission to hospital through to their discharge. The focus was simple: every patient’s care was closely managed to ensure that the patient received the care and interventions that they needed every day of their stay with no days “wasted” in order to significantly reduce the number of beds used at the hospital. This was accomplished through the intervention of an “expert” team that worked with the site management to apply a set of efficiency methodologies and principles.
Freda Betz-Martin is Director, Systems Analysis and Performance Improvement for Fraser Health and holds a degree in Social Work.
Sean Hardiman – Northern Health
Northern Health Connections
The Northern Health Connections program is a major effort by Northern Health to improve travel options for patients who live in rural and remote communities. The first, and largest, component of the project was the NH Connections bus service, a ground transportation system providing patients with inexpensive access to transportation for healthcare appointments. The service itself is fully wheelchair-accessible, and includes a North American first in that the coaches have a fully wheelchair accessible washroom. Additional services included negotiations with six hotels in major referral centres to provide patients with low-cost accommodation options.
Sean Hardiman is Chief Liaison Officer for Northern Health, working out of Prince George. He holds degrees in kinesiology and health administration from the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia, respectively and also is a licensed paramedic.
HEALTHY WORKPLACE
– SUPPORTED BY HEALTHCARE BENEFIT TRUST
2007 Gold Apple Winner Top
Left to Right:
Linda Petch, HEABC Board Chair; Leslie Gamble; Louise Simard, HEABC President and CEO
Leslie Gamble – Interior Health
Participatory Ergonomics in Healthcare Facility Design
Interior Health recognizes that ergonomics play a vital role in the design of quality healthcare environments for both staff and patients. In 2005, Leslie Gamble, an Ergonomic Specialist, was appointed to the Core Facility Design Planning Team for major projects within Interior Health. Some of the key objectives of this initiative were to ensure comfort and work quality requirements for employees and patients were included in the design process, directly involve front-line staff affected by any changes, and influence the design process and/or equipment purchase to incorporate these principles.
This initiative has enabled Interior Health to formalize the value an ergonomic specialist can add to the healthcare facility design process. Leslie carried out her role responsibilities with a firm belief that she could make a difference in the outcome of patient care and staff safety through facility design interventions. She spent countless hours obtaining front-line input into the process through one-on-one interviews, job observations, and focus groups. Her leadership has served to strengthen ergonomic input into the facility design process and the payoffs have been numerous – staff satisfaction, improved efficiencies, reduced injuries, cost reductions, and enhanced patient care.
Leslie Gamble, BScOT, CEES, began her career in healthcare as a clinician in 1987 allowing her the opportunity to work in a variety of specialty areas. In 1995, she became one of the first healthcare workers in BC to become certified as an Ergonomic Specialist. Leslie has published numerous articles and has recently been accepted for two additional publications in Healthcare Design Magazine. She has presented all over North America and in July 2007 she was asked to present on three topics at the World Congress on Ergonomics in Holland. She works out of Interior Health’s Kelowna office.
HEALTHY WORKPLACE
2007 Award of Merit Recipients Top
Fit for Life Committee – St. Jude’s Anglican Home
Team Lead: Chris Norman – Administrator
Fit for Life Committee
The Fit for Life committee was formed in 2005 with the goal of changing the workplace health and safety culture at Vancouver-based St. Jude’s Anglican Home. With employees now leading the change towards a better workplace climate, the Committee developed a number of programs in response to issues identified by employees as being barriers to workplace wellness. The members of the committee are: Ravinder Braich, Housekeeper; Yi Fen Chen, Dietary Aide; Mary Maddock, Recreation Aide; Corazon Munoz, Cook; Chris Norman, Administrator and Amy Zhang, Care Aide. All members have an interest in health and wellness, and are committed to St. Jude’s becoming a safe, health, and caring work environment where all employees feel respected and valued, and enjoy coming to work.
Wellness Steering Committee – Vancouver Island Health Authority
Team Lead: Joe Powers – Manager, Mental Health and Addictions
VIHA’s Wellness Steering Committee
Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Wellness Steering Committee was formed to provide an oversight function for the VIHA’s organization-wide Health Workplace Initiative. The main objectives for the project were to analyze the state of wellness activities and programming in VIHA, identify the cultural shifts required to move the wellness agenda forward, respond to the ActNow BC Initiative, and provide an evidence-based approach to developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining an island-wide health workplace/wellness strategy. Committee membership included representatives from the major healthcare unions (BCNU, BCGEU, HEU, HSA, UPN) and VIHA managers from five clinical portfolios: Public Health, Mental Health & Addictions, Residential Care, Heart Health, Laundry, and Human Resources). The Committee is an excellent example of both parties coming together to advance a healthy workplace agenda and approach wellness as a common goal. The true value of the committee was that it was “grass roots” leadership providing direction and services to all of VIHA. While there was Executive and senior management support for its work, Committee members actually provided the “shop floor” leadership required to make this healthy workplace initiative come to life.
COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
– SUPPORTED BY WORKSAFEBC
2007 Gold Apple Winner Top
Left to Right:
Linda Petch, HEABC Board Chair; Judy Huska; Dr. Dan Horvat; Dr. Bill Clifford; Louise Simard, HEABC President and CEO
Dr. Dan Horvat – Northern Health
Dr. Bill Clifford – Northern Health
Paula Young – Northern Health
Alice Domes – Northern Health
Marvin Barg – Northern Health
Victoria Stewart – Northern Health
Judy Huska – Northern Health
Care North – Quality in Primary Healthcare Delivery
This year, a team of seven healthcare professionals from Northern Health are being honoured for their Care North program. Care North is a strategy to improve access to, and the quality of, primary healthcare services for patients in northern BC. The guiding principle for Care North is that its various initiatives would be achieved through collaboration between primary care physicians who work in the region served by Northern Health, Northern Health itself, and the communities both physicians and Northern Health serve.
The initial focus of Care North was on chronic disease prevention and management. Faced with the challenges of a vast territory, the team improved the quality of chronic disease care at the primary level by being patient focused, aligning care decisions, and streamlining the process to benefit patients’ health. Care North has been a huge success. Initially eight communities were involved and 16 are now on-side and the scope of the program is expanding.
The Care North team consists of a mix of individuals with varying backgrounds. Dr. Dan Horvat and Dr. Bill Clifford provided support for the initiative to their physician colleagues throughout the region. Paula Young is the project manager for Physician Connect, a project that provides the IT backbone for the information management components of the initiative. Alice Domes, Victoria Stewart, and Marvin Barg are the Chronic Disease Prevention Management Coordinators for the region. Judy Huska is the Executive Director for Health Service Integration and is the lead manager for the Care North initiative providing leadership and support to team members.
COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
2007 Award of Merit Recipients Top
Carolyn Tayler – Fraser Health
Dr. Doris Barwich – Fraser Health
Della Roberts – Fraser Health
Telenursing in Hospice Palliative Care
The need to provide access to Hospice Palliative Care services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for patients and families living with life-limiting illness in Fraser Health was the impetus for this project which culminated in the successful launch of a new way to merge the skills of specialized clinicians in the community with generalist nurses in a provincial call center. Dying patients are now reassured by a single phone number to call, which links them immediately to a nurse at the BC NurseLine (BCNL). The framework developed in this partnership between Fraser Health, the BC Ministry of Health Services, and the BCNL is one which offers potential for other Health Authorities in BC to implement in their jurisdictions. Further development was supported by the Pallium Project, a federal initiative, which focuses on facilitating improved access and enhanced quality for hospice and palliative end of life care, which culminated in a framework document for use by all provinces in Canada.
Ellen Mahoney – Vancouver Island Health Authority
New Graduate Transition Program
Vancouver Island Health Authority’s (VIHA) New Grad Transition Program has proven to be a successful vehicle for supporting new graduate nurses during their first year of practice while enhancing VIHA’s recruitment and retention strategy. It helps new grads to increase their confidence, consolidate their practice, become a team member, and integrate into the culture of their unit or department. Following the success of the New Grad Hire Initiative (Pilot) in 2005, the New Grad Transition Program was offered to the 184 new BScN graduates from the three educational institutions on Vancouver Island in 2006 – the University of Victoria, Malaspina University College, and North Island College. Ellen Mahoney embraced the leadership role for this exciting and cutting edge project that required a broad range of internal and external partnerships in order to design, deliver, and evaluate this program. Ellen is Project Manager, Human Resources with VIHA and works out of Victoria.
HEALTHCARE HERO
– SUPPORTED BY PACIFIC BLUE CROSS
2007 Gold Apple Winner Top
Left to Right:
Linda Petch, HEABC Board Chair; Anita Dickson; Louise Simard, HEABC President and CEO
Anita Dickson – Fraser Health
In 1997, Anita Dickson realized it was time to change careers and fulfill her dream to work in healthcare and help others. She became a Residential Care Aide and while working in long-term care, Anita furthered her education, graduating as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in September 2001. She joined Royal Columbian Hospital’s (RCH) emergency department and hasn’t looked back. Anita has single-handedly brought LPN issues to the forefront at RCH and is a tireless advocate for the profession. Anita created Fraser Health’s LPN Professional Practice Committee and her leadership and dedication have been instrumental in giving LPNs a voice in the region.
Anita has been contacted by LPNs in other hospitals and health authorities who have heard of her efforts and have been inspired to implement a similar committee at their own facilities. She is a board member for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses in British Columbia (CLPNBC), is a facilitator for numerous LPN workshops, is a union representative for HEU, is a workplace representative for the CLPNBC, sits on two committees within the Emergency Department, sits on the RCH Professional Practice Committee, and has been a consultant on numerous projects, including the new RN Scope of Practice project and the BC Nursing Directorate.
In additional to working full-time, Anita is the first to volunteer when there is a need and happily orients and mentors new staff. She also continually encourages others to attain their best, both professionally and personally. These are just a few of Anita’s accomplishments and a small example of her involvement with her profession and her workplace.
In Anita’s own words, “I have been fortunate throughout my journey to become a nurse and recognized as part of the healthcare team. I appreciate every minute of my profession.”
HEALTHCARE HERO
2007 Award of Merit Recipients Top
Janet Calnan – Vancouver Island Health Authority
Janet Calnan began nursing 31 years ago and has spent the majority of her career in emergency nursing. Janet works in VIHA as a Emergency Room Clinical Nurse Educator and Program Coordinator of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at Victoria General Hospital. While she began this role in 2002, she has been a member of the Victoria SANE team since 1999. Janet devotes countless hours to the SANE program and gives continually to the patients, community partners, and team of SANE nurses. She is known to carry her SANE pager 24/7 and is relentless in her commitment and care for those who need her expertise and compassion the most – the victims of sexual assault. Janet has become a true forensic nurse champion and mentor to those who take on this difficult work. She has shown a passion and commitment throughout her career, always furthering her knowledge and leadership abilities through her academic and clinical activities. She has presented at several national and international conferences and promote best practice based upon current evidence every day.
Peter Kolodiazny – Barberry Lodge
Peter Kolodiazny turned 73 this year, marking 52 years of his life as a psychiatric nurse, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Barberry Lodge in Port Coquitlam is not the only place where he cares for people or manages group homes. He currently alternates between seven different homes from Surrey to New Westminster. He usually starts his day at 6:00 AM and is known to finish at 11:00 PM. His faithful presence and good humour offer continuity, comfort, and compassion to so very many, and these things matter greatly to the chronically mentally ill. Peter’s psychiatric work is his life and he uplifts not only his clients, but also his coworkers with his wisdom, wit, skill, and indefatigable energy.
Group Photos of Award of Merit Recipients Top
Left to Right:
Peter Kolodiazny; Corazon Munoz; Mary Maddock; Amy Zhang; Chris Norman; Ravinder Braich; Graham Taylor; Freda Betz-Martin; Dr. Doris Barwich; Claire Winfield; Sean Hardiman; Carolyn Tayler; Kane Kilby (accepting award on behalf of Ellen Mahoney), Karen Baillie (accepting award on behalf of Neall Ireland), Annette Laurin