AGM 2019 - Save the Date

ODFP Annual General Meeting

DATE: Thursday, September 12, 2019
TIME:  6:00-9:00pm
LOCATION: Qualicum Beach Inn

Getting to Know You

• In July and August significant energy was applied to do community outreach and engagement to our newest members in Port Alberni. The focus of these visits was to meet physicians, nurse practitioners and Island Health employees to better understand the environment in Port Alberni and for people in Port Alberni to better understand how membership in the Division can help them. As well Division staff visited clinics to speak with MOAs and other health providers so they can understand our MOA and Palliative Care networks. To date, we have met with 11 of the care providers there.

• Included in this work First Nations outreach began in Port Alberni. Staff met several times with Nursing Managers at Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and are currently assisting in facilitating engagement with 6 local Nations within NTC. This is in preparation for future Expression of Interest and PCN work in Port Alberni.

• The Division would also like to attract Port Alberni members to take positions on the Board of Directors as well as other leadership position in the Division. A nominations process took place throughout July and August with one Port Alberni member stepping forward to offer to serve on the Board of Directors.

• In the fall it is hoped that the new Board, announced at the Annual General Meeting on September 12 can arrange to have a member meeting in Port Alberni to meet more members and answer any questions members may have about the Board and governance of the Division.

Evelyn Clark
Executive Director

PMH Update

As a follow up to the Palliative Care Network Meetings of the last seven months, ODFP in collaboration with VIHA, are preparing for a Serious Illness Conversation CME to be held September 25 at The Beach Club Resort in Parksville. This will mark the beginning of Palliative Network meetings to start up again this fall. Please click here for details on the CME.

The Clinic Incubator is moving forward at Qualicum Beach Associates. Once a Nurse in Practice (NiP) has been hired, updates of progress and learnings will be reported to the division membership.
In preparation for Port Alberni’s Primary Care Network (PCN) Expression of Interest (EOI), First Nations outreach has begun in Port Alberni including meetings with the nursing manager and health director of the  Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. They are also facilitating engagements with 6 local Nations within NTC and will be reporting on gaps and needs via their very robust nursing program.

MOA Network outreach to Port Alberni MOA’s
All of the primary care provider clinics in Port Alberni have been visited and invitations extended to the MOAs to join the MOA Network meetings which will resume in the fall.

Be Active Every Day

Be Active Every Day is right around the corner, and I hope you will again join us for the event that gets kids moving and helps them make smart choices!

This year's theme "Let's Play" challenges kids to play games and stay active while they have fun and stay safe.  As past participants of our public health campaigns you play a vital role in making them such a success - I hope you will join us this year, encourage your colleagues to participate, and continue making a difference in the lives of our kids.

This year we’re adding a new element to the campaign -- we want to make sure kids not only have fun, but are also safe when they play outdoors. Being safe will have a prominent role -- kids will receive branded reflective slap bracelets to wear when outside in the dark, the support provided to physicians will include info on how kids can stay safe, plus we have two new characters who show up in the activity booklets to provide safety tips: doctors!  This year's event takes place October 7 - November 1, 2019.

As always, I will be happy to help in any way...please let me know. Registration is now open at
be-active.ca. Let’s get kids moving, playing, and staying safe!

Thank you.

Patrick Higgins
Communications Officer
T 604 638 8744   doctorsofbc.ca

Serious Illness Conversation Workshop

You are invited to attend The Serious Illness Conversation Workshop

Date: Wednesday, September 25th, 2019 6:00 pm –9:00 pm
Location: The Beach Club Resort, 181 Beachside Dr., Parksville
Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm with presentation to begin at 6:30 pm.

To RSVP, please email:  forums@viha.ca or call Leslie Nerheim at 250-519-3050. Registration will be limited.

You are cordially invited to the upcoming Primary Care Forum, where Dr. Rachel Carson, Nephrologist and Lead Facilitator, and Dr. Sue Hunter, Palliative Care Physician and Medical Director of The Views at St. Joseph’s, Comox, will address how to identify and integrate values-based goals of care when managing patients with serious illness.

Upon completion of the presentation and participation in facilitated role-play in small groups, participants will:
• Enhance their communication skills with seriously ill patients
• Practice a structured communication intervention developed by Dr. Atul Gawande’s Ariadne Labs and the Harvard Centre for Palliative Care through supported role-play in small groups
• Gain confidence in having discussions about goals of care associated with better quality of life, reduced use of non-beneficial medical care near death, enhanced goal-consistent care, positive family outcomes and reduced costs.

Who should attend?
Practising Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in Oceanside who have not participated in a Serious Illness Conversation Workshop.

*Attendance will be compensated at the Doctors of BC approved sessional rate.
*MAINPRO+ credits will be available for this session and will be awarded based on hours attended.

To RSVP, please call email: forums@viha.ca or call Leslie Nerheim at 250-519-3050. Registration will be limited. Please let us know if there are any dietary restrictions.

Sincerely, Amanda Chapman
Forum Coordinator

General Surgeon and Endoscopist offering monthly clinics at Protea Medical in Qualicum Beach

                               Protea Medical Clinic

           Dr. P.D. Swart, Inc                              Tel (250) 752 3284
           Suite 1a, 219 Fern Rd. West              Fax (250) 752 3519
           Qualicum Beach, BC  V9K 2M2         
                                                           

Dr. Matthew Hudson, General Surgeon and Endoscopist in Port Alberni, will be commencing a satellite clinic at Protea Medical Clinic in Qualicum Beach!  The purpose of this clinic is to expedite care and make referral easier for primary care providers in Qualicum Beach, Parksville, and surrounding areas.  New referrals are welcomed immediately.

Dr. Hudson obtained his Medical Degree at the University of Alberta, and completed residency training in General Surgery at Dalhousie University.  He has been practicing as a broad-based community surgeon, and is excited to provide surgical services to the patients of central Vancouver Island!  His general surgical practice is comprehensive and includes expertise in:

• Breast (benign and malignant), abnormal mammographic findings, mastalgia, palpable lesions.
• Thyroid, palpable lesions, ultrasound-proven nodules, biopsied or not, diagnosed or awaiting workup.
• Skin cancer, basal cell CA, squamous CA, melanoma.
• Hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction (incisional, ventral, inguinal, femoral etc.)
• Abdominal surgery (gallbladder, small and large bowel, spleen, stomach)
• Upper and lower endoscopy (family history, prior polyps, melena, rectal bleeding, hemetemesis, reflux/dyspepsia symptoms, change in bowel habit, abdominal pain not explained by imaging or other means)
• Minor procedures (lipoma, sebaceous cyst, various skin and subcutaneous lesions, toenails, etc)
• Laparoscopic techniques.

Please see contact information for Dr. Hudson below:

Dr. Matthew Hudson BSc(Hon) MD FRCSC, General Surgeon (MSP #82802)
Endoscopy, General, and Laparoscopic Surgery
5091 Tsuma-as Drive, Port Alberni, BC
V9Y 8X9
Phone: 778-419-1621
Fax: 888-388-6006

Design Thinking: A Human-Centred Approach to Health Care Improvement Workshop

Design Thinking: A Human-Centred Approach to Health Care Improvement Workshop

Date:  September 4, 2019
Time:  0830 to 1630
Location:  BC Patient Safety & Quality Council office in Vancouver

This workshop curates recent knowledge around innovation and design thinking and provides the opportunity to apply the design thinking methodology to a real-life health care challenge. This can be especially beneficial for team members to come together with one another, as well as other external stakeholders, to work through an existing challenge they are facing. During the highly interactive session, participants will explore a well-defined practice framework that works to identify the issue, define it from the end-user’s perspective and integrate more creative and human-centred approaches to brainstorm and test solutions. While there are many applications of this content across the continuum of care, we see particular value in the primary care transformation work that is taking place throughout the province.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Discover ways design thinking can support change and transformation
• Explore the five-step design thinking process
• Apply the design thinking process to a real-life health care challenge
• Develop a human-centred approach to problems and solutions
• Apply selected innovation & design thinking tools and techniques.

If you’re interested in attending, you can click here to register today. In addition, if there are other folks in your network that you think might find this session valuable, we would greatly appreciate your support in sharing the opportunity.

UBC CPD Accredited Rounds

Rural Rounds

Dates: First Thursday of every month - September 2019 to June 2020, 0800-0900 (PDT/PST) | Your local videoconferencing room, or online with WebEx

Who should attend: Rural family physicians, nurse practitioners, allied health care providers

Format and Summary: The Rural Rounds series aims to provide relevant, up to date and rurally specific CME in your community. Speakers either live and work in rural areas of BC, or possess an understanding of the unique circumstances of the rural health care provider. The format includes case-based presentations with many opportunities for questions and discussion. Audience participation is encouraged! This year, in addition to bringing you Rural Rounds on rurally-relevant hot topics, for the first time we are also teaming up with CODI intensivists. Participants will learn from critical care specialists who have a passion for supporting their rural colleagues - view and review rural case simulations, discuss real cases that were supported via CODI and gain skills to apply in your practice. Highly interactive and engaging case simulations for you - by you!

Accreditation: up to 1.0 Mainpro+/MOC Section 1 credit per session
Info and Registration: please click here.

Virtual Health Grand Rounds

Date: Fri October 25, 0800-0900 | Online with WebEx

Who Should Attend: Family physicians, specialists and all other healthcare professionals

Format and Summary: Case-based presentations with many opportunities for questions and discussion. These rounds aspire to stimulate thoughtful discussion around the clinical cases presented so as to optimize mutual learning, better understand enablers and barriers to adoption, enhance relationships and ultimately normalize the daily use of safe and effective technology in healthcare throughout BC.

Accreditation: 1.0 Mainpro+ credits
Speakers: Dr. Marilyn Thorpe, Dr. Richard Lester, Dr. Gabby Serafini
Info and Registration: please click here. 

Focus group recruitment on ICBC reporting/billing changes

Focus Group Recruitment – FPs and MOAs – ICBC Reporting/Billing Changes

Target audience: Family Physicians (FPs) and Medical Office Assistants (MOAs) in British Columbia
Take part in a focus group to inform education for FPs and MOAs on new ICBC reporting/billing (in effect since April 1, 2019).

Date: September or October 2019 (based on group availability)
Capacity: 2 groups of 6-8 FPs; 1 group of 6-8 MOAs
Duration: 90 minutes for each group
Payment: Remuneration at sessional rate based on professional category
Location: Online videoconference with telephone line available

Family Physicians register here.
MOAs register here.

17th Annual St. Paul’s Emergency Medicine Update

17th Annual St. Paul’s Emergency Medicine Update

#CPDStPauls

Sep 26 – 29 (Thu – Sun) | Whistler Conference Centre | Whistler BC

Target audience: emergency physicians, rural physicians, family physicians, emergency nurses, paramedics, residents, students, & others providing emergency care
Up to 18.25 Mainpro+/MOC Section 1
To view Course content please click here.
To Register please click here.

ACCOMMODATION
Westin Whistler Resort & Spa | 4090 Whistler Way | Whistler BC
Special rates starting at $225 CAD/night are available to all conference delegates until Aug 26th. Rooms & rates are based on availability at time of booking.
Book Hotel online here.
Or by phone: 1-866-412-2864
Group code is “St. Paul’s Emergency Medicine”

Small Group Workshops:
• ECG Interpretations & Challenges
• Getting Sick Patients Out of Your ED
• Ophthalmology Cases
• Billing Pearls in the ED
• Regional Anaesthesia
• Physician Well-Being
• Treatment & Transfer Challenges in Major Trauma

Highlights:

• Break each day for outdoor activities and time with family
• Social events: Welcome Reception at the Whistler Conference Centre Sep 26; Conference Reception at the Garibaldi Lift Company Sep 27

For more information:
UBC CPD
Division of Continuing Professional Development
Faculty of Medicine | The University of British Columbia
City Square, East Tower, 200-555 W 12th Ave, Vancouver BC V5Z3X7
T 604.675.3777 | F 604.675.3778
ubccpd.ca | @UBCCPD | Facebook | LinkedIn

New General Surgeon in Port Alberni

There is a new General Surgeon in Port by the name of Dr. Jan Klompje. You can contact his office for patient referrals as follows:

Dr. Jan Klompje, General Surgery
#4 3855 - 9th Ave, Port Alberni, BC V9Y 4T9
Phone: 778-421-0335
Fax 778-421-0356

CME on the Run! 2019-2020 | VGH & Various Videoconference Sites

The CME on the Run sessions are held at the Paetzold Lecture Theatre, Vancouver General Hospital and there are opportunities to participate via videoconference from various hospital sites. Each program runs on Friday afternoons from 1 – 5 pm and includes great speakers and learning materials.

CME on the Run! 2019 – 2020
Oct 2019 – Jun 2020 (Fridays 1300-1700) | Vancouver General Hospital + 13 videoconference sites
Target audience: family physicians, nurse practitioners, residents & students
Up to 21.0 Mainpro+ credits (3.5 credits per session)
1.    Oct 4, 2019 – MSK, Sport Medicine & Rheumatology
2.    Nov 22, 2019 – Allergy & Dermatology
3.    Jan 31, 2020 – Psychiatry
4.    Apr 3, 2020 – Infectious Disease & Travel
5.    May 1, 2020 – Prenatal, Pediatric & Adolescent
6.    Jun 5, 2020 - Internal Medicine
*Session topics are subject to change*

To Register please click here.
To view brochure please click here. 

Long Term Care Update | Registration Now Open

Registration is now open! Early bird pricing ends Aug 15th and the Resort hotel rooms are available to book until Sept 2! 
Long Term Care Update (formally called Residential Care Refresher)
For Registration please click here.
For information & course content please click here.

Oct 4-5 (Fri-Sat) | Predator Ridge Resort | Vernon BC
Target audience: family physicians, geriatric psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, allied health, social workers, pharmacists, nurse managers, administrators/managers, recreational therapists, and occupational therapists. Anyone involved with and interested in residential care.
Up to 8.5 Mainpro+/MOC Section 1

Highlights:

FRIDAY KEYNOTE DINNER PRESENTATION:
“Palliative Care Needs in Long-Term Care: A Person-Centered Approach” | Dr. Pippa Hawley, B.Med., F.R.C.P.C. Division Head of Palliative Care, UBC

Accommodation:

Predator Ridge Resort
301 Village Centre Place
Vernon  British Columbia  V1H 1T2
Website: click here.

Special Rates:
Lodge Studio Suite $141.75+taxes
Lodge One Bedroom Suite $171.75+taxes
Lodge Two Bedroom Suite $201.75+taxes
** A two night minimum is required, plus the first night is charged as a non-refundable deposit, please review the cancellation policy when booking**
How to Book: At this time the hotel is updating their online reservations program so only call in reservations are available at this time. At this time guests are asked to call front desk at 1.888.578.6688 or local 250.542.3436 and reference Long Term Care Update to book your rooms in advance. Based on availability so book early if you plan on attending! Book before Sept 2!
E: frontdesk@predatorridge.com
T: 1.888.578.6688

• You also might be interested in:

UBC Care of the Elderly Intensive Review Course 2020  SAVE THE DATES
For more information please click here.

Feb 5 - 8 (Wed - Sat) | UBC Robson Square | Vancouver BC
Target audience: general practitioners, geriatricians & nurse practitioners

Vancouver Island IBD Clinic

July 24, 2019

Dear Colleague,

There is a substantial disparity between referrals from primary practice to gastroenterology for inflammatory bowel disease patients on Vancouver Island. Specifically, patients with Crohn's disease are not being referred to gastroenterology when not attached to a gastroenterologist.

Symptom-based management of inflammatory bowel disease patients is no longer standard of care. There is a substantial disconnect between symptoms and inflammation in Crohn's disease. This differs from ulcerative colitis. In ulcerative colitis, rectal bleeding is predictive of colonic ulcers.

Current objectives measurements of inflammation in Crohn's disease include fecal calprotectin (FCP), CRP, or endoscopy. Fecal calprotectin is the most sensitive test for bowel inflammation. When there is large amounts of inflammation, CRP, a more crude measure, may be also elevated. However up to 25% of patients do not mount an appropriate CRP response even in the face of substantial inflammation.

To appropriately use health care resources, we typically use an FCP to investigate for bowel inflammation, and if abnormal, book an endoscopy to determine disease extent and severity.

A recent pilot study shows that the Central Island has some of the highest rates of prednisone use and surgeries for inflammatory bowel disease.

Our GI group is actively lobbying for gastroenterology in Central Island. We have made some progress with Island Health regarding this.

However in the interim, we request that all Vancouver Island patients with Crohn's disease be referred to the South Island Division of Gastroenterology for assessment. We will triage referrals based on information provided and fecal calprotectins to prioritize cases. This is in line with our current central triage model, which prioritizes high risk patients such as those with rectal bleeding, or inflammatory bowel disease, ahead of low risk patients such as those with irritable bowel syndrome. GI Central Access and Triage fax#: 1-888-398-7091

Thank you for your efforts in taking care of this under-served population. I am happy to discuss at any time.

Warm regards,

Dustin Loomes, MD, FRCPC Director, Vancouver Island IBD Clinic
Pacific Digestive Health / Royal Jubilee Hospital Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

Upcoming Self-Management Workshops and Leader Training Sessions - Vancouver Island

PDFs for specific regions can be accessed by clicking on the following:

Vancouver Island – Mid/North
Vancouver Island – South

In addition to our 6-week Self-Management Community Workshops, we offer the following:

1 to 1 Telephone Program:
The Self-Management Health Coach Program is a telephone support program for individuals needing the extra support to achieve health goals. Each individual is paired with a coach and receives a weekly, 30-minute phone call for 3 to 6 months. Coaches are volunteers who may be living with chronic health conditions, and are passionate to help others to achieve wellness. For more information, please click here.

To visit our website please click here.

Oceanside Hospice Society

The Oceanside Hospice Society serves individuals and families experiencing end-of-life, care-giving and bereavement in the area stretching from Deep Bay to Nanoose, and west to Errington and Whiskey Creek

• OHS currently delivers the following services to the community:
• Medical Equipment Loan Program
• One to One Client Support Services
• One to One Grief Support
• Grief Support Groups
• Grief Walking Groups
• Self Care Fridays
• Caregiver Respite and Companioning
• Palliative Vigil Team
• Lending Library
• Community Networking , Education and Training
• Advance Care Planning Guidance

We strive to provide links in the continuum of care by supporting care giving at home, in hospital or the palliative care unit at Trillium and at community care facilities.
Please contact us at 250.752.6227 or visit www.oceansidehospice.com for further information.

Divisions in the News

See what is going on in other divisions around BC:

https://www.divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-and-events/in-the-news