EXCELERATOR

Issue 66, April 2024

VHA shares our 2023 Annual Impact Report

As we reflect on 2023, we are inspired by all that we have accomplished together and the tremendous dedication and commitment of VHA's staff and service providers and the partners, volunteers, funders and clients and families we work with.

In 2023, VHA supported over 114,000 clients through more than 3.7 million episodes of care and we were so proud to see strong survey results from our clients and our people about their experiences. 

It’s the people we work with, and those we work for, who guide us every day. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences and all we have accomplished together in 2023. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

A Year in Review: VHA's 2023 Research and Innovation Report

2023 was another year of remarkable research productivity with a record number of peer reviewed publications including the “Most Read Article for 2023” in the Longwoods Healthcare Policy journal. The article provides economic evidence in support of continued investment in the Ontario homecare system and is one example of our commitment to delivering evidence to inform critical dialogue and solutions to address inequities in our system and communities.

Since 2009, VHA has invested in building research capacity and today we are well on the way to being a transformational research leader and to setting the home care research agenda for the future.

Worklife Pulse: Meeting the Needs of our Team so we can Meet the Needs of our Community

As all of us at VHA work to meet and exceed the evolving needs of our clients and our wider healthcare community, we’re committed to ensure our workforce always feels heard and supported.

VHA’s Worklife Pulse (WLP) survey, which is distributed annually during the last quarter of the year, is one important tool for staff and service providers to share their experience and perspectives about what it’s like to work at VHA. It’s also a great opportunity for the entire organization to better understand what our strengths and areas for improvements are as a workplace. 

VHA’s Client Partners, Staff and Service Providers Help Shape New myVHA Client Portal Feature in Design Session

VHA is dedicated to providing high quality care and to partnering with clients and families to continuously improve our care and services. The myVHA client portal is a tool that was co-designed with clients and their family members to give clients greater control over how and when they receive care by providing them the ability to:

1. See their schedules and related information in real-time;
2. Reschedule or cancel visits without needing to phone VHA’s office;
3. See which care provider is coming to their home.

myVHA launched in December 2023. Since then, over 1,000 clients have started using the portal regularly to check and adjust their schedules and obtain information about their care team. As part of VHA’s commitment to continuous improvement, VHA is working with client partners to determine ways to make the myVHA client portal even more useful. As a result of these discussions, VHA is now developing a chatbot feature for myVHA.

In March, VHA’s Digital Support & Solutions and Innovation teams facilitated a Design Session with client partners and frontline staff/service providers, along with industry developers from Zoft and GoldCare, to discuss the chatbot functionality and determine what clients could envision themselves asking the chatbot.

Every Moment Matters: Celebrating the Volunteers of VHA

Every year during National Volunteer Week, organizations across Canada unite to recognize the over 24 million volunteers across the country who offer their time, energy and experiences to make a positive difference in their communities. For the 2024 Recognition Week this April 14-20, the theme Every Moment Matters highlights the importance of each volunteer and every contribution they make—at a time when their support is needed more than ever.

At VHA, we are so fortunate to have a dedicated team of volunteers who show us just how much every moment of their support truly matters. VHA is led by a volunteer Board of Directors. And volunteers provide many vital services including, administrative support in community clinics, delivering personal protective equipment to staff teams, relieving caregivers and families in crisis, and coaching and supporting those struggling with hoarding disorder. These contributions make a significant difference in the lives of our clients, families, staff and service providers and help us create opportunities for more independence. 

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we connected with volunteers from several Responsive Community Care programs and a community clinic to get a closer look at what motivates them, and one of VHA’s supervisors commented on the important impact volunteers have on our VHA community.

VHA In-House Pharmacy Program: Another Key to Interprofessional Collaboration and Client Safety

It has been just over one year since VHA began offering In-House Pharmacy services, and since the program began, VHA’s team of pharmacists have been incredibly successful in achieving their goal of enhancing medication safety in the home, helping clients to remain healthy and safe in the setting where they are most comfortable. 

“Many frontline staff at VHA who visit people in their homes will come across complex medication scenarios at some point. We know that many seniors take an average of 8 different medications, so our clients often have a lot of questions about their medicine and potential side effects,” explains Norman Umali, VHA pharmacist.  

In fact, 52% of clients assessed by VHA’s pharmacy team in 2023 had 10 or more medications in their home, and 30% had unused medications disposed of by their pharmacist. 

Many questions around medication would typically get directed to a community pharmacist, working in a drug store for example. But because VHA’s pharmacy team is embedded at VHA, they can assess clients in their home environment to better understand their unique situation and concerns.