1. health and fitness

Update – Highlights of Division Work
April 2015
Note: These are highlights only. For more comprehensive information, please contact Alisa.
Community Building
 Comprehensive welcome materials are being developed, including a short video and a booklet for
physicians considering practice in Victoria, or new to the city. About 10 members have already been
interviewed, and we are seeking more.
Recruitment, Retention and Practice Coverage
 Helen Welch is our practice coverage and locum matching coordinator. She is available five days per week
by phone, email and in-person appointment, to facilitate coverage placements for both locums and
regular GPs. The division’s website provides a functional online tool for advertising and securing coverage,
and the division continues to support members to post ads at no cost on www.locums.ca.
 The division is also a partner in the development of a regional recruitment and retention strategy for
Vancouver Island, as well as a leader in the development of a provincial strategy.
Care of the Elderly
 TORCH (Toward Optimal Residential Care Health) is now active in four prototype facilities: Gorge Road,
the Heights at Mountain View, Kiwanis and Glengarry. The TORCH model enables physicians to focus time
and effort and work as part of a team, and reduces the barriers that GPs often face when trying to care for
patients in residential facilities. TORCH includes a comprehensive incentive package to support physician
participation, including a series of monthly professional development modules.
 The Care of the Elderly working group has resumed meeting to consider how best to support physicians
and frail seniors in the community, i.e., not covered by residential care.
 The division and Island Health have just completed a pilot program to trial the use of frailty scales and
interdisciplinary supports (RN and physiotherapist) in GP offices. Evaluation results are forthcoming.
Practice support initiatives
 The division has a new Health IT/EMR working group. Members who wish to join the working group are
encouraged to inquire.
 Watch for EMR, executive and life coaching opportunities to help you increase efficiency in your practice,
and get more satisfaction from your work with fewer “hassle factors.”
 An MOA network is being developed to provide peer mentorship and professional support for family
practice MOAs. Please contact the coordinator, Leslie Rogers-Warnock, for more information.
Transitions in Care
 Transitions in Care Project Phase 1 Complete! eNotification is now live across Vancouver Island, for 9
EMRs, including the original pilot EMRs (Osler, Interhealth, Med Access), plus Launchpad for those who
use paper charts.
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We continue to work with VIHA to improve communications between acute care and community GPs,
including ensuring that the GP’s name is in the Power Chart banner so that it is consistently visible.
Transitions in Care Project Phase 2 has begun, with a focus on discharge planning. Stay tuned for more
information coming soon.
Mental Health & Substance Use
 Based on the findings of the Mental Health & Addictions Care Access working group, the Shared Care
Committee has given provisional funding approval for an initiative that will:
o Increase access to CBT for people with mild-moderate mental health concerns via group medical visits
developed through a partnership between GPs and psychiatrists. (This piece is pending approval from
the Specialists Services Committee of a funding proposal developed by our psychiatrist partners.)
o Develop a system ensuring that GPs can access rapid telephone support and advice from local
psychiatrist colleagues as well as other mental health providers during regular office hours.
o Offer CME tailored to GPs and suitable for family practice on a variety of MHSU topics.
 The division is a partner in the Vancouver Island Child & Youth Mental Health Collaborative along with
Island Health, the Ministry of Children & Family Development, other Divisions of Family Practice, and a
variety of community agencies and NGOs. We are actively seeking GPs who wish to be involved with this
work.
 The division is partnering with the BC Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM) to pilot an 8-week
mindfulness course for GPs, facilitated by Dr. Mark Sherman. The course begins this month.
Emergency Preparedness
 The division will soon be rolling out a Practice Continuity Guide for Family Physicians that will assist GPs to
protect their practices in the event of a disaster or other interruption in operations.
 The Emergency Preparedness working group continues to engage with the Ministry of Health’s Emergency
Management Unit, Island Health and other community partners to determine what role GPs might play in
a health system response to a surge in demand for primary care.
Walk-in Clinic Working Group
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The division is now initiating a working group to address walk in clinics and their role in family practice in
Victoria. This follows a larger engagement event with WIC physicians in January. Members who wish to
participate in this group should contact the division for more information.
Other
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The division is partnering with the South Island Division and UBC Continuing Professional Development to
develop and deliver CME for maternity care. If you are interested in being involved with development,
please contact us.
Board of Directors
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Curious about what the division’s board does? Want to know more about who the board members are?
Thinking about standing for election in 2016? Board meeting minutes are now available on the division’s
website (log in to view), and members are encouraged to attend board meetings as guests.
The division has five candidates for five spots on the board of directors, beginning this June. As such, all
five candidates are elected by acclamation: incumbents are Lisa Veres, Steve Goodchild, Ian Bekker, and
Katharine McKeen. Martha MacDonnell joins the board as a new member. We thank Aaron Childs for his
service since the division’s founding in 2011, as he has decided to step down at the end of his term.
The division will be holding its annual board of directors election early this spring, with new directors
elected at the AGM on June 4.