Medical staff not invested in Game 6 of the Canucks’ playoff series took the opportunity to spend a beautiful spring evening at VanDusen Botanical Garden for our third annual Vancouver Community Appreciation Event. The evening has traditionally been held close to BC Family Doctors Day and is a chance to honour our VC colleagues for the work they do on the frontlines of health care. The evening was organized by VPSA’s Community Building & Wellness Task Group, with committee member and family physician Dr. Junella Lee hosting the event.

There was a great turnout of VCH administrative and medical leaders, including CEO Vivian Eliopoulos, VC Vice President Bob Chapman, VC Senior Medical Director Dr. Mike Norbury, and many VC program managers. Getting to know one another outside of work was a key goal of the evening: creating personal relationships can be key to establishing more effective professional interactions.

Vivian was able to spend one-on-one time with members, getting to know them better and understand their challenges. In her remarks, she expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the incredible work undertaken in Vancouver Community, while acknowledging the challenging populations the team works with.

VPSA President Dr. Ka Wai Cheung also emphasized how critical the work done in Vancouver Community is. As an emergency physician, she sees how integrated this work is with that of Vancouver Acute. She commented that strong primary care is vital to the success of the overall health system.

Check out photos from the evening here.

Survey feedback

Twenty-three people responded to the survey sent regarding the event. Here are some of the highlights:

• 95 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that the event helped build collegiality.
• 96 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that these types of events support their well-being.
• 87 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that the event improved their perception of VA/VC as a place to work.

Comments included:

• I would like to see this type of event happen twice per year.
• Thanks for keeping addresses brief and allowing time to connect with each other. Love the garden setting and access.
• It was fantastic. Gorgeous venue and food which enhanced social interactions. Speeches were brief which was much appreciated.
• Amazing venue; thanks for arranging access to the garden for us.
• Thank you! Keep these going!