One of VPSA’s top priorities is to enhance our members’ participation in the activities and decision-making at VCH. Our health authority has signed on to a memorandum of understanding indicating they want physician input. That’s why we are working together on several joint projects.

The VCH Physician Wellness Steering Committee is a great example of this co-operation. When we advertised for members, we had substantially more physicians sign up than the committee organizers originally envisioned. Wellness is a topic that not only resonates with our patients but is also is front of mind with many of us. Members have told us about their passion on the topic, and how they have personal experiences or have noticed their colleagues’ exhaustion, or other work-related mental health issues. They told us of their desire to promote ways to counter burnout and some are offering the benefit of their considerable expertise in this arena. It’s easy to say we need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of our patients, but it’s a whole other matter to actually do that. I have high hopes that this committee will make positive inroads towards better physician health at VCH.

VPSA is also working with VCH to establish a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for which we are now recruiting members. This committee came out of the important work done by VPSA members and VCH senior leaders during our implementation of an Appreciative Inquiry process. I encourage you to consider applying to join this committee.

Remember VPSA members participating in these committees will receive sessional funding for the time they spend at committee meetings. In the coming months, I look forward to announcing more opportunities for members to get involved with VPSA.

As always, if you have an issue that we can help solve, let me or other members of the executive know. Express your opinions—they are kept confidential—and let us work with you to make VCH a terrific place to work.

Sincerely,
Dr. Simon W. Rabkin, President
VPSA/VMDAS