VPSA/VMDAS board and staff meet regularly with VCH senior leaders to develop a collaborative relationship between medical staff and the health authority. The February meeting included updates from the VPSA CST Implementation Task Group as well as the VA/VC Medical Staff Planetary Health Committee. The meeting also continued the leaders’ focus on VPSA’s new strategic plan.

VPSA CST Implementation Task Group update

Dr. Raheem Kherani chairs this task group, which continues to meet monthly. Committee members are currently sharing knowledge with physicians at Richmond Hospital, which will go live with CST in June, and are also working on an article for BCMJ to share our experiences widely.

Dr. Kherani commented that the group will work to support deployment at GF Strong and is also committed to supporting and advocating for the implementation of structures within VA and VC to engage physicians in the long-term sustainment of CST. This could include establishing a digital health committee.

The task group continues to collect and solicit feedback and concerns that it brings to VCH’s CST leaders. There will be questions on the upcoming wellness survey about CST’s impact.

CST is the focus of the February 26 VMDAS quarterly meeting, which is intended to be more of a Q&A session rather than a presentation. Members are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time as well as to register to attend in person or online. Two of the issues raised at the February senior leaders meeting are the additional work CST has added to physicians, as well as the struggles many in VC face with FESR. Expect both these concerns and more to be addressed at the meeting.

Vancouver Acute Senior Medical Director Dr. Vinay Dhingra added that there are many aspects to sustaining CST including resources required to train new users. He also emphasized that CST is not a static system and that upgrading is ongoing. There are also some legacy systems that still need to be incorporated.

Physicians are reminded that the Help Desk can assist with many issues they may encounter.

VA/VC Medical Staff Planetary Health Committee update

Committee Chair Dr. Rashmi Chadha gave an overview on the work this committee has undertaken recently including a shift in its membership to include more on-the-ground clinicians. The group is currently working in four areas:

• Eat Better
• Practice Better
• Move Better
• Campaign Better

Under Eat Better, the committee is encouraging plant-based diets and reducing food waste. Initiatives included the Plants-uary Challenge in January, regular Checkup articles profiling medical staff who follow plant-based diets, and a collection of recipes submitted by colleagues. The committee has also developed a list of plant-based restaurants and vendors close to VGH to encourage plant-based food options at rounds, division meetings, and courses.

The Inhaler Collaborative Sub Group is a part of the Practice Better stream, with support from Health Quality BC’s Inhaler Collaborative Training. A pilot is underway on CTU wards led by Dr. Harpinder Nagi, while Dr. Kelly Lau and Dr. Kevin Liang are supporting VCH community clinics and clinicians interested in sustainable inhalers.

VCH senior leaders attending the meeting suggested groups the committee can engage with to review and endorse a primary care toolkit that is being developed about high quality, low carbon asthma care.

Also in the area of Practice Better, an anticoagulation stewardship project is in the works in partnership with Spreading Quality Improvement. And, the committee has applied to PQI for some Emergency Department green initiatives.

Under Move Better, four physicians were interviewed last fall coinciding with Go By Bike Week. A guided forest bathing experience was offered last summer and received excellent feedback from participants.

The committee also works to Campaign Better. Under this stream, Dr. Keren Papier gave a presentation on the Lancet EAT study looking at sustainable food systems and effects on human health. Dr. Melissa Lem gave a talk on the national PaRx Parks Prescription initiative. Dr. Valeria Stoynova was VPSA’s keynote speaker recently, addressing climate conscious medication management. Coming up in March, Dr. Annie Lalande will speak on plant-based food and the changes coming to inpatient and retail food offerings at VGH.

Opportunities for further collaboration

Doctors of BC Engagement Partner Russell Stead led discussion about two areas identified during VPSA’s recent strategic planning meetings.

The first was how to leverage the senior leadership meetings to be more collaborative. Everyone agreed that recent meetings have had much more active participation. Rather than simply listening to presentations, VCH leaders have offered advice and provided direction to help committees overcome roadblocks. The group agreed that structuring the meetings to allow for this is helpful.

The second area for thought centred of VPSA’s Small Steps, Big Idea project funding and how to access project and dyad support. While many approved projects are successful, those with a process improvement or quality improvement focus often struggle as physician leads must manage competing schedules. There is a need for administration and/or project management support. The group endorsed the recommendation that the physician leads for such projects could make brief presentations at the leadership meetings. There may be opportunities then to identify solutions.

Other business

VPSA board member Dr. Fahreen Dossa suggested incorporating a wellness or EDI minute at the start of meetings. Dr. Dossa chaired the day’s meeting, which began with a land acknowledgement as well as a tribute to Black History Month. She suggested that similar practices at future meetings can bring awareness and focus.

VPSA board chair Dr. Ka Wai Cheung brought up two issues raised by members. There has been a request to reconsider the gift options that accompany the VCH long service awards. This request will be taken into consideration; however, gift cards are not an option due to tax implications. The other concern was the lack of awareness of the Code Silver module (violence prevention and mitigation process) on the Learning Hub. VCH leaders will follow up with the group that led this initiative for the health authority.

Next meeting

The group next meets on March 14. If you have an item you wish to be brought forward at these meetings, please contact VPSA Operations Director Andrew Pinfold.