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Success Stories
Sometimes we are better able to understand something from the direct experience of others, told in their own words. Each of these success stories relates the actual experience of someone in B.C. struggling with chronic disease. Enjoy the following stories provided by individuals who have first hand experience dealing with chronic illness, either as a patient or a provider of care. If you are aware of someone whose story can help others, please let us know at hlth.cdm@gov.bc.ca.
A "Crazy" Idea Brings Scheduling Sanity to a Busy Doctor's Office
Dr. David Attwell started thinking about how to accommodate urgent appointments without throwing off the daily schedule. His idea to schedule open blocks of appointment time was called "Open Access" and was part of a growing movement to redesign scheduling in primary practices to focus on the doctor-patient relationship.... FULL STORY (PDF 16Kb).
DIGMAS: Interactive Health Groups find the Fun in Health Care
DIGMAS is a new and interactive way of receiving health care and assistance. That stands for Drop-in Group Medical Appointments.... FULL STORY (PDF 18Kb).
Quality Care in Quesnel
For most of her 52 years, Debbie Hanrahan has enjoyed not-so-frequent visits with her doctor, Andrew Sear. Lately, however, she has been visiting more regularly, as part of a highly successful program Dr. Sear initiated in his practice to help his patients manage their chronic disease.... FULL STORY (PDF 38Kb).
Dr. Michael Newton: Revitalizing Family Practice
A faulty system can't deliver the goods. That's the sentiment of a determined cadre of physicians within the Fraser Health Authority, who are experimenting with essential changes to primary care. The hoped-for result is called the 'Enhanced Family Practice', and one of the pioneers is Dr. Michael Newton.... FULL STORY (PDF 15Kb).
The Garratt Wellness Centre: No Ordinary Fitness Centre, No Ordinary Results
The Garratt Wellness Centre is a "one stop shop" for people of all ages living with chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. The idea was to move diabetes and cardiac rehabilitation and education services into the community where people live, so that they are accessible on a daily basis.... FULL STORY (PDF 21Kb).
It's About Time - New Relations for Family Physicians
The B.C. College of Family Physicians recently developed a new self-management approach for chronic disease. "We were looking for a change package that is efficient, effective, and patient centred, and we think we have developed something that meets those objectives." ... FULL STORY (PDF 26Kb).
The Kelowna Diabetes Project: Community Partnerships for Better Health
Dr. Andrew Farquhar knows how helpful it is to get your A1C readings as soon as possible. A diabetic himself, he sympathizes with patients who must see their doctor to get those results. Farquhar is part of an experiment in the Central Okanagan, where diabetes patients are receiving their test results from the lab by mail, simultaneous with their doctor.... FULL STORY (PDF 28Kb).
The Personal Health File - Don't Leave Home Without It!
"A Portuguese woman came into Emergency, and she couldn't speak English," says Laurel deGoeij, an RN at Kitimat General Hospital. "So, the woman handed the doctor a small blue binder. He was relieved because now he had her Personal Health File. He could immediately see who her physician was, and what meds she was on, and her latest lab test results." ... FULL STORY (PDF 13Kb).
The Leading Edge: CDM in the Queen Charlotte Islands
Dr. Vanita Lokanathan found a lot of ill people when she first arrived in Masset five years ago. She sought help and found it by participating in two collaboratives, first for congestive heart failure, then for diabetes. She emerged convinced that self-management of chronic conditions was the key.... FULL STORY (PDF 77Kb).
Margie's Muffins: Margie Wiebe at Work in the North
Margie Wiebe brought fresh baked muffins to her interview for the job as a Primary Health Care Coordinator for the Northern Health Authority. Coordination would require getting people working together in new and creative ways. The desire was to build teams of physicians, health professionals and community members to provide integrated care for chronic diseases, using best practice guidelines.... FULL STORY (PDF 28Kb).
e-Knowledge is Power
For the four physicians of the Nisga'a Valley Health Authority, a practice that covers a vast region presents challenges. Will Internet Technology shrink those distances? In fact, the Electronic Medical Record is already proving useful.... FULL STORY (PDF 14Kb).
Learning to Live Well: Serving Clients at the Penticton Integrated Health Clinic
Creating an Integrated Health Clinic in Penticton may have looked like a simple process. In the end, it took many committed partner organizations, grassroots community support, several planning exercises, three years... and a lot of patience, before the doors finally opened in 2005.... FULL STORY (PDF 17Kb).
A Community Walks Its Way to Health: Penticton Unleashes The Power Of Innovative Partnerships
In February 2004, Naramata resident Jim Mulholland had surgery to replace both of his knees. That December, he began a walking program and by March 2005 had clocked 1,700 kilometers and was well on his way to reaching Las Vegas. He was counting his steps with a small pedometer worn on his belt, walking in the Penticton area.... FULL STORY (PDF 27Kb).
College Confessional
"Our primary care system is outdated. It was designed in the '60s for a population in their 20s," says Dr. Drummond, who has seen changes over the years as Director of Geriatric Services at Prince George Hospital. In March 2003, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. received a grant of $800,000 to begin to address some of the problems, especially around chronic diseases. The College asked Dr. Drummond to develop a program and curriculum, and he took up the challenge.... FULL STORY (PDF 25Kb).
Self-Management Solutions
Self management is a strategy to get people to engage in self-care behaviour(s). The Chronic Disease Self Management Program is designed to help people with chronic illness learn a healthy way to live with the disease.... FULL STORY (PDF 19Kb).
"Self-Health 101": UBC's Student Health Service
"UBC does everything on the web, including teach courses," says
Dr. Patricia Mirwaldt, Director of Student Health Service, "so why not health services on-line too?" The cornerstone of the program is a website offering students access to their own health files. Mirwaldt hopes that with proper use of the website, a student will learn when it's appropriate to apply health care... FULL STORY (PDF 13Kb).
Better Health and Wellness, One Step at a Time
Staying physically active is one of the most effective ways to improve health and wellness. Cathy Osborne, Program Leader of Cardiovascular Health at Royal Inland Hospital, wanted to find alternate strategies to help people be more physically active by incorporating small, steady lifestyle changes into daily life.... FULL STORY (PDF 29Kb).
New Initiative for Effective Care of Chronic Kidney Disease
With the leadership of the BC Renal Agency, the province's health care community has worked together over the past year on a major initiative designed to reduce the risks of end-stage renal disease and unrecognized impaired kidney function.... FULL STORY (PDF 15Kb).
Making Big Changes, a Few Small Changes at a Time
When the Healthy Heart Society announced it was recruiting clinical teams to participate in its Province-Wide Congestive Heart Failure Structured Collaborative, Dr. Neil Hilliard - a Fraser Valley family physician - was intrigued.... FULL STORY (PDF 17Kb).
When Practice Makes Perfect
In October 2002, 89 family physicians received letters of congratulation from the B.C. Medical Services Commission for their achievement of optimal care of patients with diabetes. The following profile introduces you to two of these top-performing physicians, who share their approach to diabetes care.... FULL STORY (PDF 18Kb).
Finding answers to tough questions
When Tom was diagnosed with congestive heart failure he already knew he had a big problem. His plans for retirement had fallen apart. He was tired all the time, isolated and hopeless. Most of all, he feared an early death. He had to find some answers.... FULL STORY (PDF 14Kb).
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Last Revised:
February 14, 2007
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