As 2021 comes to a close, PHC leaders would like to acknowledge the challenging year it’s been and express their gratitude for the hard work medical staff have accomplished.
A message from Ms. Fiona Dalton, President & CEO:
As 2021 comes to a close, I want to acknowledge your commitment, dedication and sheer hard work over the past 12 months. Working in health care through a global pandemic – something none of us have ever done before – is really challenging!
And it’s not just COVID, at the same time we have been responding to the opioid overdose emergency, living through a succession of climate change related crises, and understanding our responsibility for reconciliation following the disclosure of children’s graves at former residential schools.
These emergencies have touched every service – either directly, for instance those teams who have been caring for patients with COVID or a substance use disorder, or indirectly, for instance those teams who have had to redesign their service to work in a COVID world. Thank you to everyone, wherever you work.
Through all of these past year’s crises, you have continued to do what you do best – meeting people, and making a difference, at some of the most important moments of their lives. Whether that’s in supporting new lives coming into this world in maternity, restoring vision in surgery, transplanting new organs to change lives or providing the best possible care that we can at the end of life. Sadly I can’t mention every team but I want you to know that you are all important and you change lives by what you do.
I’m also really proud of how despite everything else that was going on, Providence physicians kept innovating in multiple ways. From designing an outpatient booking service for laboratory tests, to developing an opioid stewardship program to reduce the risk of patients becoming dependent on prescription opioids – from creating a post-COVID provincial clinical network, to thinking about Value Based Healthcare in a very different way. Your dissatisfaction with the status quo and your creativity in thinking how we can do things better – this is what inspires me everyday and restores my personal energy.
As we enter the festive season, I want to acknowledge that health care doesn’t stop for holidays, and whilst other people are enjoying time off I know that many of you will be working. But please also make sure that you get time to relax at some point over this holiday season. 2021 has been a really tough year! I can’t promise that 2022 will be easy but I do know it will bring some amazing opportunities, and I am glad that I will spend it with you.
With all my best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a rewarding 2022,
Fiona
Watch: Merry Christmas from President and CEO, Fiona Dalton>
A message from Dr. Janet Kow, Interim Vice President for Pandemic Response and Senior Medical Director, Quality & Safety:
Dear medical staff,
It has been another hard year for all of us. I want to thank each and every one of you for your work. For those directly dealing with Covid and the overdose crisis as well as all the other vital roles we play in the health of our patients and residents. Unfortunately it does seem we are back into a difficult season. Again thank you, get some rest, get your booster and always tell us what we can do better.
Take care,
Janet Kow
A message from Dr. Julia Raudzus, Physician Program Director, Department of Psychiatry, PHC, & PHC Physicians and Surgeons Association President:
2021 has been quite a year. Despite COVID-19 requiring our ongoing attention, medical staff have continued to focus beyond the pandemic to make health care better for our patients and teams.
Medical staff engagement at Providence continues to grow in exciting ways, strengthening collaboration among clinical colleagues and with our health authority leaders. We continue to establish a stronger voice through our physician-led strategic pillars. We have celebrated interesting and impactful collaborative work and innovations in patient care through our project and quality showcases. We have learned together at pillar-led events and reconnected through small coffee groups.
Looking back, it’s truly inspiring to see what we have accomplished in the face of the huge pressures we are all experiencing from the pandemic. Thank you for all of your contributions and support to build an engaged medical staff community, and wishing you and your family the best for the holiday season.
A message from Dr. Tracy Scott, General Surgeon, PHC and PASS Vice-President:
Thank you for another year of incredible care, empathy and poise. We know that it’s been a long year with increasing amounts of pressure on all of our healthcare workers. You have consistently done the right thing, helping your patients and colleagues through these difficult times. Hopefully everyone will get a much deserved break in the next few weeks to recharge with their loved ones.
Here’s to a very happy and healthy 2022!