Provincial patient organizations
IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health
IMAGINE is about Alberta citizens joining their voices together to improve our health care system. And it is our health care system; something that's not reflected in the influence we have on how that system operates. We're committed to changing that. As a collective voice, citizens can share their knowledge and experiences to help shape our system into one that we can rely on and be truly proud of. Add your voice and IMAGINE the possibilities. IMAGINE is an inclusive and independent group of Alberta citizens. We hope you will connect and join in on the conversation with us, as we work to have a strong positive impact on Alberta's health care system that will deliver the best possible experiences and results for Alberta's patients and families.
Open Arms Advocacy (AB)
Our healthcare and hospital services can be complex and confusing and Open Arms is dedicated to helping you get the answers you need. Our volunteers can provide support and assistance to you and your family if you want to make a patient complaint but don't know where to start, you need an independent person to support you when speaking to medical professionals, or you need help in getting answers or in obtaining documentation. We are a group of concerned volunteers who share a common passion: to make a difference in health care. Resources offered are related to complaints/incident management.
Patients as Partners (BC)
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/partners/patients
Patients as Partners in B.C. is a collaborative effort of patients and families, health authorities, health care providers, universities, non-profit organizations, the Ministry of Health and other organizations in the province. The Patients as Partners motto is nothing about me…without me. Together, we are working to advance and integrate patient- and family-centred care at every level of the health care system.
In 2014 the BC Ministry of Health set out the broad strategy and future direction of B.C.'s health care system in Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health System. Patients as Partners supports the priorities laid out in this plan, as well as vision for patient-centred care established in The British Columbia Patient-Centered Care Framework.
Patients as Partners recognizes that fully achieving such a shift in focus will take time, but most importantly it will take collaboration and partnership. It is for this reason, Patients as Partners funds and collaborates with a variety of different organizations, working at different levels of the health-care system – from the individual to the community and system-wide. Patients as Partners use patient and public engagement best practices and principles for health care quality improvement, including the Integrated Primary and Community Care Patient and Public Engagement Framework.
Patient Voices Network (BC)
The Patient Voices Network (PVN) in B.C. is a community of patients, families and caregivers working with health care partners to improve the health care system. The inclusion of patient voices provides new perspectives and greater understanding for both patient and health care partners, leading to more informed decisions. Our community shares a common purpose to include the patient voice in problem solving and decision making to improve BC's health care system.
PVN was created by the B.C. Ministry of Health in 2009 as part of the Patients as partners strategy. Since then PVN has been matching patient partners with health care partners who are seeking to engage the patient voice in their efforts to improve quality of care. PVN has created a number of resources for patient and health care partners to support authentic engagement. PVN is supported through the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council.
Office of the Seniors Advocate (BC)
The Office of the Seniors Advocate monitors and analyzes seniors' services and issues in B.C., and makes recommendations to government and service providers to address systemic issues. The OSA was established in 2014 and is the first office of its kind in Canada. Resources offered are mainly information for healthcare, housing, etc.
The Change Foundation (ON)
http://www.changefoundation.ca
We are Ontario's independent policy think tank, committed to changing the -- debate, practice, and experience -- in health care to prompt system-wide improvements for patients and caregivers. Patient and caregiver engagement is an ongoing focus for the Foundation. We believe that listening, engaging and working with patients to redesign and reimagine our system is fundamental to improving it. As part of our next strategic leg of work (2015-20), we plan to develop an engagement plan with recommended mechanisms and techniques for engaging family caregivers, patients, providers and system representatives. Stay tuned for ongoing resources in this space as we further define and implement our current strategic plan, Out of the Shadows and Into the Circle. Look for resources produced by the Foundation, and others from home and abroad that highlight — why and how — patient engagement advances good health care experiences.
