Projects
Community Engagement and Co-Design
Rural health system redesign
Secured over $5 million annually for the South Peace Primary Care Network in rural BC. We led a six-month process to design expanded primary care services for a rural region of 48,000 people.
Engaged three communities as well as rural, remote and Indigenous populations, and integrated the input of physicians, nurses, patients, community agencies and health authority.
Challenges included ensuring full involvement of participants with dramatically different levels of technical expertise, education, and experiences of racism.
We addressed these by introducing mindfulness practices in meetings, providing multiple ways for people to express their ideas and building relationships outside of our meetings with municipal, community and Indigenous partners.
Better serving Indigenous communities
Urban health system redesign
I planned and delivered on a City-wide engagement process involving over 2000 patients, 500 physicians and 100 administrators. We were tasked with developing a $10 million plan to improve the capacity of physicians and enable more people to have a family doctor or nurse practitioner in Vancouver
Led a team of 15, to oversee planning and facilitation of 20 events across the city and with Musqueam First Nation. Drafted and short-listed strategies for increasing capacity and strengthening relationships with doctors.
Challenges included bridging the divide between physicians, health authority and patients to distill actionable and effective solutions. Success factors included event design that allowed for catharsis, intense team focus on listening, and multi-factoral analysis.
Services for northern Indigenous people living with HIV and hepatitis C were concentrated in three communities. Northern Health wanted to make it easier for Indigenous people (who are disproportionately affected) to get testing, treatment and support closer to where they live.
I asked the current service providers to help co-design a regional approach to providing these services. This would include spreading the dollars further, integrating and mentoring other service providers.
We met with organizations in 15 communities to see if they would like to increase their capacity for this work. Then we asked for and reviewed funding applications and made multi-year grants to agencies, noting areas where they need to build capacity or expertise.
Finally we created a regional evaluation framework to ensure that services were at a high standard. The result is that over 40 First Nations and 12 communities have access to these services across the north.
Facilitation and Mediation
Northern Telehealth 5-year plan
Before Covid, there were a range of videoconference providers, but only a few specialized ones provided the security of patient data needed for clinical interactions. The committee charged with developing a solution was conflicted over the best approach and the best technology.
Challenges included the silos within the organization that had led to a disconnect over requirements for the new technology, including privacy and ease of use.
I helped the committee develop a clear set of requirements and then engaged physicians, nurses and administrators across the region to develop principles, use cases and testing criteria for telehealth technology.
Reducing burnout and turnover
Rural physicians were facing burnout and low morale in Dawson Creek, a rural community serving over 25,000 people. Part of the problem was the volume of work, in particular the provision of care for their patients while in hospital, which increased their workload and reduced their availability to care for other patients.
I engaged physicians in individual and group conversations to dig into the challenge and develop a rotation for providing inpatient care at the local hospital to reduce the workload for doctors.
The work culminated in an in-person facilitated meeting where we explored options proposed and developed a consensus approach to the rotation, considering scheduling and the wishes of physicians to continue to care for their patients in hospital.
Strategy and Governance
AgSafe BC organizational renewal
BC.s agricultural safety organization (AgSafe) had high levels of dysfunction and poor governance practices that had paralyzed the organization. Strategy and opportunities for growth were ignored while the board focused on operational issues.
The challenge included some directors’ decades-long tenure on the board and a governance structure that shaped the board in a model of conflict between farmers and farmworkers.
I helped the board to develop a vision for transformation, then dissolved the organization and re-incorporated with a new, best practices governance model that continued to represent the interests of farmworkers. We also transformed the board into a mentorship and training model to build governance capacity in the agriculture industry.
AgSafe doubled their funding within a year, of the changes developing and delivering innovative programs in mental health and multi-lingual services. And maintaining best practices in governance.
Incorporation and training
Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health needed to create legal entities across the province to participate in collaborative health care system planning and action.
I developed an approach to incorporate non-profits (run by and for family physicians) within two meetings of 1.5 hours over the space of two weeks. At the end of the process, each of the groups (called Divisions of Family Practice) had budgets, initial boards and a policy binder, all customized to their unique circumstances.
After incorporating the first five Divisions, I trained an internal team to support local development which currently includes 36 groups and 98% of family physicians and nurse practitioners in the province.
Each of these groups has gone on to lead significant changes in collaboration with FNHA and regional health authorities and the Ministry of Health.
Strategic planning
I developed an innovative Strategic Planning process that has helped many community agencies. Supported boards to develop mission, vision and values statements that truly guide the organizations and their teams. Sound analysis of organizational health and careful attention to data and the surrounding environment help to create a list of potential actions.
I developed a hybrid of “force field” and “SWOT” analyses to help the boards to prioritize their goals and activities for the coming years. Engaging the staff team after the board establishes direction reduces duplication of effort and builds buy-in.
In addition to a comprehensive workplan, I create a visual summary of their strategic plan to enable their members and stakeholders to provide feedback and participate in achieving their strategic goals..
Mindful Anti-Racism and Reconciliation
Mining with free, prior and informed consent
As ESG becomes more important for mining and Indigenous rights are recognized and defined by the courts, many junior miners and explorers are unprepared for building long-term positive relationships with First Nations and Indigenous communities.
I work with Inspire Resources and a network of influencers to develop training for geologists and juniors so they can be more successful in attaining free, prior and informed consent. This includes developing cultural humility and awareness of the range of circumstances of First Nations and Indigenous communities.
Challenges include ongoing conflict between the industry desperate for investment and governments that are committed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Success factors include comprehensive awareness of the needs of geologists and junior miners so we can align their interests with those of First Nations.
Unlearning toxic masculinity
Transforming dominant culture
Sexism and racism are harmful for all of us in our personal, community and business lives. Using neuroscience, unvarnished history and mindfulness, developed and led a series of online workshops to explore how white-identified allies could build effectiveness and resilience.
I partnered with a US-based co-creator to design and deliver workshops that explored the lived experience of having racial privilege and the inner sense of shame, blame and guilt that can come when we work to dismantle racism, sexism and homophobia.
Challenges included making these complex processes into a simple methodology, facilitating conversations that range from deeply introspective and translating that into action in family, workplace and community settings.
Participants felt that the workshops helped them call in others and support their boards to make better and more mindful and inclusive decisions.
Engage men in conversations about eliminating sexism in mining and in community. As a book club facilitator for Next Gen Men, I engaged men in discussions about complex issues like racism, assault, transphobia and gender roles.
Created discussion plans, introduced mindfulness practices and engaged diverse groups of men in exploring how we can develop healthy expressions of masculinity in relationships with partners, friends and workplaces.
Challenges include our discomfort with conversations about privilege and cultures of toxic masculinity. Success factors include design, compassionate dialogue, leading with curiosity and meeting participants where they are.
