Comox Valley family doctors are inviting local residents to have their say in a telephone survey that will help shape the future of health care in their community.
The survey is part of A GP for Me, a multi-year project the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice has recently embarked on. Divisions of Family Practice and A GP for Me are provincewide initiatives funded jointly by Doctors of BC (formerly known as the BC Medical Association) and the Ministry of Health.
A GP for Me is a provincial program designed to improve patient care. The survey is one of many steps in the Comox Valley Division’s A GP for Me planning process, and the community’s input will help inform the local strategy.
“Last year, we began conducting surveys of community health care providers to get a better understanding of the issues impacting access to effective care in our community,” said Janet Brydon, executive director at the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice. “In the coming weeks we will reach out to our community — don’t be surprised if you get a call from our survey group asking for your input!”
To date, the Division has conducted surveys through walk-in clinics, the emergency department at St Joseph’s, the Comox Valley Nursing Centre, and allied health care providers such as optometrists, pharmacists and physiotherapists, as well as community service agencies.
Next steps include the Division working with community health care partners to develop and implement initiatives that address the community’s needs.
“Having a regular physician is shown to improve health outcomes and reduce the need for people to be admitted to hospital. It’s important that all our community gets the benefit of that care and that’s why we’re committed to this initiative,” said Dr. Adam Thompson, the current board chair and lead physician for the Division’s A GP for Me initiative.
Along with A GP for Me, the Comox Valley Division is also working on several other projects supporting community health care. For more information, visit www.patientvoices.ca, www.divisionsbc.ca/comox and www.agpforme.ca.
— Comox Valley Division of Family Practice