Kootenay Boundary Physicians Recognized for Excellence

At the recent Facility Engagement Interior Showcase, four stand-out projects from across Interior Health were recognized for excellence in the areas of Achievement, Partnership, Innovation, and Teamwork. Two of these projects were from the Kootenay Boundary;  Teamwork –Boundary District Hospital (BDH) for their project Job Description of a Rural Doctor and Partnership–Regional Planetary Health Table.

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Teamwork –Boundary District Hospital (BDH)
​for their project Job Description of a Rural Doctor

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Devin Harris (Executive Medical Director, Quality, Engagement and Research), Dr. Max Liu (BDH physician), Tina Hnatiuk (BDH Medical Staff Association), Cindy Myles (Director, Facility and Community Engagement, Doctors of BC), Dr. Andrew Sellars (Senior Medical Director, North Okanagan)

In the face of challenges such as hospital staffing shortages, the closure of their inpatient care unit, emergency department crisis, floods, and fires, the Boundary physicians have continued to work together to prioritize meeting the needs of their patients and supporting one another in doing so.

​The physicians met numerous times to discuss, strategize, and come to a common agreement over what it means to be a physician in the Boundary. They developed documented team processes and agreements about the job requirements of being a rural doctor in the Boundary. This ultimately means working as a team to ensure that the emergency department stays open, long-term care is supported, and medical leadership positions are filled.

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Partnership – Regional Planetary Health Table

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Devin Harris, Jennifer Brunelle (FE Project Manager, Regional Planetary Health Table), Dr. Kyle Merritt (Kootenay Lake Hospital physician), Danica Burwash (FE Project Manager, Regional Planetary Health Table), Ozora Amin (Environmental Sustainability Coordinator) Cindy Myles, Dr. Andrew Sellars

What started as a local Facility Engagement (FE) project related to Climate Action at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson soon grew into the first ever FE funded IH-wide table. This regional table involves physician representation from nine facilities, IH leaders and staff and has gone above and beyond when it comes to collaborating and creating partnerships at both the local and regional level.
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This physician-led table has been instrumental in leading quality improvement projects related to environmental sustainability and engaging physicians in the development of Interior Health’s Climate Change and Sustainability Roadmap. At the facility level, pilot projects are in progress around metered-dose inhalers (Kelowna General Hospital and Vernon Jubilee Hospital, in partnership with IH Pharmacy leads) and sustainable perioperative care (Queen Victoria Hospital, Royal Inland Hospital, and East Kootenay Regional Hospital, in partnership with the Surgical Services Network). Efforts to reduce anesthetic gas emissions are also spreading through this table.
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The table is also aligning priorities with other organizations working in the field of planetary health such as Health Quality BC and CASCADES further demonstrating the positive impact that working together and sharing resources can have on achieving collective goals, and improving health outcomes for all.