A lphabet Soup SPRINGSUMMER 2015

Your Partner Care in

wwccacorg

Acronyms can be confusing but they can also be packed with meaning an d valu e T h ree im port antacronyms around the CCAC are PMF QIP and ABP Do you know what they mean If not read on

It all starts with the CCACrsquos three-year strategic plan developed in 2014 The plan is aspirationalbuilding on existing strengths it paints a picture of what the CCAC can and should become by 2016 The current plan is organized around three strategic priorities and outlines six strategic goals

Personalized Care Provide care when and

where itrsquos needed Support a positive care

experience Safe high quality evidence-

based care Deliver safe high quality

evidence-based care Support safe independence

Seamless and coordinatedcare Partner for seamless care

Leverage information andtechnology

To know whether progress is made toward those goals measures are established and tracked on theP e r f o r m a n c e M a n a g e m e n tFramework or PMF ldquoWe look for measures that demonstrate how we have moved the mark in relation to our goalsrdquo says Andrea Martin Senior Director Partnerships and Performance ldquoSome measures are carried forward from year to year and some when the targets are achieved are replaced with new ones At the end of three years we hope that the measures wersquoveselected can help demonstrate that wersquove made significant progressrdquo

Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) wer e i ntro duced th rough theExcellent Care for All A ct of 2010 Beginning in 2014-2015 each CCAC in Ontario voluntarily created a QIP Together with the PMF the QIP enables CCAC leaders Boardmembers funders and the public to track the CCACrsquos movement toward its vision of the future

And how do we achieve goals By making positive change Every year the CCAC takes on initiatives designed to move the organization toward its goals These initiatives are outlined in the Annual Business Plan (ABP)

So what does the alphabet soup mean to our everyday reality ldquoIf you look at our measures theyrsquore all very patient-focusedrdquo says Martin ldquoTherersquos a direct correlation between our daily work and the measures Every day we work with our patients families and system partners to make those acronyms meaningfulrdquo

WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC 1

S t roke Program Recognized

The Community Stroke Leadership Team Dana Khan Maria Fage and Arsalan Afzal

The Community Stroke Program developed in Waterloo Wellington by the CCAC and its partners was recently named an Accreditation Canada Leading Practice The program was recognized at Accreditation Canadarsquos quality conference in late March The Program has been nominated for an Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC) Award of Excellence Also nominated for an OACCAC award is the In-home Teams program another excellent partnership

2

WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

Message f rom our CEO As you will read elsewhere in this newsletter and elsewhere there is a growing recognition of the importance of caregivers in our health system Caregivers are the spouses family members and friends who support and care for people facing the challenges of illness injury and disability There are four to five million family caregivers in Canada today They provide more than 80 percent of the care needed by people with long-term conditions and are estimated to contribute $5 billion in unpaid labour to our health care system annually

In other words we couldnrsquot do what we do without them

At the CCAC we are working hard to support both patients and caregivers We honor the courage expertise and commitment of caregivers and we recognize the heavy burden many of them bear We work to build trusting relationships and develop shared understanding with them As partners we co-create solutions that help achieve their goals We collaborate with our system partners and care providers to ensure that care seamless and wraps around Dale Clement CEO both patients and caregivers

We also celebrate the contributions of caregivers Heroes in the Home the community awards program we launched last year recognizes both professional care providers and informal caregivers On our website yoursquoll find the call for nominations for the 2015 award program ndash please consider making some nominations by the closing date of July 15 As our population ages our health system will count on caregivers more than ever Letrsquos continue to recognize and support their role

What rsquos Happening at the WWCCAC WHOrsquoS ON FIRST

The CCAC said goodbye to Gloria Cardoso Senior Director of Partnerships and Performance on April 10th We wish her well in her new position with the Waterloo Wellington LHIN where her skills creativity and passion for health care will continue to benefit us all

On an interim basis the CCAC has made the following leadership changes Andrea Martin has assumed the Partnerships and Performance portfolio and will serve as the Senior Director

Partnerships and Performance Rob Forbes Senior Director Corporate Services has added procurement and contracts management to his

portfolio Martina Rozsa Director Patient Services is serving as interim Senior Director Patient Services

JAMES DOWNHAM OUR IDOL

James Downham has a stimulating day job as Project Manager for System Coordinated Access at the CCAC But he also has another exciting role future rock star On March 21st he won The Shot a Waterloo-based singing contest in the style of American Idol

Downham has been singing for more than 20 years but this was his first contest In the finals before a live audience he sang Josh Grobanrsquos moving anthem You Lift Me Up and then sealed the deal with a powerhouse performance of Tim McGrawrsquos Live Like You Were Dying

Downhamrsquos prize includes the opportunity to record at a top Toronto recording studio with a professional session band and a meeting with record executives ldquoItrsquos called The Shot and thatrsquos what it really isrdquo says Downham ldquoAll of the pieces are ingredients in an opportunity that very few people getrdquo

2 WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

2

WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

Message f rom our CEO As you will read elsewhere in this newsletter and elsewhere there is a growing recognition of the importance of caregivers in our health system Caregivers are the spouses family members and friends who support and care for people facing the challenges of illness injury and disability There are four to five million family caregivers in Canada today They provide more than 80 percent of the care needed by people with long-term conditions and are estimated to contribute $5 billion in unpaid labour to our health care system annually

In other words we couldnrsquot do what we do without them

At the CCAC we are working hard to support both patients and caregivers We honor the courage expertise and commitment of caregivers and we recognize the heavy burden many of them bear We work to build trusting relationships and develop shared understanding with them As partners we co-create solutions that help achieve their goals We collaborate with our system partners and care providers to ensure that care seamless and wraps around Dale Clement CEO both patients and caregivers

We also celebrate the contributions of caregivers Heroes in the Home the community awards program we launched last year recognizes both professional care providers and informal caregivers On our website yoursquoll find the call for nominations for the 2015 award program ndash please consider making some nominations by the closing date of July 15 As our population ages our health system will count on caregivers more than ever Letrsquos continue to recognize and support their role

What rsquos Happening at the WWCCAC WHOrsquoS ON FIRST

The CCAC said goodbye to Gloria Cardoso Senior Director of Partnerships and Performance on April 10th We wish her well in her new position with the Waterloo Wellington LHIN where her skills creativity and passion for health care will continue to benefit us all

On an interim basis the CCAC has made the following leadership changes Andrea Martin has assumed the Partnerships and Performance portfolio and will serve as the Senior Director

Partnerships and Performance Rob Forbes Senior Director Corporate Services has added procurement and contracts management to his

portfolio Martina Rozsa Director Patient Services is serving as interim Senior Director Patient Services

JAMES DOWNHAM OUR IDOL

James Downham has a stimulating day job as Project Manager for System Coordinated Access at the CCAC But he also has another exciting role future rock star On March 21st he won The Shot a Waterloo-based singing contest in the style of American Idol

Downham has been singing for more than 20 years but this was his first contest In the finals before a live audience he sang Josh Grobanrsquos moving anthem You Lift Me Up and then sealed the deal with a powerhouse performance of Tim McGrawrsquos Live Like You Were Dying

Downhamrsquos prize includes the opportunity to record at a top Toronto recording studio with a professional session band and a meeting with record executives ldquoItrsquos called The Shot and thatrsquos what it really isrdquo says Downham ldquoAll of the pieces are ingredients in an opportunity that very few people getrdquo

2 WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC 3

Whatrsquos the Buzz Learn ing Together On June 3rd CCAC staff members will gather for the organizationrsquos annual Spring Symposium This year though will be a little different they will be joined by frontline staffers from the CCACrsquos contract e d servi ce provi d er agencies

The afternoon symposium will open with a keynote speaker designed to inspire and energize the group Then CCAC and service provider

staff members will participate in an in te r a c tive c o l l abor ative c ar e planning activity

ldquoThe goal is to develop a shared understanding of the future of home and community care and the role we each play in itrdquo says Barb Headly the CCAC rsquo s Organ i za t i ona l Development and Change Lead ldquoWe also hope participants will gain a greater respect for each otherrsquos roles Ultimately this shared

experience will help us move toward a more integrated and coordinated patient experiencerdquo

During the morning the CCAC Board will recognize staff service and accomplishments during the past year

D i scover ing the CCAC CJ Smith has lived in Waterloo all his life Yet like many people in our community he didnrsquot know much about the CCAC Now he does and hersquos excited about the possibilities

An avid football player CJ is currently in the Recreation and Leisure Studies co-op degree program at the University of Waterloo When he landed at the CCAC for a work term he admits he didnrsquot know what to expect ldquoI knew absolutely nothing about the CCAC before I came The first two weeks of training were fast-paced for merdquo CJ found himself working on a research project about specialized seating and helping with a community physiotherapy pilot project He also had an opportunity to job shadow with service providers and community support agencies and do home visits with care

coordinators ldquoWhat Irsquove seen is that itrsquos not just a standardized pathway for every patientrdquo he says ldquoThe care coordinators design each care plan individually for the patientrsquos maximum benefitrdquo

The experience has encouraged him to consider pursuing further studies in therapeutic recreation and has also awakened an interest in project management ldquoIrsquove learned more in half a semester than I have in the previous year and a half at schoolrdquo The biggest learning for CJ ldquoThe CCAC does so much for so many people ndash more people should know about itrdquo

New EVENTS Tool on the Heal th l ine Our industrious friends over at wwhealthlineca have been hard at work improving the EVENTS section of their website The new search function allows you to look up events by topic type and location Users can also search by keyword using our free-text search box These new enhancements make the submission and viewing process more efficient than ever

You can now also share events with friends or on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter find directions and add events to your own personal calendar you can add up to 20 events to your clipboard in a single session Submitting an event of your own The

events tool allows you to select several dates and times within one submission Selected dates are highlighted on calendar and displayed in the chart along with the start time Dates can easily be removed by clicking the waste bin icon on the left side of the screen

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact michaelhugheythehealthlineca

3WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

4

Exper t Panel Repor ts In April 2014 the Ontario government set up a panel of health care experts to explore how to improve the quality and value of the care provided by the home and community care sector The panel was chaired by Dr Gail Donner former Chair of Nursing at the University of Toronto After extensive research and public engagement the panel issued its report in March 2015 Among the recommendations

Consider the patient and their caregivers as the client when developing care plans

Recognize the importance of supporting caregivers through respite services resources education and training

Give patients and caregivers easily accessible information on what home and community care services are available

Ensure Ontarios health care system has the capacity and resources to deliver core services to meet the various needs of Ontarians

Ensure timely and meaningful communication among primary care providers hospitals and other members of the home and community circle of care

Continue to work towards a more accountable and high-performing home and community care sector

Ontariorsquos CCACs welcomed the report and are committed to working with our partners to advance the recommendations ldquoImportant work lies ahead for CCACs and health partnersrdquo said OACCAC CEO Catherine Brown ldquoTogether we can make changes to improve the system so it responds better to patients and caregivers needs The goal is to provide more Ontarians with accessible integrated and sustainable care where they want it ndash at home

Change Foundat ion I ssues S t ra tegic P lan In late March the Change Foundation an independent health policy think tank issued its updated strategic plan entitled Out of the Shadows Into the Circle The Plan reads in part

ldquoOur health care system is dependent on unpaid caregivers And the reality is that these caregivers are often not recognized or respected for the role they play At best there is an inconsistent approach to family caregivers In many cases they are not even considered as key members of the care teamrdquo

Moving forward the Change Foundation will focus on

Developing a framework for understanding family caregivers as part of the patient experience

Learning more about family caregivers in Ontario Engaging with family caregivers patients and providers Developing an engagement plan Learning about innovative provider and family caregiver partnerships and

initiatives Learning about efforts to integrate health and community care

Caregiving can be a rewarding experience but it can also be stressful and demanding job Caregiverexchangeca is a province-wide resource for caregivers that provides a wealth

of practical information and support for family caregivers Use the site to find out more about programs and services in your area or explore the range of topics covered weekly on the blog

4 WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC

WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC 5

P ro f i le on a Communi ty Par tner Langs The first in a series highlighting the work of the CCACrsquos community partners

Langs first originated in 1978 as a grassroots community development project orchestrated by a dedicated group of individuals who were concerned about the lack of access to programs and services in their Cambridge neighbourhood After door-knocking in the community founding members discovered that what residents wanted the most were recreational services for their kids

After receiving a grant to operate for summer programming for children Langs opened its first volunteer-driven community centre in 1980 in a townhouse donated by a landlord Over the years the community successfully advocated for funding Langs developed and implemented more youth programs pre-school programs and a womenrsquos group Although the community was showing signs of improvement the community identified a need for better access to primary health care services ldquoOur vision was for every person in our neighbourhood to have a place to call home not just for community support but also for health and wellnessrdquo explains Bill Davidson Executive Director of Langs (Consider Davidson the ultimate expert on Langs mdash he started working there as a youth worker in 1983)

The first Langs

Community Centre

from the book

ldquoGrowing Up Langsrdquo

In 1995 Langs received approval for a Community Health Centre from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and secured space in a plaza at 887 Langs Drive ldquoEven in those early days it was important that we partner with other agencies and bring them on-site to provide an integrated model of programs and services for the residents in our communityrdquo says Davidson The organization soon expanded from 4000 square feet to 20000 and was co-located with 2 organizations and a pharmacy Now occupying the entire main floor of the plaza Langs had no further room to grow

In 2010 the organization received federal and municipal funding to construct a new 58000 square foot hub that would house Langs the William E Pautler Seniors Centre and more than 20 community partners Designed by award-winning architecture firm Roberson Simmons the new Langs facility on Concession Road is environmentally

friendly and visual ly stunning The la rge communal atrium has a living wall made of plants and floor-to-ceiling windows that lead out to a community courtyard In addition to the buildingrsquos offices and meetings rooms therersquos also an indoor walking track a gymnasium a pharmacy and two types of green roofs

The new Langs facility on Concession Rd

In 2003 the organization opened a Community Health Centre satellite in North Dumfries which is now co-located in a multi-purpose facility with the Township of North Dumfries Langs also recently re-opened the Grow Community Centre (formerly Popcorn House) in the Hespeler area of Cambridge

From their humble beginnings in a townhouse over 25 years ago to a multi-building and multi-purpose organization Langs is a true demonstration of what can happen with vision hard work and collaboration

Partnering with the WWCCAC

Langs work closely with many health and social service partners in the development and implementation of the Cambridge North Dumfries (CND) Health Link including the WWCCAC Langs is the CND Health Link sponsor and WWCCAC is an active member of its steering committee One of the activities of the CND Health Link is the establishment of an In-Home Team The interdisciplinary team consists of nurse practitioners care coordinators pharmacists and social workers who aim to provide ldquowrap aroundrdquo care for the most vulnerable patients within the Health Link

A care coordinator from the WWCCAC also joins Langs at their weekly ldquoConnectivity Tablerdquo mdash which provides an opportunity for members from health care social services education and the police force to collaborate on issues affecting the Langs catchment Click here to watch a video about how the Connectivity Table works

5WATERLOO WELLINGTON CCAC