What is it?Iridia in the Community is an initiative that saw each full time employee receive $100 and be tasked with spending it in a way that would provide value to their interpretation of “community”.

Little guidance was offered, and that was by design. While all Iridians share commonalities, we are also each very different. Our individual interpretation as to what “community” is, and what providing value to it looks like, is completely a function of our own perspective.

What was the inspiration behind it?You never know when you might have a conversation that will have a profound impact. In February of this year, I was fortunate enough to have had such a conversation. While attending a professional development workshop I sat beside a gentleman that I had never seen before, and have never seen since. We spoke only for about 10 minutes, but that brief exchange led to Iridia in the Community.

He shared a story about a man in the early 1900s who took out an advertisement local newspaper offering to provide $10 to anyone who wrote him a letter articulating why they felt they needed $10. Initially dubbed Angels in the Streets, this idea has since evolved to see companies giving back through their employee teams. Amazed at the simplicity and beauty of the program, we simply had to do it. And now, it’s done.

Why did we do it?At Iridia we aspire to be led by, and act in accordance with, our company values. Each of our eight values contributes directly to the very fabric of our organization. As one of our values is Social Responsibility, we are always on the lookout for creative ways to support our community.

We felt that Iridia in the Community fit the bill, and we made it happen, “community” to be a broad topic and provide no constraints as to what the definition of that was.

Iridia in the Community

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Critical Care Paramedics Join the ICUIridia Medical partners with Fraser Health and Surrey Memorial Hospital to spearhead an innovative project which will see Critical Care Paramedics become part of the ICU care team in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH).

This project is the first of its kind in Canada. The goal is to help Surrey Memorial Hospital deliver the right care at the right time

An ICU, also known as an intensive care unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensive care medicine. It operates 24/7 and due to the high volume of patients and the serious nature of the patient’s condition, the ICU doctors require skilled team to support them day and night. ICU doctors rely on resident physicians (called Clinical Associates) to provide a key component of this support. A Clinical Associate (CA) is a senior resident with expertise in critical care that helps provide hands-on care when the ICU doctor is not immediately available to see the patient.

Currently there are not enough resident CA’s to provide coverage in the ICU and with the recent expansion of the SMH ICU and opening of the new Critical Care Tower the need for coverage is greater than ever. As such Fraser Health has reached out to Iridia to help provide an innovative solution to this gap in resident clinical associate availability.

Six Critical Care Paramedics (CCP) were selected for the initial phase of the pilot project. Critical Care Paramedics are the most highly trained pre-hospital providers in the province of British Columbia. One key role of a CCPs is to provide direct care to critically ill patients requiring air or ground transport between hospitals and Intensive Care Units. Although CCPs were selected for the first pilot, the goal is to open the doors for other healthcare professional such as a nurse practitioner or respiratory therapist to fill this role.

Working on WellnessWhat is Working on Wellness?Working on Wellness (WoW) is a pilot program which Iridia will be helping to implement two of our BC camps. It is part of a larger project to adapt workplace wellness programming for specific groups in BC, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The program is based on the WellnessFits program (wellnessfits.ca), developed and run by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Survey ResultsIn June, baseline surveys were conducted, analyzed and results suggested that employees were most interested in learning about: healthy eating, physical activity, screening and early detection.

Employees also stated that the most important change they would like to see in a workplace wellness program would be: increasing physical activity and improving eating habits.

Next StepsBased on the results and discussions with Iridia medics in camp, action plans surrounding the concepts of Educate, Act and Support have been drafted. The first component, starting tentatively at the beginning of November will include posting WoW promotional materials, including posters that use the theme of “Protect your Equipment.” Blood pressure clinics and physical activity initiatives will soon follow. These initiatives include using educational and supportive material to promote physical activity and provide each location with a physical activity challenge. In the New Year, we will follow up with a nutritional trial and mental wellness trial.

Roles and ResponsibilitiesThe Canadian Cancer Society has chosen Iridia as a partner because of our unique circumstances of having health care providers in the camp environments. Educational and supporting material will derive from the Cancer Society and it is Iridia’s responsibility to deliver the material. This is a very exciting opportunity for us as little research has been conducted in these types of environments. It is an opportunity for us to promote healthy workplaces while developing new partners and relationships in the healthcare sector.

If you have any further inquiries about the Working on Wellness project, please contact Lauren Stahl (lstahl@iridiamedical.com) and she will happy to have any discussion with you.

View the Survey Results: North Liard

Kick-off BP Clinics WeeklyWellness Tips

TeamChallenges Nutrition

Nov 2014

Nov 2014

Dec 2014

Jan 2015

Feb 2015

Mica Dam

Timeline

Last month, we launched a new corporate initiative – the first ever Tour D’Iridia. A 5 day, 400km cycle tour of the Southern Vancouver Island region.

The tour focused on visiting 18 BC PAD Program locations, drawing attention to the program and raising general awareness of AEDs in the communities. At each location our Tour Ambassador, Michael Galasso performed a technical check-in on the device, gathered

feedback about the devices and answered questions about the program. Michael met with a series of AED Program Managers, proud to have the AEDs available in their communities. They welcomed him to their locations with the island’s special brand of friendliness.

During his time on the road Michael showcased his journey through social media, providing us with some great shots of the defibrillators on site, and a taste of Island beauty. The Iridia team cheered him on through our Facebook page and encouraged him every step of the way. Each day presented a unique set of challenges, Michaels cycling expertise ensured that he was at every stop on time, ready to answer questions and discover some of the innovations, such as Code Blue systems, added to some locations.

Our first Tour D’Iridia was an exciting learning experience and an experiment in finding new ways to reach out to our customers. The Tour highlights our commitment to Client Focus, Innovation and Corporate Responsibility, and our passion for public access to defibrillation. We will continue to develop unique and engaging ways to raise awareness of PAD programs through similar projects in the future.

If you missed it the first time around, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the tour next year! Learn even more about the tour, and check out the full image gallery.

Have you kept up with your CPR and AED skills? Are you ready to react in a sudden cardiac arrest situation?

Find out during the 2014 Midwinter Clinic - the premier event of the season for dentists, dental staff, study clubs and businesses that supply the Vancouver and area dental community.

We’ll be attending the Clinic Friday, December 12th from 8:00AM-1:00 PM at the Westin Bayshore Hotel.

We will be displaying and answering questions about the AEDs we supply:

• Physio-Control LIFEPAK Express

• Physio-Control LIFEPAK CR Plus

• Physio-Control LIFEPAK 1000• Powerheart G3 Plus• Powerheart G3 Pro

Tour D’Iridia MidwinterClinic

BC - 246

National - 40

Total PAD Placements

We’re excited to announce the newest update to our educational programs: The new Learning Studio!

During the summer and fall of 2014, Iridia Medical worked on finding a dedicated space to host educational programs. The new classroom is located near our headquarters and is dedicated entirely to our educational programs. With an open classroom design and two breakout rooms for group work, we’ve created an optimal learning environment. Additionally, the space features an office for instructor privacy and a kitchen for student comforts.

The self-contained space is a great example of one of the many innovative advances our Education Department has showcased for the New Year.

In recent months, Iridia instructor Dr. Jamie Renwick has travelled extensively to provide advanced learning opportunities for GP Anesthesiologists across British Columbia and Alberta. Delivering a tailored Advanced Circulatory Life Support Course for Anesthesiologists, Jamie has been warmly welcomed in many communities.

Read what one happy student had to say:“Thank you once again for a fantastic course on Saturday. You did such a good job of making it interesting and relevant. I think that even the most experienced folk in the group came away with new information. I think you’re one of the best teachers I know and I consider myself lucky to have been taught by you both in and out of residency!“

The 2015 curriculum includes a review of current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) algorithms, AED use, cardioversion and transcutaneous pacing while targeting circulatory arrest specific to the peri-operative environment. Topics and practice scenarios review auto-peep, anaphylaxis, embolism, right vs. left ventricular pump failure, pregnant arrest, neuraxial arrest, asphyxial arrest, and hyperkalemic arrest, among others. There is opportunity to practice cricothyrotomy skills as well as interosseous needle placement. The tone for the day is relaxed and collegial and meets the ACLS credentialing requirements.

On the Rise: ACLS for Anesthetists

Introducing the New Learning Studio!

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