First Nations, Rural and Remote Real-Time Virtual Medicine — an Update

In a recent update, Dr. Ray Markham, Executive Director of the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia (RCCbc), notes that The Collaborative Centre for Rural and First Nations Virtually Enhanced Care was established last year. The Collaborative Centre is jointly supported and led by First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Providence Health Services Authority (PHSA), and…

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Healthcare in Rural BC Gets a Closer Look

Overview In 2017, the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC) tasked the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) with visiting every Rural Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) community between 2017 and 2020. These visits will connect with rural practitioners and communities to hear about the context of rural practice and health care delivery (what innovations exist,…

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Rural Hospice and Palliative Care Models and Innovations

Rural hospice and palliative care is important

This report features three rural hospice and palliative care model programs and successful rural projects in the U.S. that can serve as a source of ideas, and provide lessons others have learned for practitioners and rural community-based organizations in British Columbia, and elsewhere in rural Canada.   Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends)…

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Telemedicine Connects Rural Patients Nearing the End of Life

Telemedicine can provide rural patients access to palliative care in their homes

Palliative care is one of many areas of pressing rural need. In this PBS video, we’re introduced to a video conferencing approach being tested in rural northern California that holds significant promise for providing ongoing care for patients who choose to face serious medical and emotional issues as they approach end of life.    …

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HopeWest Hospice

  HopeWest Hospice is the only nonprofit hospice organization operating in Colorado’s Western Slope counties – Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Rio Blanco, and Ouray. It offers palliative care through physician specialist consultations, nursing homes, home-based care coordination, and their “Living with Cancer” program. Grief support is also available to children and adults. Founded in 1993, HopeWest emphasizes…

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Rural Healthcare in BC — Where Are We & Where Are We Going?

Rural healthcare — access to excellent medical care on a timely basis — is a challenging issue for many rural British Columbians. The BC Rural Centre invited Dr. David Snadden, Doctors of BC’s UBC Chair in Rural Health, to lead a conversation on issues and innovations on British Columbia’s rural healthcare front. From a BC…

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Report Reveals Ambulance Service Gaps in B.C.’s Rural, Remote Regions

The Auditor General’s report on BC’s Emergency Health Service indicates rural services need to be improved, as highlighted in this article by Betsy Kline originally published in the Castlegar News.   B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer released a report this week on the BC Emergency Health Service, confirming what many people in rural B.C. already…

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