CHIEF Executive Forum members took advantage of another opportunity to see new healthcare delivery technology in action as part of the recent CHIEF Executive Forum Spring Symposium in Vancouver. After the conclusion of e-Health 2024, CHIEF Members gathered at the Pan-Pacific Hotel for two additional days of discussion and debate before taking their show on the road to visit local healthcare organizations who opened their doors to the small group of executives.
The first stop was Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, a leading-edge centre for mental health and addiction treatment and research in Coquitlam (about 45 minutes outside of Vancouver).
After being welcomed to the centre by the Belle Beach-Alcock, the Indigenous Care Coordinator, and given a brief introduction to the history of the people and the region, the group was given a comprehensive overview of the unique, first of its kind, integrated model of care provided at Red Fish, including digitally-enabled mental health solutions. The visitors learned about the Virtual/Digital Innovation Hub BCMHSUS project being developed in partnership with the British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority and Telus Health.
After a healthy discussion with plenty of Q& A, the visitors were divided into four groups for an extensive tour of the Red Fish site and facilities, including a new 105-bed facility treating people across the province who live with the most severe, complex substance use and mental health issues.
Once the tours were complete, the group grabbed a packed lunch to enjoy on the bus as they made their way back to Vancouver to visit the pre-construction mock-up site of the New St. Paul’s Hospital. Nearly 20 spaces of the new hospital have been built with walls, floors, and doors, offering a valuable opportunity to ensure the design meets the needs of patients and staff before the site is fully built.
In a warehouse, not far from where the new hospital will be, full-sized models of strategic clinical spaces were built out and designs tweaked. As one of the group members commented, “it’s not a digital twin…it’s an analogue twin!” The group was lead through an inpatient room, maternity care/neonatal room, operating room, and an imaging room.
The group was shown how technology will be integrated at every step from in-take and triage through to discharge and environmental services. Patients will be given greater control of the lighting and temperature in their rooms and there will be digital displays of information in the rooms.
Site Visits are an important part of the CHIEF Executive Forum Spring and Fall Symposium experience. Visit CHIEF Membership to learn more about the CHIEF Executive Forum members and their initiatives.