Project Details
About the Project
Child and adolescent obesity is a significant concern for families in our community, with obesity rates for this population tripling over the past 30 years. Island-based primary care providers, endocrinologists, and pediatricians do their best to support this important group of patients and their families, but local resources are limited. Dr. Chris Harper saw an opportunity to bring a provincial program a bit closer to home.
PHSA’s Generation Health Clinic supports youth and their families to “build the foundation for healthy living through family connections, balanced eating, active living, screen time, sleep and mental well-being.” With support from the Clinic’s counsellors and registered dieticians, “the ultimate goal is for kids to be able to learn healthy habits from experts.” Through local health authorities, the program is available for in-person care in Vancouver, Richmond, Langley, and Kamloops; Virtual care is made available through BC Children’s Hospital for patients care across the province. As with similar offerings, a physician consultation is needed to start the program.
With the recent closure of the Nanaimo-based assessment centre, the only way Island families could access care was by traveling to the mainland for this assessment, or completing the entirety of the program virtually. Knowing that other health authorities offer this service locally and wanting to decrease the barriers for Island kids to access this invaluable program, Dr. Harper set out to make local in-person consultations possible.
Funded through Facility Engagement, Dr. Harper was able to connect with multiple people across Island Health, as well as local endocrinology colleagues. Thanks to Sarah Gatschene, Island Heath’s Manager of Child & Family Rehabilitation Services, he was able to secure physical space at the Queen Alexandra Centre, as well as some necessary equipment. He has worked his way through the new clinical governance model by presenting to the CARE Committee and Clinical Excellence Committees.
While there is agreement that this is an important service for Island kids, no direct administrative or nursing support has been made available through Island Health. This means that Dr. Harper is a one-person service, responsible for database entry and administrative tasks in addition to the clinical care at his one-day-a-month consultation service. He’s also worried about the sustainability of this important service: “The program is vulnerable because I can’t find anyone willing to cover.”
There is so much potential for this clinic, giving all Island children access to life-improving expertise, as well as reducing the burden on the two Island-based pediatric endocrinologists and hundreds of family physicians. But with limited administrative support, no clinical backup, and a program that remains provincially centralized, Dr. Harper’s efforts will continue to support only a small number of lucky Island kids each month.