IFIC Canada Webinar ‘The critical role of partnering with the volunteer sector to enable integration’
IFIC Canada Webinar ‘The critical role of partnering with the volunteer sector to enable integration’
The International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), IFIC Canada at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and its co-founders, Walter Wodchis and Jodeme Goldhar, hosted the Virtual Community Session The critical role of partnering with the volunteer sector to enable integration.
Integration is the lever to enable population health and wellbeing. A key component of integration is the role of partnering with the volunteer sector to improve outcomes for our patients, caregivers and our population.
In this session, we took a deep dive into learning firsthand from about the role of engaging the volunteer sector from the perspectives of policy-makers, researchers and a person with lived experience. This session discussed the available evidence, the volunteer sector’s role in policy, and share approaches and practical examples of local work that engages with the volunteer sector.
Session Goals
- Discuss the evidence and research that supports the role of partnering with the volunteer sector
- Identify the role that the volunteer sector plays in policy and program delivery
- Highlight successful approaches to partnering with the volunteer sector and the impact it can have
- Describe how partnering with the volunteer sector is brought to life in practice through practical examples
Presenters:
Michelle Nelson
Scientist in the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Sinai Health System and an Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto
Dr. Michelle LA Nelson is a Scientist in the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Sinai Health System and an Associate Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is also the Chief Knowledge Officer for March of Dimes Canada. Believing that ‘none of us are as smart as all of us’ – Dr. Nelson leads a program of collaborative research focused on integrated health services for people with complex care needs, with an emphasis on inter-sectoral collaboration and the role of volunteers and voluntary sector. To support this work on a global scale, she is a Senior Associate of IFIC and chairs the special interest group for voluntary sector in integrated care.
Richard Lewanczuk
Senior Medical Director of Health System Integration for Alberta Health Services
Dr. Richard Lewanczuk is the Senior Medical Director of Health System Integration for Alberta Health Services, the healthcare delivery arm of the province of Alberta. In this role he works within AHS as well as with provincial government ministries, municipalities, the volunteer sector, primary care and business to “help Albertans be as healthy, well and independent as they can be in their homes and communities”. Prior to this, Dr. Lewanczuk was the Senior Medical Director for Primary Health Care for AHS from its inception until 2019. Dr. Lewanczuk is also a Professor Emeritus within the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta where he still co-chairs the Social Determinants of Health Working Group.
Vicky Irons
Chief Officer for Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership
Vicky Irons is Chief Officer for Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership.
She has worked across Scotland and the UK in chief officer roles in health and social care for 30 years and has worked in Scottish Government and UK Government in various policy lead roles.
From 2019 – 2021 Vicky was also the Chair of Health and Social Care Scotland, and continues to represent Scotlands Chief Officers on a range of ministerial strategic planning groups.
Brina Ludwig-Prout
Caregiver Partner
Brina Ludwig Prout is a change, project and program management expert with over 20 years as an independent consultant specializing in large, complex strategic projects and is a Certified Human Resource Leader (CHRL). Known for her collaborative, inclusive style, Brina has consulted to senior levels in corporate Canada and to consulting to emerging entrepreneurs and organizations in the social enterprise field. Brina has been a member of the Advisory Committee for the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council’s (TRIEC) Connector Program; a Strategic Advisor to the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Ontario; and an inaugural member of the League of Intrapreneurs, Canada.
For the past 6 years, Brina has been a caregiver and has become involved in many related activities: she currently co-chairs Hennick Bridgepoint hospital’s Patient/Family Advisory Committee (PFAC), was on the Steering Committee of the Change Foundation’s Changing Care Project which designed the Family Presence Policy at Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital; co-designed interactive modules for medical professionals on partnering with Caregivers; and has presented to diverse audiences on the importance of engaging with Caregivers.