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The Safety Net
April 2025
| Stay informed with the latest insights, updates, and initiatives dedicated to enhancing patient safety. | | |
The PFPSC Board is very grateful to all of our members for your ongoing contributions and support! We welcome feedback and suggestions anytime.
Highlights include:
· Board and Board Committees - Our board now consists of seven members – our original five (Wendy Nicklin, Linda Hughes, Allison Kooijman, Angie Hamson, and Kathy Kovacs Burns), and two new members who recently joined the board in March - Maryanne D’Arpino and Pauline Warden. They are also members of the Governance Committee. We continue to recruit for our Board and Board Committees – we need members to join the board as the term for two members will be ending in June. We need to be prepared for succession planning. Interested members please contact Kathy Kovacs Burns through hello@patients4safety.ca for more details and follow-up.
· PFPSC Strategic Plans - The Mission Statement and Values for the Strategic Plan will be discussed and finalized with members of PFPSC and the Board following which the Board will approve the final Strategic plan. This is planned for completion by the end of April. The next steps include the development the Operational, Communications and Evaluation Plans.
· Funding of PFPSC - Since becoming an independent not-for-profit organization in January 2024 we have continued to operate through a generous grant from the HIROC Foundation, which will support us to June 30, 2025. The Board and ED have submitted another proposal for funding to HIROC, but we are also pursuing other funding sources. We will need a minimum of $150,000 annually for basic operations and program initiatives. We ask for your ideas or suggestions for funding sources for projects as well as operations. Please contact us through hello@patients4safety.ca.
· Annual General Meeting for PFPSC – will be June 23, 2025 @ 11 am MDT/ 1pm EDT. We look forward to having everyone join us at that event.
| | Mutual Healing Working Group Update | | |
Due to new directives across the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the pilot that looked so promising will not be taking place at this time. We will be reaching out to other organizations to move the program forward.
It has been a long journey for our working group and we have accomplished a great deal in the past four years. Because of the commitment of the members, we have pushed forward despite challenges and now have a complete implementation guide to offer any healthcare organization who wants to launch a Mutual Healing Program.
We have an opportunity to promote this program through White Coat Black Art, and we will inform you when the interview airs on the CBC radio show.
Together for healing,
The MHWG
| | Knowledge Transfer (KT) Working Group Update | | |
The KTWG is starting to work on upcoming campaigns. The first will be World Hand Hygiene Day (May 5). Please email hello@patients4safety.ca with your ideas about key messages ideas, resources, and your lived experiences.
World Patient Safety Day (Sept. 17) theme is ‘Safe Care for every Newborn and Every Child’ with a slogan of ‘Patient Safety from the start’. Please email us at the address above with your ideas on how PFPSC can contribute.
| | Communications Working Group Update | | |
The Communication Working Group ( CWG) is very happy to have Sanja Pavlovic join the team. We extend a warm welcome back to Janet Bradshaw. It will be great to work with you again.
The purpose of the CWG is to support the work related to the website updates, presentations, external/public ( with Board approval) and internal communication. If you are interested in helping to keep our membership informed, please send an email to hello@patients4safety.ca
Some of our members have participated in Social Media Training. The training did not fulfil the needs of the members so we will not be offering this particular training any further.
For centuries the importance of washing your hands to prevent infection has been known. PFPSC will support “World Hand Hygiene Day” on May 5. Thank you to those of you who contributed key messages to our communications plan. Please stay tuned for more information on how and what to post on your social media.
As always, your suggestions and contributions to the newsletter are welcomed and please bring to our attention information you think our members should be made aware of.
Together for patient safety,
The CWG
| | Patient Safety & Incident Management | | |
The Patient Safety & Incident Management (PS & IM) Working Group offered in February our unique workshop to patient partners and healthcare providers with experience in PS & IM . They told us that the program is great and requires small adaptations for different audiences. Also, they asked one of the participants to share more about how they engage patients in incident analysis at a follow-up webinar, scheduled for April 11, 2025.
Here is the workshop outline. It is hoped that this could be a source of income for PFPSC. We already have a request to present an adaptation of the course to students who are considering entering the healthcare field at a Northern college in MB on May 9th. There has also been interest from NS and AB. If you know an organization who may be interested in the program please share the link to the outline. So far, 5 PFPSC members are trained as facilitators, and we need more – contact Donna if you are interested at hello@patients4safety.ca.
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We are pleased to welcome two new members to PFPSC! Vikram Bubber and Arvin Minocha have joined us and are eager to get involved.
The Membership Working Group has been busy with a variety of activities, including reviewing requests that go out to members but also brainstorming how to increase our membership and maintain the unique value that we hold.
Donna together with Arvin, Frankie and others from the Recruitment Task Group has been meeting with our Patients for Patient Safety colleagues from across the globe including those in Ireland and the United States. She is seeking to learn about their membership practices, roles and responsibilities. We look forward to sharing what she has uncovered in her conversations. Thank you, Donna, for this great work!
Thank you to Eileen Chang for her dedication to the Membership Working Group over the past several years. She has stepped down from the group and we are grateful to have benefitted from her expertise. Eileen was a dedicated member but also served as Chair for many years. Her professionalism and leadership has helped maintain the integrity of this group.
If you are interested in joining us on the Membership Working Group, please send an email to hello@patientsafety.ca
Melissa Sheldrick
Chair, MWG
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Sanja Pavlovic
My name is Sanja Pavlovic and I work as a Respiratory Therapist in Hamilton, Ontario. Prior to my current career I worked as a support worker for children with special needs. As a lifelong learner, I have also decided to start a Masters in Health Studies Program in the spring of next year. In the meantime, I keep myself busy by being a member of the Respiratory Therapist Practice Council, I am part of the Rapid Response Team, and I am a member of the planning committee for the yearly education event offered to staff at the hospital that I am employed with. When I am not working I enjoy travelling, swimming, hikes, gardening, tennis and watching basketball!
I have spent many years caring for ill and vulnerable individuals, and as a front-line worker and a member of the Rapid Response Team, I have become very passionate about patient advocacy as I have witnessed the challenges that patients can face when addressing their concerns or asking questions. I was a patient myself years ago and realized that I was mismanaged during my admission at a local hospital for an undiagnosed pneumonia. As my anxiety grew regarding my care and worsening symptoms, the most responsible physician felt that my anxiety was concerning and ordered a sedative and sleeping pill which I refused. He concluded that I was not suitable to make my own decisions and that led to me being formed. That night I had a respiratory arrest, and I had a prolonged stay in the hospital for multi-organ system failure.
I strongly believe that patients and families should retain their rights in deciding their care and I decided to join PFPSC to further grow my skills for patient advocacy outside of the hospital that I am employed with.
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Linda Hughes
I am a retired nurse who worked general duty, administration and Education with a focus during my career on Mental Health. After retiring I became involved with PFPSC in 2013 and served for many years as a cochair. I am now on the Board until June 2025 when my term is completed. I have lots of Board experience including with the Canadian Nurses Association, St Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg where I live and the personal care home where my mom lived and died.
I am married with two children and their spouses and two granddaughters all of whom live in Winnipeg. I am so lucky to have my family so close. We have a family cottage at Falcon Lake where we all spend time. Although I have lived 54 years in Winnipeg my roots are in rural Saskatchewan and my nursing degree is from the University of Saskatchewan. I am a dog lover and our current 2 year old Labrador retriever is called Remi. My husband and I are world travelers including Europe, Peru, Costa Rica, China, and Africa. This past summer with my daughter, I did a trip to Norway where all my grandparents are from.
I am soon finished my leadership role with PFPSC and have been honoured to have had that opportunity. Thank you to all who have made this volunteer work so special and meaningful.
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Wendy Nicklin
A graduate of the Ottawa Civic Hospital School of Nursing and McGill University (B.N. and M.Sc(A)), my nursing career began in the Emergency department as a staff nurse and then moving in to a Clinical Nurse Specialist role and an Educator Role. This was followed by progressively moving through admin roles through to Chief Operating Officer. In 1998, Ontario experienced massive healthcare restructuring and I lived through the merger of 4 hospitals – Riverside, Grace, General and Civic. Meanwhile I became involved with the Canadian Nurses’ Association and benefitted from Canadian networks with my nursing leader colleagues. In 2004 I began work as President and CEO with Accreditation Canada which opened international opportunities and experiences. While I have been a member of healthcare Boards for decades, for the past 8 years I have been semi-retired, devoting my energy and expertise primary to healthcare governance.
Throughout my career, my focus has been on contributing to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. I joined PFPSC in 2021 and immediately became involved with the leadership and then the new Board. It is a privilege to work / volunteer with those sharing the same commitment to Every Patient Safe.
I have two adult children who blessedly live in Ottawa.
Our cottage located in the nearby Gatineau Hills is accessible to us from April to October. We are looking forward to another summer at the lake.
With symptoms throughout 2023, in March of 2024 I was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (a very rare cancer of the appendix). This led to major surgery (CRS and HIPEC) in November of 2024 and I’m now experiencing the long slow period of recovery. Patients with similar diagnoses informed me of the long recovery and indeed they were right. In addition, a substantial weight loss was to be expected so I currently weigh almost 71 lbs.
My dear mother lives in long term care here in Ottawa – she is 105 ½ years young!!
I currently sit on the PFPSC Board term providing input to PFPSC in whatever way is of greatest value.
| | | We will feature 2-3 member profiles in each newsletter to get to know each other better. Please send your profile and picture to hello@patients4safety.ca | | What Our Members Are Up To | | How Our Members Contribute to Safer Healthcare | | |
1.Cultivating Team Partnerships: Learning from Lived Experience (2 parts) .Offered jointly by the Centre for Faculty Development (CFD) and the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) . CFD is a partnership between the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto
Part 1 January 13, 2025 Preparatory Workshop. Objectives include: Describing some of the hidden impacts of power relations when patients/family/caregivers are involved in health professions education; identify strategies to enhance critical collaboration in co-facilitated, interprofessional classrooms; apply critical collaboration techniques within a co-facilitation model.
Part 2 January 20, 2025 Learning Activity Co-Facilitation Session .Two of the key objectives were for the students being able: To discuss strategies to enhance partnerships within a team context, including effective communication, building collaborative relationships and power sharing; and to identify diverse social identities (e.g. race class, gender and ability) that impact relationships within a team context.
Eileen earned Teaching for Transformation Co-Facilitation Certificate from CFD and CACHE.
2.January 30, 2025 Canadian Drug Agency Transition Office, Appropriate Use Strategy: Town Hall. Feedback on Actions to Advance the Strategy. Participation included Mentimeter (online) Polling. Part 1 was held on September 7, 2023 with Patients/Caregivers Roundtable on “Appropriate Use Advisory Committee Interim Report” and written review/feedback that followed.
3.March 24, 2025 Patient Partner Session with University of Toronto Students and executives from Interprofessional Seniors Outreach Program.
Students learn about how a senior (patient/caregiver partner) cares for a senior, and for the impacts on the family/caregiver caring for that senior. Objective: To allow students to explore and discuss interprofessional successes/challenges related to caring for a senior who may have complex and/or multiple health challenges.
Eileen C.
| | Do you have contributions you'd like to highlight for the next newsletter? Please reach out to hello@patients4safety.ca | |
| | Patients for Patient Safety Canada welcomes the Chiropractic Association of Alberta (CAA) as our new gold partner. As a member-based association advocating for the chiropractic profession, the CAA stands for engaging patients as partners in patient safety. Patient engagement is the foundation of everything they do because it strengthens the profession and ensures care remains patient-centred. Our partnership will bring this commitment to action. Stay tuned for more information. Learn more about our partners here and contact hello@patients4safety.ca to recommend partners who can help us advance our vision. | | | |
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Our next all member meetings this year are on April 29, 2025, and July 29, 2025. We are offering two time slots to accommodate member schedules as best we can: 1000-1100 MT and 5:00-6:00 MT. Join the meeting that works best for your schedule. If you need the invite please contact Janet at hello@patients4safety.ca.
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