We’re patients & community members working cooperatively to bring patient perspectives on important issues to health care providers and policy makers in our region.

Image: Some of our PACC Committee membership, October 2022, Millenium Park Castlegar. Left to Right: Mindy Smith, Carol Currie, Linda Sawchenko, Paul Burgener, Vince Salvo, Maria Klement, Leora Gesser.

As an advocate for patient engagement from within the system, our committee aims to be an effective agent of real and constructive change.

Check out what we’re working on & our strategic priorities at a glance >> 

The Patient Advisory Committee is a key working group of the Kootenay Boundary Collaborative Services Committee (CSC) and are listened to and responded to by local health care leaders. The CSC is a multidisciplinary group with representatives from the Division of Family Practice, Interior Health, patients and First Nations, with a mandate to transform the regional and local health care system into an integrated system of care.

Our committee provides input into decisions and discussions of the CSC and the programs + projects under its umbrella. We promote patient engagement throughout the Kootenay Boundary healthcare system. We are working to expand our input to include more community members’ opinions and concerns – to form a Patient Advisory Committee and Community (PACC).  

Since our inception in 2018 we have provided input into a wide variety of issues including the rollout of the primary care network, how to meet the needs of patients who have no regular doctor or nurse practitioner, virtual care, after-hours care, the role of physiotherapists in primary care clinics, and patient experiences with different ‘shared care’ specialist clinics and programs, and more.

Health care in our communities is undergoing transformation and we want patients to have a say in how they would like to see things change to make health care better, more accessible, equitable, and more in line with their needs and values.

The PACC is committed to open and respectful conduct, particularly in sharing different perspectives. PACC members respect each other and each other’s perspectives; the PACC communicates respectfully with health system leaders and providers as valued and trusted partners.