Do you want to incorporate the voices of patients and the public into a project? We can help.

This month marks the five-year anniversary of the VCH Community Engagement Advisory Network (CEAN –pronounced “keen”).

Who’s CEAN?

They are members of the public who volunteer their time, experience and knowledge to improve health care.

How can CEAN help?

CEAN brings the voices of patients and the public into health care planning so that you can keep the patient at the centre of your decisions.

CEAN members can :

• Test the user-friendliness of patient brochures
• Participate in focus groups to gather patient/public feedback on a project (e.g. how to message de-cluttering of patient rooms)
• Sit on a VCH Advisory Committee with members of senior leadership.

Why is patient engagement important?

It helps us focus on patient-centred care and embeds the People First philosophy into the care we provide.

More about CEAN

CEAN is supported by the VCH Community Engagement (CE) Team, a tiny but mighty group that helps teams across VCH dialogue and collaborate with VCH populations.

We are proud to say that we have just signed on our 100^th CEAN member! Now we have more than 30 CEAN members who sit on various Advisory Committees within VCH, including Mental Health and Addictions, Integrated Primary and Community Care, Patient Safety and Quality and Clinical and Systems Transformation.

The CE Team and CEAN celebrate these milestones and all the ways that patient engagement is growing at Vancouver Coastal Health. We acknowledge the leadership of VCH in building a culture and processes that infuse the voice of patients, families and the public into decision-making!

Make CEAN part of your health care planning

Visit Community Engagement on VCH-Connect to learn more or contact us at ce@vch.ca