Richmond Community & Family Health Nutrition and Speech and Language Programs recently received an Early Intervention Therapy Community Partner Award from the BC Centre for Ability.

Team receives kudos for picky eaters program

Richmond Community and Public Health staffers, Anne Swann and Andrea Gates, accepted — on behalf of C&FH Nutrition and Speech and Language Programs — an Early Intervention Therapy Community Partner Award from the BC Centre for Ability.

What was said

Anne Swann and Andrea Gates from Community & Family Health, VCH Richmond.

Anne Swann and Andrea Gates from Community & Family Health, VCH Richmond.

Below is the introduction that was delivered prior to Anne and Andrea accepting this award at the centre’s AGM, held at September’s end:

“Over the years there have been multiple partnerships with the Richmond Public Health and today the Early Intervention Therapy Program wants to give special recognition to one of those initiatives.

It was over a brown bag lunch meeting in April 2013 when two OTs from Centre for Ability sat down with Anne Swann, dietician, and Andrea Gates, SLP, to see how two programs could both creatively and efficiently address a black hole of services. Through mentoring and sharing of resources from both sides, Richmond Public Health has since developed an efficient way to address clients who do not fall under BC-CFA’s mandate, but who identify as picky eaters. 

BC-CFA has gained a partner in the development and delivery of our Picnic Partiers Picky Eaters small group in Richmond, and has allowed us to follow evidenced-based practice by drawing on typical peer influence to help teach children about expanding their food repertoire.

We have also managed to provide a joint service to clients who see SLP through health and OT at our Centre.  Since that day in April 2013, we have delivered four groups together, so far, providing services to at least 20 to 25 clients. We are looking forward to another successful group starting up at the end of October and we are so very, very thankful for CFH partnership.”

Kudos to you!

Congratulations Anne and Andrea and to the Richmond School Support Occupational Therapists in identifying a gap in service and partnering internally and externally to bring about an improvement in health care delivery to children and families in Richmond.

Well done!