Many of you have asked us for more information about provincial health care funding and our VCH expenses and budget. If you haven’t had a chance to watch Glen Copping’s recent presentation at the True North Forum, we highly recommend it. During his presentation, our new CFO and vice president, systems development and performance, covers a lot of ground, including:

• B.C.’s past and forecast funding levels for health care
• VCH expenses (non-physician staff compensation is responsible for more than 70% of our costs)
• VCH costs we control and those we don’t
• VCH budget increase for 2014/15 —it’s modest and costs are growing at a faster rate

Glen’s presentation begins at minute 4:40 in the True North Forum webcast.

Today, we answer a question about EFAP services and resources. For past Q & As, including one on Home Health Redesign and another on job-sharing, refer to our February 13 article. All earlier Q & As can be found on VCH News-Vancouver.

If you have a question you’d like to ask, email us.

Today’s answered question

Q. In order to continue to make VCH a great workplace, I would like to see more resources available for staff to receive counselling during times of change (e.g., EFAP has been a great resource, and should not be limited to three sessions/year).

A. During times of change we all need a little moral support from our loved ones, friends and colleagues. Sometimes, we need access to professional support, too, and great workplaces offer resources to help staff through personal and professional transitions. At VCH, we’re fortunate to have a comprehensive Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). This program provides a range of free and voluntary confidential services to employees and their families, including a flexible, short-term in-person counselling service offering an average of six sessions per year. In cases requiring extension, their flexible model allows for this, and there’s opportunity for referral to extend counselling services through your benefits package.

In addition, EFAP provides:

• workshops on managing transition and change
• virtual support and treatment programs for anxiety and depression
• a new suite of wellness services, including parent, elder care, health and emotional coaching
• financial and legal educational seminars and one-on-one consultations
• critical incident debriefing

To learn more about EFAP services, visit the EFAP site.