Health authority recruiting Patient Family and Public Advisory Council members

As part of the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s ( NSHA) commitment to engaging Nova Scotians in establishing priorities and making decisions, it is recruiting five new members for its 12-member Patient Family and Public Advisory Council.

NSHA’s Patient Family Public Advisory Council has been in place for 18 months. The group has provided feedback to 11 different programs and services in the past year, including:

• primary health care

• ethics

• pathology and laboratory medicine

• policy and planning (acute medicine services)

“We’re pointing out things to them that they may not have realized,” council member Pat Gates said. “We’re bringing our experience in community.”

The health authority is seeking five community- minded individuals from the following areas to join the 12-member council:

• Annapolis Valley, South Shore or South West areas.

• Cape Breton, Antigonish or Guysborough areas.

• Halifax Regional Munici- pality, Eastern Shore or West Hants areas. These volunteers will reflect diverse populations and perspectives and will have one or more of the following qualifications, according to NSHA:

• Have a variety of patient/ family/community health service-related experiences.

• Can look at issues from more than one point of view.

• Can share honest points of view in a respectful way.

• Are interested in making a positive contribution to a sustainable health system.

• Want to work with NSHA to improve quality, safety and experience of care.

Council members meet monthly and provide advice to NSHA in a number of areas, including how to engage Nova Scotians on targeted initiatives and how to considers what has already been learned from Nova Scotians.

The council helps to ensure it brings a patient and family voice to advance patient and family centred care, as well as patient engagement throughout the province.

To learn more about the Patient Family Public Advisory Council or view other opportunities for patient family advisors, please visit www.nshealth.ca/pfa.