2015 AGM

36 years serving Denman and Hornby Islands

• in 1979 a group of volunteers documented over 1000 hours assisting seniors and were successful in securing a home support contract

• added services for children, youth and families, adult mental health, food security, community education and more

• 1993 built our own office on Hornby through grants and fundraising. Opened an office on Denman. 2011 became stewards of the community built clinic on Hornby Island

• one of the largest employers on the islands with over 50 staff

• annual budget of just under $1.2 million 1993

• Home Support

• Home Assist

• Comox Valley Better at Home

• Making Connections –Denman Seniors Lunch

• Equipment Loan Cupboards

• Minding the Gulf – Community Mental Health

• Hospice

‘To optimize the health and health services for residents of Denman and Hornby Islands’

• Child and Youth Mental Health Counselling

• Family Support

• Youth Outreach

• Community Education

• Hornby Hampers

• Hornby Clinic

• Health Networks

Highlights of 2014/15

• Worked with North Island College to hold the Care Aide training course on Hornby Island – all 5 graduates were hired to work in our Home Support program

• Started delivering Better At Home services in the Comox Valley – next step Denman and Hornby Islands!

• Hosted an information session on each island with the Project Manager for the new Comox Valley hospital

• Our Board completed revisions to the Society’s constitution and by-laws

• Hired Gillian Saxby to assist with updating all the policies and procedures for our home care programs to meet all the requirements of our new contract and current regulations – ongoing

• Restructured our C,Y&F Committee to include Community Mental Health

• Hosted a fundraiser by Robert Bateman and Christmas raffle baskets in support of the Home Assist Emergency Fund

• Provided over 242 hours of free Home Assist services to islanders that needed short term assistance (through the Emergency Fund)

• Purchased A Caregiver’s Guide books to distribute to community members caregiving for friends and families and/or supporting them at end of life

• Completed upgrades to the Hornby Clinic to facilitate the new Nurse Practitioner

• Installed a walkway and railings at the Society office to make it more age-friendly

• Incredible staff at all levels!

• Dedicated board and committee members, wonderful community partners!

More highlights of 2014/15

Incredible staff and clients!

We are being noticed and included!

• asked to work with the Ministry of Health to host a F/P/T Ministers Responsible for Seniors event in the Comox Valley

• asked by the health authority to participate in their strategy to assist frail seniors

• included in the Comox Valley Collaborative to address children and youth MHSU issues

What we are excited about

Social Innovation project

• working with partners on Quadra and Gabriola, (Cortes) Islands to develop an inter-island network based on our successful community health networks

• 1 of 12 projects chosen to attend social innovation workshops to further develop our project

• starting with MHSU – potential to collaborate in many other ways

In our communities

• unpredictable hospital discharges; no ferries are running/no resources – youth and seniors

• mental health and substance use supports for ‘older’ youth, adults and seniors

• housing

What we are concerned about

We are being noticed and included!

(but no extra funds come with that….)

• stretching our capacity

• dwindling administration resources

• contract amounts are not increasing to match increasing costs

Succession planning – few people hold large responsibilities

Making Connections Hornby Hampers

‘Monthly’ Denman Seniors Lunch

Partners: BC Gaming / Denman Seniors & Museum Society

• 145 seniors lunches

• 28 volunteers put in 140 hours

• Pat Young – program champion

Funding: BC Gaming, Salvation Army & many community donations

• 38 families and individuals

• 28 volunteers put in 160 hours

• new coordinator, new location and new ‘healthy hamper’ focus

Comox Valley Better at Home

• the program completed its first year of operations

• 74 clients received a total of 737 service moments – housekeeping, yard work, minor home repairs and friendly visits

• the majority of our clients are women, living alone and over the age of 85

• 3 generations qualify for services!

• challenge is supporting a ‘broken’ system of care

• Advisory committee is competent and supportive

Staff: 1 full time (1 temp volunteer coordinator)

Funder: United Way of the Lower Mainland manages the program on behalf of the Ministry of Health

• With support of private donations, local organizations and Island Health, George McFaul (Denman) and Rachelle Chinnery (Hornby) took training to lead local Mental Health First Aid workshops

• 123 individuals have participated so far

Minding the Gulf – Community Mental Health

• Minding the Gulf facebook page – regularly updated with articles, resources

• monthly article in the Flagstone and First Edition

• continued discussion in our Health Networks on each island

• negotiated a new 3 year contract with Island Health

• new contract allowed for staff pay rates to more closely align with union rates

• provided 20,501 hours of Home Support and 4,767 hours of Home Assist (private pay) services

• completion of North Island College partnership to bring Care Aide training to Hornby Island

Home Support & Home Assist

Staff: 4 part time

Funders:

Ministry of Children & Family Development

Island Health – Youth Substance Use

Grants from: Comox Valley Drug Action Committee andGirls Action Foundation

Child, Youth & Family Services

• these free services, delivered at our offices on each island were busy this year

• the art therapy approach of the family support worker was popular with children and parents

• over 350 hours of direct counselling support delivered

• staff participate in various groups to stay informed of appropriate referrals and resources for island families

Child and Youth Mental Health Counselling & Family Support Services

Youth Outreach

• girls and boys groups in community schools, teen nights, summer events

• grants allowed for purchase of screen printing equipment

• staff work with ‘off-island’ organizations and participate in high school events to stay connected with older youth – this year’s focus - consent, social media, safe texting and drug facilitated sexual assault

Hornby Clinic

• opened in 2011, built entirely with community donations and volunteer labour

• 5 year lease to Island Health, the dental bus and lifelabs

• surplus from the lease goes to a building replacement fund ($50,400) and a generator replacement fund ($3,140) as well as funds for Hornby health equipment/programming