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BC Mental Health Services Directory
The BC Mental Health Services Directory provides contact information for crisis hotlines and mental health emergency lines, including contact number, description of facility, hours of operation and who should call. This directory lists hotlines for all facilities residing within British Columbia and is only available for download as print copies are not provided at this time. If you wish to download the BC Mental Health Services Directory, click here.
Upcoming Event
Patient Safety Week 2006
Canada is proud to present the second annual Patient Safety Week (CPSW) happening from October 20-27. This year's patient safety theme is hand hygiene. This event is an opportunity for healthcare workers to share their programs and initiatives for this theme and to show how important hand hygiene is in reducing healthcare-acquired infections. If you want to learn more about this upcoming event, please visit the patient safety week website.
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In this issue: Mental Health Project Focus: Summary of Phase One Results Briefing Note: Healthy Workplaces Within BC Healthcare Want to Learn More About Stress at Work? Completed: Full Report of Phase One Findings The first phase of the five-year Healthy Workplace Initiative is now complete. The first phase is part of a four phase initiative to evaluate interventions that will improve the mental health of healthcare workers, including RNs, RPNs, LPNs, Care Aides and Unit Clerks in acute care settings. The first phase involved focus groups with frontline workers and interviews with executives, managers and union representatives regarding the full spectrum of work. Some findings from this first phase were:
  • Groups reported that interaction with patients, as well as co-worker support and teamwork were the most significant factors to job satisfaction
  • Front-line workers felt the greatest contributors to work stress were the combination of lack of staff, volume of work, poor layout of the work environment, number of patients and patient acuity
  • Workers experience burnout, depression, anxiety, and irritability in response to these work stressors
To read the full report of the phase one summary, please click here. If you would like further information on this study, please visit the Healthy Workplace Initiative section of the OHSAH website. Top Briefing Note: Healthy Workplaces within BC Healthcare The goal of healthcare is to have efficient and safe provision of high quality patient care. One key element in achieving this goal is sustaining a healthy and safe workforce. A healthy work environment is one which recognizes and responds to the needs of workers as an integral component of effective delivery of healthcare, and one in which workers feel valued, safe, and secure, both mentally and physically. A healthy workplace is also important for the sustainability of the system by enhancing recruitment and retention and reducing costs related to long and short term disability, absenteeism, and presenteeism. To view the Healthy Workplace Briefing Note produced by OHSAH for the Health, Work & Wellness conference held in Vancouver in October, please click briefing note. Top Want to Learn More About Stress at Work? Useful LinksIf you're interested in learning more about stress in the workplace, below is a list of related websites that you can visit. Top