Rural Coordination Centre of BC - RCCbc

24/07/2025

“We’re all part of this community. We look different, and we speak different, and we may behave differently, but we have a place in community and our place is no more or less than anyone else.” In a practice spanning emergency care, long-term care, and family practice, Dr. Garnett Tarr's approach is rooted in Ubuntu, an African-born values system emphasizing shared humanity, interconnectedness, and community.

“Rural physicians do have a significant role in community, and it's hard not to be part of community when you're responsible for the health of a large sort of swath of your community.”

Celebrating Dr. Garnett Tarr's Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Rural Medicine, we are delighted to share more of Garnett's reflections on community, rural practice, and mentorship from an interview in his Osoyoos clinic from this past spring.

Read more and watch the full video:

A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Rural Medicine, Dr. Garnett Tarr continues to set an example through leadership and mentoring in the South Okanagan. Watch this video interview in honour of his 2025 BC Rural Health Award.

24/07/2025

Happy fifth birthday, CHARLiE! 🥳

July 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the CHARLiE—Child Health Advice in ReaL-time Electronically—pathway.

The CHARLiE pathway became the second 24/7 Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) pathway administered by RCCbc back in 2020, following RUDi.

Call volumes have grown steadily over five years and now CHARLiE is embedded into the workflows of rural providers across the province.

Read about how CHARLiE became a lifeline for rural providers on the RCCbc website at https://rccbc.ca/story/celebrating-the-impact-of-the-charlie-team/

📷️ Photo shows (from left) CHARLiE team members Dr. Jenny Retallack, Dr. Katharine Smart, Dr. Melissa Paquette, Dr. Kirsten Miller and Dr. David Wensley.

22/07/2025

📣 Calling all rural BC healthcare teams!⁠
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Whether you're a physician, nurse, midwife, nurse practitioner, mental health clinician, therapist, medical office assistant, administrator, or any healthcare team member serving rural communities—this opportunity is for you.⁠
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Join our Finding Your Way in Teamwork workshop series, specifically designed for high-functioning teams. When teams are able to cultivate these elements they are more able to create a positive work environment, rekindle joy in their work, optimize their team's performance, and increase the quality and safety of care for their patients.⁠

Our Finding Your Way workshop series is back with two sessions this fall:
📅 Monday, Oct 6th | 6-8pm PT
📅 Tuesday, Nov 18th | 6-8pm PT

Led by Drs. Rahul Gupta and Tom Wright, these interactive sessions will help you:⁠
✅ Learn the eight elements of high-functioning teams⁠
✅ Build psychological safety within your healthcare team⁠
✅ Create actionable plans for team enhancement⁠

💻 Free virtual workshop via Zoom

🔗 Learn more and register at https://rccbc.ca/initiatives/qtc4rbc/finding-your-way-in-teamwork/

21/07/2025

📍Tumbler Ridge. A UNESCO Global Geopark. A whole lot of rural heart.

The 2025 Tumbler Ridge Medical Conference brought together rural doctors, resident learners, and community champions for a one-of-a-kind weekend of learning and connection.

🎥 Watch the recap video
📝 Read the blog
🌄 Feel the vibe

https://rccbc.ca/story/celebrating-the-joy-of-rurality/



Doctors of BC, Northern Health, South Peace Division of Family Practice, Northern Peace Division of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbialty of Medicine, District of Tumbler Ridge , City of Dawson Creek, Chetwynd Chamber of Commerce, City of Fort St. John, Hudson's Hope, Tumbler Ridge Global Geopark, Tumbler Ridge Museum

What do airway mannequins, CPR races, dinosaur hikes, and prescribing pearls have in common? They all showed up at the 2025 Tumbler Ridge Medical Conference—where rural clinicians gathered for a weekend of skill-building, story-sharing, and spectacular views.

19/07/2025

If you guessed Saturna Island in this week’s Where Are We Wednesday, you were right on the mark! This peaceful Gulf Island may be small, but it's full of character, community, and coastal magic.⁠ ⁠
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Saturna Island is located on the unceded traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) Peoples, including the Tsawout and Tseycum First Nations, who have stewarded the lands and waters for generations.⁠ ⁠
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Tucked between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland, Saturna is one of the southernmost Gulf Islands, accessible only by ferry, private boat, or seaplane. With fewer than 400 year-round residents, the island is known for its serene beauty, tight-knit community, and incredible biodiversity. Nearly half the island is protected by the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, offering trails, beaches, and even orca sightings from shore.⁠ ⁠
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Saturna is part of Island Health, but due to its small size, healthcare looks a little different here. The Saturna Island Medical Clinic serves registered patients only (not a walk-in), and is operated by the Saturna Community Club Society, the island’s oldest organization.⁠
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For emergencies, Saturna Island Rescue (SIR) steps in. They are an all-volunteer team that provides 24-hour emergency medical services to residents and visitors. When needed, patients are transferred to BC Ambulance Paramedics and transported to larger hospitals in Victoria, Saanich, or occasionally Vancouver, depending on severity. Transport may be by water taxi ambulance or helicopter.⁠ SIR also operates a “retired” BCAS ambulance purchased with community donations. The service is funded by Island Health grants, fundraising, and private donations; a true example of community-driven rural healthcare.⁠ ⁠
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Saturna may be quiet, but it leaves a lasting impression and stands as a reminder of the strength and heart that thrives in BC’s rural and remote communities.⁠ ⁠
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📸 Photos by RCCbc Staffers, 1 & 4: Olivia, 2 & 3: Lindsay

16/07/2025

Where Are We Wednesday? 📍 This week we’re heading to a coastal community full of quiet beauty, salty air, and some pretty surprising wildlife. Can you guess where we are?⁠ ⁠
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🔹 This island is home to fewer than 400 year-round residents but has no shortage of natural charm and community spirit⁠. ⁠
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🔹 Nearly half of the island is protected by a national park reserve, making it a paradise for hikers, kayakers, and nature lovers⁠. ⁠
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🔹 Every Canada Day, residents gather to watch the annual lamb barbecue. A tradition dating back to the 1950s⁠. ⁠
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🔹 It’s one of the southernmost Gulf Islands, tucked between Vancouver Island and the mainland, and only accessible by boat or seaplane⁠. ⁠
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🔹 From cliffs and coves to bluffs and beaches, this island is known for stunning views, and even the occasional orca sighting just offshore⁠. ⁠
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Do you know which island we’re talking about? Drop your guess in the comments 👇 We’ll reveal the answer soon!⁠ ⁠
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📸 Photos by RCCbc Staffers, 1-2: Lindsay, 3: Alex

15/07/2025

A new study, published in this month's edition of BCMJ, explores how Haida Gwaii's medical community have embraced the use of point-of-care-ultrasound (POCUS), significantly enhancing the provision of cost-effective, compassionate, patient-centred care 🙌

We know that POCUS use can improve care in rural communities by reducing diagnosis, treatment, and transport times; reducing transfers; and providing medical care closer to home.

However, barriers to acquiring and maintaining proficiency with POCUS result in widespread underuse of this technology.

Through a series of interviews, this new study reveals how grassroots-led innovation can arise to meet local needs in sustainable and impactful ways. The team found a combination of factors driving and enabling POCUS use in Haida Gwaii, including:

🩺 Enthusiastic local physician “POCUS champions”
💖 A desire to provide local, compassionate medical care
📖 Medical education that's responsive to community needs (e.g. the HOUSE course)
🤝 A culture of learning and collaboration
👏 Excellent administrative support
📈 Patient and provider satisfaction

A patient emphasized the value of POCUS in relation to life in a remote community, saying "to come and go from here during the winter months is not so easy, because we have the ferry three times a week. So, certainly, [POCUS] saves a lot of worry, and it also saves a big trip. The average person has a tough time financially to do all of that.”

➡️ Read more: https://rccbc.ca/research/innovative-use-of-point-of-care-ultrasound-improves-health-care-on-haida-gwaii

🎉 Congratulations to the team who authored this study, Dr. Tandi Wilkinson, Jason Curran, Dr. Virginia Robinson, Nicole Moon, Ievgeniia Rozhenko, and Tracey DeLeeuw.

14/07/2025

When rural physicians face high-stakes situations with limited backup, having expert support on the line can make all the difference.

That’s exactly what the RTVS Rural Outreach in Critical Care and Internal Medicine (ROCCi) pathway provides — virtual access to specialists on demand. The service is getting high praise from rural providers across British Columbia. 🙌

Recent cases supported by ROCCi include:

✅️ the successful intubation and transfer to Victoria of a patient in a remote northern Vancouver Island community whose head injury led to a series of seizures
✅️ a patient on the Sunshine Coast with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Read more about the cases here ➡️ https://rccbc.ca/story/critical-care-and-internal-medicine-support-brings-benefits-across-british-columbia/

12/07/2025

Sorry if our site’s not loading properly!
We’re giving it a little rural BC tune-up this weekend. It should be back to normal by Monday.

Questions? Reach us at communications@rccbc.ca

11/07/2025

Calling all BC rural healthcare providers (MD, NP and midwives)! 📢

Join this 8-week online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program led by Dr. Rahul Gupta, running from October 1st to November 19th, with a full day session on November 9th. The sessions will be held via Zoom, and the program is free of charge. ⁠⁠
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Through practicing mindfulness, you can restore vitality and agency, recognize implicit bias, better handle uncertainty, and improve decision-making skills. Past participants have reported life-changing experiences and improved interactions in their professional and personal lives.⁠⁠
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Dr. Rahul Gupta is a physician, Certified MBSR Teacher, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and lead of the Mindfulness in Medicine initiative.⁠⁠
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➡️ Swipe to learn how this course transformed participants' lives and revolutionized their practice.⁠
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🔗 For MBSR program details and registration, visit: https://rccbc.ca/initiatives/mindfulness-in-medicine/
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10/07/2025

"One of the biggest things that I would recommend to my colleagues is that they need to find a little place where they can lead too, because their interests, their knowledge, is valuable.” Dr. Karen Forgie is one of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients for Excellence in Rural Medicine. Alongside her career as a full-service family physician based on the Sunshine Coast, she's also earned a reputation as a tireless role model for longitudinal primary care.

In celebration of Karen's BC Rural Health Award, we sat down with her to hear about her journey into rural healthcare, and her contributions to physician advocacy and mentorship.

📽️ Watch the full interview and read more:

A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Rural Medicine, Dr. Karen Forgie is a full-service family physician based on the Sunshine Coast, and a tireless role model for longitudinal primary care. Watch this video interview in honour of her 2025 BC Rural Health Award.

08/07/2025

In many rural and First Nations communities, accessing prenatal expertise is difficult and sometimes impossible. The Maternity and Babies Advice Line (MaBAL) is changing that. ✨️

RCCbc’s MaBAL pathway is an innovative program that is helping to close the health equity gap for rural patients.

🆕 A newly released report is shedding light on the work ➡️https://rccbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MaBAL-LHS-Evaluation-Report-2025.pdf

👶The pathway, part of the Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) program, is improving the delivery of maternity care across the province and works with Indigenous communities and leadership to improve health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. They do this by bringing care closer to home for people who would not normally have access to expertise.

📰 Read our story about MaBAL's work ➡️ https://rccbc.ca/story/zoom-in-the-exam-room-mabals-timely-support-improves-delivery-of-prenatal-care/

📷️ Pictured: MaBAL team members Lee Yeates, RM, and Dr. Amy Sawchuk in Kwadacha.