Prairie North Health Region's Outpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Clinics were recognized with a SAHO Green Ribbon Award for innovative quality improvement, in the category of Seeing the System with Fresh Eyes. (Read SAHO's news release here.)

With strengthening stroke services identified as a priority in Prairie North's 2010-13 strategic plan, a small working group made up of staff and management from Population Health Services and Primary Health Care Services met to review the Canadian Stroke Strategy and identify the needs related to Outpatient Stroke and TIA services.

The resulting project addressed gaps stroke patients had identified in their care – they hadn't received adequate follow up after hospitalization, they didn't know where to go for help, they often felt isolated, and many were not referred for outpatient stroke rehabilitation or education.

In response, a team involving speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, chronic disease management nursing, acquired brain injury coordinator an social worker came together to provide weekly stroke rehabilitation clinics. Together they provide outpatients and their families with one-stop services, education and problem solving. They also ensure regular report-backs to physicians. The team uses a single interdisciplinary assessment tool upon intake, and a stroke clinic registry has been developed to track outcome data. The number of clinic have increased based on demand throughout the Region.

Betsy Brown, Regional Acquired Brain Injury Coordinator, Debra Baldinus, Chronic Disease Clinical Nurse Educator, and Kim Larsson, Physiotherapy Lead, accepted the award on behalf of the entire team. Congratulations to all who have made the stroke rehabiltiation clincs a continuing success. This initiative is supported by acute care services, mental health, nutrition services, primary health care, therapies, and chronic disease management services. In addition, the Lloydminster Health Care Foundation is supportive in providing equipment and client education resources. It is a true team effort that puts the patient at the centre of the care.

SAHO's Green Ribbon Awards honour innovative quality improvement projects by SAHO member organizations. They were presented at the Inspire Health Care Quality Summit in Saskatoon on Tuesday, April 17. Fourteen Green Ribbon applications were submitted this year, with four Green Ribbon Awards and two Honorable Mentions being presented.

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Prairie North Health Region was furthered featured at the Inspire conference, with five teams presenting their projects and successes in Saskatchewan Story sessions.

• The Role of the Registered Nurse in Improving the Patient Experience in Primary Health Care
  Charlotte Hamilton, Primary Health Care Manager, Prairie North Health Region
  Annette Viljoen, Physician, Meadow Lake Associate Clinic
  Melanie Bauman, Registered Nurse, Case Manager, Prairie North Health Region
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  Maximizing the role of the Registered Nurse (RN) Case Manager on the Primary Health Care team is critical in the new model of Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Prairie North Regional Health Authority. This presentation will highlight the process the Meadow Lake PHC team is undertaking to develop the role of the PHC RN Case Manager, the change strategies utilized and the outcomes achieved to date from the patient and provider perspective.
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• Improving Hand Hygiene: A Team Effort
  Monica Yonan, Patient Quality of Care Measurement Coordinator/Educator, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
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  As part of the learning assignments and practice for the Quality Improvement Consultant (QIC) Program, a hand hygiene pilot project was initiated in a long term care facility. The challenge and successes with involving staff and residents in improvement work are shared, as hand hygiene compliance has spread and is being sustained throughout the region.
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• Expanding to Cardiac Rehabilitation
  Joan Wentworth, Manager Chronic Disease Management, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
  Brendan Pikaluk, Exercise Specialist, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
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  This presentation describes the year long planning and implementation process used to transform a general low risk chronic disease exercise and education program into a mixed CDM program that accepts higher risk patients for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.
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• Coordinated Outpatient Stroke Rehab Clinics
  Betsy Brown, Acquired Brain Injury Regional Coordinator, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
  Joan Wentworth, Manager Chronic Disease Management, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
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  A realignment and reorganization of stroke rehabilitation services in the Prairie North Regional Health Authority includes coordination with chronic disease management services and weekly stroke rehabilitation clinics in three locations.
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• Urban Low Income Diabetes Risk Assessment
  Dianne Million, Clinical Nurse Educator, Prairie North Regional Health Authority
  Nicole Braun, Project Coordinator, Canadian Diabetes Association
  Theresa Bacchetto, Registered Dietitian/Clinical Lead, Prairie North Health Region
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  This presentation describes the learning's from two projects aimed at screening and follow up for diabetes and diabetes risk factors in low income urban populations who access the food bank in North Battleford and the hot food kitchen in Meadow Lake. These two very different projects will reveal lessons for health care providers and planners.
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• Shared Medical Appointments: Lessons Learned from Customer Participation
  Dr. Jim Johnson, North Battleford Medical Clinic
  Michelle Grasby, Clinical Nurse Educator
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Read more about the Green Ribbon Awards here.

Read more about the Quality Summit here.