CONNECT was one of 10 programs and services included in the ABI Provincial Services Evaluation Initiative. With support from the Rick Hansen Foundation, the British Columbia Brain Injury Association (BCBIA) launched the initiative to focus on quality programs and services that demonstrate excellence in the area of transitioning people living with ABI to be active participants in their communities.

The project was guided by a steering team consisting of ABI Leads and Stroke Leads from each of the regional health authorities, provicial stroke leads from the provincial health authority, and members of the BCBIA. The health authority representatives eah identifies two programs/services for inclusion based on the following criteria:

– Community engagement

– Peoples’ experiences

– Quality outcomes

– Economic Value.

The steering team also indentified a strategy to address the priorities for moving forward from the evaluation intiative:

1) Establishing a formal partnership with Stroke Services BC

2) Continuing to work closely with the RIck Handen Foundation, each of the five regional health authorities and the non-profit and private service providers in BC

3) Showcasing the 10 programs/services identified as excellent through the initiative

4) Anchoring the ABI Provincial Services Evaluation Initiative to best practice.

Item 3 on that list happend on March 4 downtown Vancouver when each of the 10 services and programs listed in the intitiative presented posters and information to attendees.

Tannis Cheadle, who headed the initiative, presented some of the highlights of her report and a sample of the client videos produced for the initiative.

You can read about the other nine excellent programs and services in BC at www.brainstreams.ca. You can also watch some compelling videos at that site about each program and service highlighted in the initiative.