Patti Flaherty, President and COO of CONNECT and Chair of the BCBIA, says the Service Evaluation Initiative is a critical first step in building knowledge to help the province move forward in strengthening its network of services and supports to help improve the lives of people with brain injuries. This project will identify and evaluate the “jewels” in BC that focus on the transition to, and participation in the community for people living with ABI.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Rick Hansen Foundation, the BCBIA kicked off this initiative in November 2014 with completion expected in May, 2015. The project has the leadership and guidance of a Steering Team with representation from all five of the Regional Health Authorities and executive leadership from the Provincial Health Services Authority.

The goal of the Provincial Service Evaluation Initiative is to identify demonstrated excellence in the province and conduct a literature synopsis as a comparison of the resources available in BC with those available internationally. This will reveal how the “jewels” identified in BC measure up to what’s available elsewhere.

“This is a very exciting initiative for the BCBIA in building and strengthening networks with our partners in the health system” says Flaherty. “Once we identify best practices in BC, we can celebrate the strengths that presently exist and use this knowledge to help inform how best to strengthen the network of resources throughout the province.”