FAMILY DOCTORS ASK FOR YOUR HELP TO SERVE YOU BETTER



 








What's Happening?
The family physicians of the Cowichan Region are working together to help every resident who wants a family doctor to have one. The Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice has contracted Social Planning Cowichan to survey residents across the region about their use of family doctors in order to help the Division design a local family practice system that works better for patients. The survey will run from February 10 to March 11, 2011.

Why does it matter?
A 2008 Canada wide survey found that 10% of southern Vancouver Island residents and 12% of B.C. residents do not have a regular doctor. Of these, 88% use walk-in or appointment clinics -- the highest such total in Canada. The rest use emergency rooms, telephone health lines and other services. Yet when people do have their own family doctor, a health professional that they see on a regular basis with whom they have a positive relationship, their health is greatly improved.

Please take the ten minutes needed to complete the survey in order to provide us with the best information to help us redesign our services to meet diverse patient needs.

Tell me more about the survey:
The survey is anonymous; no one will be able to identify you from your responses. You may also choose not to answer any question.

As an incentive, for each completed survey a contribution will be made to local charities throughout the Cowichan Region who work to improve the social determinants of health. Charitable donations are being targeted to encourage residents in each community across the region to participate. For example, for every survey filled out in Ladysmith, a contribution will be made to a Ladysmith based charity.

Tell me more about the Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice:
The Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice was established in October 2009. This Division serves communities from Ladysmith to Mill Bay/Shawnigan Lake and Lake Cowichan to Penelekut Island. Divisions of family practice are groups of physicians organized at the local or regional level who work to address common health care goals. Divisions develop in communities where physicians wish to establish one, and all family physicians in the province have the opportunity to be involved in a Division of Family Practice. For more information, contact the Cowichan Division of Family Practice Society at cvdfps@telus.net.