4.0 Board Reports (cont'd) 4.1 Board Chair Report (cont'd)
The Program Advisory Committee and the Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee have also been instrumental in the development and success of our programs and services, speaker series and education and encouraging referrals of our clients. The membership of each largely comprises volunteers from our community who have provided incredible insight into the needs and PSCBV’s potential role. As these now transition to operational committees, I would like to thank Penney Gaul for her leadership in this endeavour as well as all of the members for their dedication and commitment and look forward to seeing the results of their continued engagement. In 2016, the PCSBV was a newly created society with an audacious goal of building a hospice. Since that time, we have been on an adventure of discovery, learning so much more on what effective palliative care entails. We are in the midst of conducting a needs analysis with our community partners which has affirmed and validated much of what we are doing and what we want to accomplish. These findings will contribute to our strategies of delivering a full spectrum of palliative care in partnership with others in the community. As we await the decision of the Town of Canmore regarding the re-zoning of the land that will be used for the hospice, we are working to find ways to best serve our clients and friends in their homes. As we transition to the new hospice, we will be seeking interim spaces to conduct our day programs. Martin Tweeddale and Catharine Hinds will be stepping off the Board this year. They are founding members of the Society and I want to recognize and thank them for their work with PCSBV. Martin is a retired Intensive Care Physician and Catharine is a recently retired Family Physician. Their medical background and expertise has been instrumental in our planning of palliative and end of life care in the Bow Valley. They have given talks and presentations to our Bow Valley medical communities, and each has worked to encourage earlier referrals and access to PCSBV from the physicians. I thank them on behalf of the PCSBV and its staff and volunteers for their contributions to easing the burden of care for people with life limiting illness. I will be stepping off the Board after this AGM. My term of six years on the Board, including three years as Board Chair, has come to an end. I leave knowing that the PCSBV is in a better place than when I began my tenure six years ago. The landscape has changed dramatically, and I have learned so much from my colleagues within PCSBV. My success in building an effective board and leadership team has come about because of the compelling vision for a more compassionate palliative journey. We have had the very good fortune of attracting the best people to the PCSBV who have offered their advice and expertise. I have been inspired by the people I have come know and worked with. We have had our share of challenges and disappointments. Yet, we have found the energy and drive to continue on our path of discovery and learning.
It has been a great privilege for me to serve as a leader of the PCSBV.
Thank you.
Julie Hamilton Chair, Board of Directors Palliative Care Society of the Bow Valley
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