Inconnection April 1 - June 30, 2013
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INCONNECTION - SECOND QUARTER 2013 INCONNECTION APRIL 1 - JUNE 30, 2013 INSIDE A MESSAGE FROM INSPIREHEALTH’S CEO Message from the CEO 1 THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2013 HAS BEEN AN A Patient’s Story 2 EXCITING TIME OF CHANGE AND GROWTH HERE Statistical Summary 3 AT INSPIREHEALTH. A major highlight of the past three Patient Care Programs 5 months was the tremendous work done by our Virtual Centre, InspireLIFE BC in launching an online pilot project. Strategic Alliances 6 Events and Talks 7 The success of the pilot project is another milestone in General Media and Social Media 9 realizing the vision of InspireLIFE BC: to provide education, Development 10 clinical services and support to cancer patients who live Dr. Hal Gunn in rural and remote parts of the province or who have Co-Founder and CEO Research 11 other access-to-service challenges. People outside of InspireHealth Virtual Centre - InspireLIFE BC 12 urban areas have higher disease rates and less access LIFE Program Feedback 13 to specialized services to help with their diseases. InspireLIFE BC is part of the solution for providing services to those people. Online programming for delivery of healthcare services is a new and growing field. The many benefits include convenient access to services that patients would otherwise have to travel to attend in person. Access to information and education regarding their disease and treatment helps patients cope with the day to day strain of dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Especially important in smaller communities, a greater degree of anonymity in interactive group sessions is greatly appreciated by patients. Access to consultations by telephone with clinical team members is greatly valued. Online group sessions provide interaction with other patients, reducing anxiety and a sense of social isolation and allowing for group learning and sharing of experiences. It is of utmost importance to us that our online programs deliver the characteristics of the InspireHealth healing environment. The online experience must be seamless and not add undue stress or contribute to any sense of being overwhelmed in any way. We aim to provide high-touch, competent technical support, training and care for patients who wish to connect to our online programs. InspireLIFE BC has been providing a selection of outreach and online programming since March 2012 including: The Online Fireside Chat; an introduction to InspireHealth and integrative cancer care; weekly online meditation sessions; cooking webinars and nutrition presentations. The pilot project, which ran in May and June, was a new step for us. It offered key components of our signature LIFE Program to patients directly in their homes in an interactive online format. Participants were inspired with the principles of healthy lifestyle change in areas of nutrition, exercise, stress relief, emotional and spiritual support that are proven ways to alleviate symptoms of treatment, reduce the likelihood of recurrence, and optimize the body’s healing potential. Twenty-two participants took part, all with a recent cancer diagnosis and all residents of remote or rural corners of our province, as far north as Hazelton, south to Grand Forks, east to Invermere and west to Campbell River. While our formal survey results were not tabulated at the time of this report, the informal feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One of the questions on the survey was, “Would you recommend this online program to a friend or family member with a cancer diagnosis?” One participant answered, “I definitely would recommend the online program. I feel that this is a great opportunity for people living outside of a — 1 — INCONNECTION - SECOND QUARTER 2013 big centre….” Another one wrote, “Without question, I wish the BCCA gave every new patient who walked through their doors the first time a brochure about this incredible program.” You can read more about our success later in this document from Paul Paddon, Program Manager, InspireLIFE BC. Here at InspireHealth we are proud to be on the leading edge of innovative health care delivery and are convinced of the great importance of expanding our online services to the rural and remote corners of our province. A PATIENT’S STORY It was two months into my 60th year and my retirement. At 11:00 that morning I attended my first meeting of the Vancouver Prostate Cancer Support Group. In the previous three months my annual blood test had shown a rapid increase in my PSA and, after a biopsy, opinions from an urologist and a radiologist were conclusive; I had prostate cancer. The adjectives “early”, “mildly”, and “early-stage mildly aggressive” were of little comfort. I was advised to do my homework then make a decision regarding treatment options. The recommended homework included attending that support group meeting where, it turned out, the speaker was a medical doctor from a local centre called InspireHealth. I was confused and suspicious; confused to hear a medical doctor talking about the value of diet, exercise, sleep and stress reduction; suspicious that techniques like a support network, meditation and acupuncture were viable tools against a disease as dreaded as cancer. Fortunately, I was also curious. I attended the next Fireside Chat at InspireHealth with my wife, Carol. My first impression was that this can’t be a clinic! After a warm welcome, we found that instead of a waiting room, there’s a quiet library with a fireplace and Rooibos tea. The session was led by the centre’s CEO, Dr. Hal Gunn, whose talk mirrored that of the first physician I heard at the support group meeting. I decided to sign up for the next available LIFE Program at the end of August. My life changed forever! Initially I was humbled. As Carol and I introduced ourselves to the 15 or 20 other attendees (patients and supporters), I was embarrassed that I had overrated the significance of my cancer. Around us were patients with brain tumours, pancreatic cancers, late stage lung and breast cancers, many with short term prognoses of death. However, we were all treated the same by the highly professional team of presenters over the next two days. For me, one of the most profound lessons of those two days was to internalize my role in my own well-being. If you have read this far, you obviously have some interest and I challenge you to Google “immune system”. In short order you will realize that the world’s best medical system is your own immune system. The value of sleep, diet, stress reduction and exercise became clear to me as did the tools of meditation and acupuncture. No one questions the need for medical intervention when the immune system faces challenges beyond its ability to cope, but so much is possible before, during and after that. Governments (including BC’s) are realizing this “hidden” medical system and its economic efficiency in today’s environment. InspireHealth receives funding to assist in the promotion of individual responsibility for our own health. Based on our attendance at the LIFE Program and our experiences at InspireHealth, our lives have changed. My treatment was just one step in the progress of the “new” rest of my life. I joined a triathlon club, our meals bear no resemblance to those before diagnosis, I meditate regularly and I return to InspireHealth for a refresher like fuelling up at the mother ship. I donate time and money to InspireHealth and recommend them to anyone who I learn of who has contracted cancer. You should too. Bob Wiens, Vancouver, BC — 2 — INCONNECTION - SECOND QUARTER 2013 STATISTICAL SUMMARY The following is a statistical summary of the key services of InspireHealth during the second quarter of 2013 (April 1st – June 30th): Lower Mainland - Vancouver (“VAN”); Vancouver Island - Victoria (“VIC”); Southern Interior - Kelowna (“KEL”); Virtual Centre - InspireLIFE BC (“ILBC”). 1) INSPIREHEALTH STATISTICS a) Outreach Statistics: Number of enquiries responded to during the second quarter: VAN VIC KEL New Inquiries (telephone calls, drop-in visits, and email requests) 216 60 35 Number of Visits to our Website 22,798 Volunteer Hours Contributed 608.5 51 36.5 Public Presentations (total number) 14 1 11 Public Presentations (total audience members) 344 260 168 b) Patient Visit Statistics: A total of 210 new patients attended InspireHealth between April 1st – June 30th, 2013. VAN VIC KEL ILBC Fireside Chat Attendance Cancer Patients 54 35 21 4 Support People 34 17 16 0 Guests 3 3 6 0 Life Program Attendance Cancer Patients 59 23 18 23 Support People 21 7 4 0 Guests 29 3 2 0 Physician /NP Visits First Consultation 81 56 32 0 First Consultation Telephone 4 1 0 15 Follow up Consultation 140 119 52 0 Follow Up ConsultationTelephone 93 26 45 1 Follow Up Consultation Group 0 0 3 0 Group Extended Consultation 27 0 0 0 Group Acupuncture 0 103 57 n/a Group Acupressure 0 0 10 n/a Grief Support 0 0 0 0 Nutritionist Visits Extended Consultation 86 29 15 0 Extended Consultation Telephone 7 2 2 12 Group Consultation 30 12 4 0 Follow Up Visit 24 6 8 0 Follow Up Visit Telephone 6 0 8 0 Counselor Visits Extended Consultation 16 24 8 0 Extended Consultation Telephone 3 3 13 1 Follow Up Visit 14 5 3 0 Follow Up Visit Telephone 0 0 7 0 Exercise Therapist Visits Extended Consultation 47 25 22 0 Extended Consultation Telephone 0 0 0 0 Follow Up Visit 0 0 0 0 Class Attendance Ongoing Classes 884 944 361 Online Meditation 280 Total Visits (all types above included) 4,158 — 3 — INCONNECTION - SECOND QUARTER 2013 c) Patient Cancer Diagnoses (of new patients): Bladder 2 Multiple Myeloma 4 Bone 1 Myelodysplastic