About The Social Workers in Health Society of British Columbia

 

Our Mission

 

To spearhead the advancement of the Social Work profession and Social Work practice in health services and health promotion in British Columbia.

 

Who We Are

 

We are a small but active organization promoting excellence in Social Work practice in healthcare based in British Columbia Canada.

 

History

 

In 1969, a medical social workers group was formed in Vancouver BC to allow for networking, information sharing and continuing Social Work education specific to our field of practice. In Victoria BC the Committee on Aging was formed and this became a sub-committee of BCASW. The medical Social Workers had a non-voting membership on the BCASW Board.


In the 70s the Social Work Director’s Society was formed and many Directors put their energy into making this a success. As a result, the first group struggled. The Discharge Planners Association met some of the needs of the line Social Workers while it was in existence.


With the advent of programme management and hospital mergers, the number of directors began to dwindle. In 1996, the Director’s society was formally dissolved and Social Workers in Health Society was formed to allow for networking, sharing of information and continuing education specific to our field of practice!

 

What We Do

 

Social Workers in Health Society of BC provides a forum specific to the challenges of opportunities facing Social Workers in health care settings. We are committed to developing and enhancing practice of health care Social Work through education, information, and support. We have connected Social Workers from around the world to others in similar situations or who can be resources through our website.

 

Board Of Directors - 2009

President - Marina McBride

Marina has her BSW from UBC and received her MSW from Dalhousie University in 2004. Her primary work has been in health care, working within acute care, residential care and mental health. Her work has ranged from ER to geriatrics and she worked on the Riverview Redesign project as a Clinical Planner. She was the Clinical Practice Leader for Social Work at Peace Arch Hospital and is now the Clinical Supervisor for Social Work at Surrey Hospital. She will be moving to the Sunshine Coast in the summer of 2010 to be the Leader for Residential Services for Sechelt. Her practice focuses on mentorship, leadership, and collaborative education.

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Vice President - Alana Prashad BSW MSW RSW

Alana Prashad is the Professional Practice Leader for Social Work at Richmond Hospital, Minoru Residence, and Richmond Lions Manor. She has a BSW from Ryerson Polytechnic University and an MSW from the University of Toronto. Areas of interest include social policy, social justice, and population health.

Secretary - Tracy Koebel, BSW

Tracy is a graduate of the UBC School of Social Work. She moved to Victoria in the summer of 2007 and is employed at the Broadmead Lodge, a 225 bed Long Term Care facility with an expertise in dementia care. This is an exciting position that will provide an opportunity to participate in research projects related to dementia and end of life care for residents, as well as staff education. Her previous experience includes child welfare, community social work, hospital acute care and 10 years experience in Long Term Care. Tracy's main areas of interest include gerontology and palliative care.

Treasurer - Dayna Driscoll

Currently employed as the Registered Social Worker in Long Term Complex Care facility. Sh has worked in the areas of Social Work in Health for the past 20 years. Many of these years were spent in not for profit organizations in positions ranging from front line to senior management. She has worked with women and their children, individuals with mental illness and most recently, with seniors. She believes that Social Workers have long recognized that many of the problems faced by the clients they work with are caused by social factors that limit opportunities or create differences.Working on eliminating these factors is not only necessary but also an exciting chance to become involved in work that can positively affect generations to come.

Editor, BC Connections Newsletter - Sandra Harker

Sandra completed her BSW through the University of Calgary and her Masters Degree in Social Work at the University of Northern British Columbia. Sandra has been employed at the Prince George Regional Hospital as a social worker/chief social worker since 1994. She also is a sessional instructor in the social work program at the University of Northern British Columbia. Sandra's primary interests lie in acute care social work and geriatrics.

Co-Editor, BC Connections Newsletter - Lucki Kang

Lucki has been a Social Worker since 1990. She obtained her BSW and MSW from UBC. She is currently the Field Education Coordinator for the School of Social Work at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her prior experience consists of 18 years of acute and residential care experience in a variety of roles within health care settings. She is very excited to share the scope of social work with students and to contribute to the development of new social workers. Lucki is passionate about social work and making a difference!

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Director - Kate Doyle

Currently the Clinical Practice Leader for Social Work at Surrey Memorial Hospital with over 20 years experience in health care social work. My specialities have been in Geriatric care and Palliative Care.

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Director - Elisse Tan

Director - Linda Myers

Linda works in the Regional Professional Practice Office of Interior Health as a Clinical Specialist for Vulnerable or Incapable Adults. This includes program development, clinical consultations and education for the region’s adult protection mandate (i.e. abuse and neglect response), capacity assessments, substitute decision making, advance care planning services and access to legal consultations to support clinical practice.

Linda is a member of the BCASW and Health Practices Committee. Her particular interest is Social Work Registration in Health Care and its impact on scope of practice. Linda is also a member and past president of the BC Psychogeriatric Association.

Linda graduated with a Honours BSW in 1981 from Lakehead University, Ontario. She is currently pursuing her interest in obtaining a Masters in Health Law Degree or a Certificate in Health Law.

Director - Shannon Torjhelm

Director - Joyce Fung, BSW, MSW, RSW

Joyce Fung is currently a social work case manager on the North Shore. Prior to that, she worked as a social worker in hospital settings and in residential care. Her passion for geriatric health care started when she began volunteering at St. Vincent’s Arbutus, and the social worker there encouraged her to study social work. Subsequently, Joyce completed her BSW and MSW degrees at the University of British Columbia. Her graduating essay focused on the cultural appropriateness of person-centred care for the Chinese population in long-term care facilities. She has enjoyed working in various health care settings on the continuum of care, and is committed to the social work profession. She believes in promoting and expanding social work scope of practice in an interdisciplinary setting so that patients, in particular seniors, will receive the best quality of care.

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Membership

Janet Coghlan is taking care of memberships, though she is not a member of the Board.