A Message from Our Director of Programs, Snezana Ristovski
After my first month in the role as Director of Programs, I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update to the BC Seniors Quality and Safety Improvement Program (SSQIP). As many of you are aware, BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) were tasked by the Ministry of Health last spring to develop and manage a new $10 million safety and equipment fund available to all qualifying residential care homes with publicly subsidized beds.
An independent Advisory Group was established to set the criteria for how this fund will be allocated. In addition to two representatives from the BCCPA, the Advisory Group also includes the Ministry of Health, SafeCare BC and the Denominational Health Association. The Advisory Group has already held two meetings, and we are well on our way to developing the program guiding principles and eligibility criteria.
We plan to undertake a province-wide needs assessment by October. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has just been released to conduct the needs assessment and it is now available for download here.
The application eligibility and criteria for equipment funding will be publicly available once the needs assessment is completed. On a recent tour of a care home, I captured images of the types of equipment that may qualify for the funding. See our album of images in the following gallery.
I am very much looking forward to making the program fully operational.
Thank you to the several care homes that gave me a warm welcome, and a tour to view the different types of equipment used in caring for our seniors.
If you would like to receive regular updates on the program, please email Snezana by clicking here.
