April

Thank you, Dr Chahal, for your editorial “Stop, collaborate, and listen” [BCMJ 2024;66:5]. I would suggest that many of us in family medicine and beyond have been doing this for many years, and now that we have the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model, we can dust off some of the projects we’ve dreamed about for years that stalled and failed due to inadequate remuneration.

Dr Rob Hewko, a well-loved clinical professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Psychiatry and the former medical lead for the consultation-liaison service at Vancouver General and UBC Hospitals, passed away in December 2023. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of dedication to clinical service, education, and leadership in medical psychiatry.

A new clinical point-of-care pathway from BC Children’s Hospital supports primary care and specialist physicians and nurse practitioners to provide care to children and youth presenting with possible or confirmed eating disorders. Developed in association with Shared Care, the pathway provides guidance and care navigation for a patient population who providers may not deliver care to on a regular basis. 

The Doctors of BC 2023 Report to Members summarizes the efforts of hundreds of BC doctors working on dozens of committees, the Board, and the Representative Assembly, as well as the dedicated team at Doctors of BC that supports them.

The burden of disease related to mental health disorders has increased in Canada, especially during periods of transition.[1] Most recently, the importance of mental health has come to the forefront as the psychiatric consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are seen in Canada. Substance use rates have skyrocketed, and the number of deaths from the drug toxicity crisis in some provinces, such as British Columbia, outweigh the number of deaths from COVID-19.[2]