I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge your contribution as we work together to provide healthy and safe workplaces for the 28,000 continuing care workers across BC.
 
The coming year is exciting for SafeCare BC as we celebrate our fifth anniversary. But before we look ahead, let’s pause and reflect on the past year. 

• Injury rates for long-term care members continued a declining trend. Injury rates in home care and community health, too, showed a small decline over the previous year. And while the number of injuries across both sectors is still too high, there is some positive progress. Take a look at our injury trends infographic for long-term care and home care and community health support. 
   
• We launched the Tailored Outreach Program with 15 organizations participating. Safety report cards, gap analyses, and the development of action plans give these organizations a road map to enhance their workplace health and safety programs and reduce workplace injuries. We are recruiting a new cohort of organizations to participate in this program. 
   
• We partnered with Menno Place (Abbotsford) and Arrowsmith Lodge (Parksville) to open two SafeCare BC Satellite Training Centres. This is expanding our capacity to provide training and educational opportunities for our members across the province.  
   
• We supported the organization of the two Hearts and Hands conferences for healthcare assistants, held in Victoria and Penticton, with 245 participants. This year, SafeCare BC has assumed responsibility for organizing the Hearts and Hands conferences, and we will soon announce conference locations and the keynote speaker.
   
• We received a record number of submissions for SafeCare BC’s Safety Den, which has become one of the must-attend events at the BC Care Providers Association’s annual conference. Revera’s winning “luggage tag” submission last year has garnered interest from other organizations interested in adopting the idea. Stay tuned for details on submitting your idea to this year’s Safety Den.   

These are just a handful of the achievements from last year. Take a look at our 2018 Year in Review infographic for more highlights.

I am proud that over the past five years, SafeCare BC has been responsive to the needs of our members, and it’s something we look forward to continuing.

Jen Lyle, CEO