Safety, Wellbeing, Innovation, Training & Collaborating in Healthcare
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Caring for the People Who Care for Us
We are focused on improving workplace health, safety, and wellbeing for the more than 330,000+ people working in B.C.’s heath sector. We do that by bringing together the key partners – health unions, employers, Doctors of BC, Ministry of Health, and WorkSafeBC – to make consensus decisions to invest and influence province wide programs and initiatives.
When thinking of health care workers, we often picture climate-controlled hospitals or clinics – but many people work in facilities without air conditioning or are outside for parts of their workday including paramedics, community care teams, and mental health outreach staff.
The 2023-2024 Annual Report showcases progress in various areas of work, with a strong focus on all the ways we engaged with people throughout the year to move that project work forward.
Read about our work supporting health, safety, and wellbeing of the more than 330,000 people in healthcare in B.C.
BC’s Provincial Health Officer ends COVID-19 emergency order making vaccines mandatory in health settings. Now health teams are not required to be vaccinated but must disclose vaccine status.
SWITCH BC was created because employers and unions saw the need for a provincial, systemic organization to support all workers. People working in health care are two times more likely to be injured on the job than the average worker in B.C., workplace mental health injury claims are higher in healthcare than in any other sector and many health workers face violence while caring for patients, residents, and clients. There are many excellent programs at various employers to improve health, safety, and wellbeing but most are not available to all health workers, province wide. We’re working to change that.
2x more likely to be injured at work compared to average B.C. worker*
At SWITCH BC, we value the voices of everyone working in healthcare as we support and promote a culture of health, safety, and wellbeing.
Your Stories are interviews with health care teams about the challenges they face, how we can improve the system, and why they love their work.
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Jacob Berthelot
October 24, 2023
B.C. dispatcher Jacob Bertlelot works in the Interior of the province. Jacob has found through the pandemic and in climate crisis related events, working with the public has become more challenging - with unprecedented call volumes putting greater pressure on the ambulance service. Jacob became a dispatcher because he wanted to provide dynamic frontline care.
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Patricia Costa
October 6, 2023
B.C. paramedic Patricia Costa says being a part of the community and seeing people thriving after providing care is one of the most rewarding reasons she works in healthcare.
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Corey Froese
October 5, 2023
Corey Froese has been a paramedic for more than 20 years, and is passionate about workplace health, safety, and wellbeing.
Listening to people working in healthcare is the best place to start when making decisions to better support their health, safety, and wellbeing. Your Say is our engagement platform. Help us develop, support, and enhance programs and services for your workplace.
