The Abbotsford Division of Family Practice acknowledges that the land on which it operates is the traditional and unceded territory of the Màthxwi and Semà:th Peoples and serves as lodging home to the Fraser Valley Métis Association.
We deeply value our relationships with local Indigenous communities, Métis Citizens, Inuit, Urban Indigenous, and Away from Home Indigenous Peoples and actively aim to create safer spaces for all patients, Physicians, and their staff.
Annual Report from the Chair and Executive Director
This past year has been a remarkable period of growth, collaboration, and progress for our Division. What’s been accomplished reflects the hard work, dedication, and passion of our community as we continue to improve the quality of support for healthcare providers.
We were pleased when our PCN Expression of Interest (EOI) was approved, marking a significant step toward becoming a Primary Care Network (PCN) community. This progression brought us closer to realizing our vision of a more connected and responsive healthcare system. Becoming a PCN community will empower us to provide better care coordination, particularly in underserved areas, and support our ability to provide patients access to the right care at the right time.
Some of our proudest moments have come through the work we’ve done to further strengthen our workforce. We reimagined how the Division can best support you and recognizing the importance of building a strong foundation for our clinics, we have made significant strides in developing robust recruitment, retention, and human resources (HR) processes. These improvements are designed to support clinics as they grow and to ensure that healthcare teams remain engaged, resilient, and successful in delivering high-quality care. Whether working with medical students, supporting you as you build your practice, working through your transition to retirement, helping recruit and support MOAs or building a development plan for succession, the Board and staff team recognize the foundation of primary care starts with strong patient medical homes and engaged leadership.
We created an event focused on bringing Abbotsford medical students studying abroad back home to practice, helping to address the local shortage of healthcare professionals, and ensuring we retain talented individuals in our community. We supported a creative and unique opportunity to introduce first-year medical students to our hospital in a large group learning environment, offering them hands-on experience and insight into the breadth of expertise and collaborative care they can expect to gain by working in our vibrant, supportive community. These initiatives reflect our commitment to not only attracting new talent but also to fostering the growth and development of future healthcare leaders. We’re working with providers today and those who will be your colleagues tomorrow.
Throughout the year, we took the time to actively listen and learn from our healthcare providers. Whether working in clinics, the emergency department, or the hospital, we have heard what is important to you and how we can better support you in your critical roles. This feedback has been invaluable, helping to guide our strategic direction and ensure we are addressing the most pressing needs in our community.
As we reflect on the year’s accomplishments, we are inspired by the collaboration, innovation, and dedication of everyone involved. We are excited about the journey ahead and remain committed to strengthening our community, supporting our healthcare providers, and improving care for all.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard Welsh
Chair
Sheri Josephson
Executive Director
Your 2023 – 2024 Board of Directors
Richard Welsh (Chair)
Holden Chow (Vice Chair)
Mike Yatscoff (Secretary)
Saurabh Vaish (Treasurer)
Hardeep Aujla
Beth Gallagher
John Dickinson
Your 2023 – 2023 Division Physician Advisory Council
Kathleen Ennis
Matthews Manampuram
Jenessa Nyvall
Jennafer Wilson
Monika Wojtera
Division Recruitment
This year, the Division made significant in physician recruitment and retention by engaging with phsyciians through a variety of pathways to bring new physicians into our community. We successfully facilitated locum and full practice placements for a range of physicians, including those from the Practice Ready Assessment (PRA) BC Program, UBC IMGs, and provisional license-qualifying physicians. Clinics with recruitment needs were matched with physicians looking for locum or permanent roles. Through targeted recruitment efforts, we placed three locum physicians, nine permanent physicians, and identified three clinic spaces for future practice. These efforts helped fill the recruitment needs of 20 clinics and ensured Abbotsford remains a collegial and supportive environment for new and returning physicians.
Our retention efforts further bolstered these initiatives by engaging our current members, residents and future medical students. We connected with medical students early on, offering electives and observerships to foster long-term relationships with Abbotsford’s future healthcare workforce. Eleven students were engaged, with six completing electives or observerships. We also provided targeted support for R1 and R2 residents through one-on-one meetings, exam prep spaces, and assistance with clinic selection. Five residents chose to stay in Abbotsford, a testament to the strong support we offer throughout their residency journey.
We welcomed the following Physicians this year!
Harpreet Brar
Leanne Chew
Ayorinde Dada
Bobby Dhaliwal
David Dueckman
Kathleen Ennis
Sean Fernando
Sean Goldbach
Prabhjas Hans
Sunny Johal
David Kim
Lauren Lavoie
Megan Neufeld
Satvir Pandher
Micah Peters
Jess Polley
Gursimran Rekhi
Lorenzo Smith
After years of dedicated service to the community,
the following Physicians retired this year.
Dan Husband Bawa Randhawa Elizabeth Watt
A message from our Treasurer
It is my pleasure to present the Treasurer’s Report for the financial year 2023/24, which has been a year of growth and success for the Division. Following a successful audit, I can confidently report that our finances are in excellent shape, and we are well-positioned for continued prosperity in the coming years.
The 2023/24 fiscal year has seen a notable increase in both revenue and overall financial health. Through prudent financial management, we have achieved strong results that surpass our initial projections.
We saw an increase in income primarily driven by a combination of higher funding for work in patient attachment and the successful procurement of shared care funding for several projects. Late in 2023 we received approval of our PCN EOI and in early 2024 received funding to develop and implement the PCN Service Plan. In addition, we were able to contain costs effectively, even while making strategic investments in a new staffing structure and an office move for the Division that will support our long-term growth.
The audit for the financial year 2023/24 was completed successfully with no significant issues reported. The auditors commended the organization for maintaining strong financial controls and transparency in our operations. All financial records were found to be accurate, and the audit confirmed that the financial statements give a true and fair view of our financial position as of the end of the fiscal year.
Looking ahead to 2024/25, we anticipate another strong year, with several new initiatives in the pipeline that are expected to further boost revenue and community engagement. Our focus will remain on maintaining financial stability while investing in growth areas that will continue to benefit our members and key partners.
In conclusion, the 2023/24 financial year has been one of great success. The organization is financially sound, and we are well-prepared to face the future with confidence. I would like to thank the members, board, and staff for their contributions to this outstanding performance. Their commitment and hard work have been instrumental in achieving these results.
With a solid financial foundation, we look forward to another successful year ahead.
Thank you.
Saurabh Vaish, Treasurer
Abbotsford Division of Family Practice
The importance of the patient voice: Our Patient Advisory Council
The Patient Advisory Council (PAC) is a diverse group of nine community members who represent a wide range of genders, ages, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, medical histories, income levels, abilities, and educational backgrounds.
The Council meets monthly to discuss the healthcare needs of our community, providing invaluable feedback and perspectives to influence future initiatives. In the past year, the PAC focused on developing a partnership agreement for patients and clinics, which will be finalized and rolled out as part of our Primary Care Network (PCN). Additionally, the Council worked diligently to learn about and support the development of our PCN, ensuring that community voices are at the forefront of our healthcare planning and delivery.
We welcomed the following UBC
Residents as Associate Members
Year 1
Dr. Ann Karamysh
Dr. Lauren Lee
Dr. Navi Dhaliwal
Dr. Rachel Zhao
Dr. Sahil Chawla
Dr. Sanya Jacob
Dr. Sarah Bitara
Dr. Sheldon Cannon
Dr. Sinthu Senthillmohan
Year 2
Dr. Arjun Arora
Dr. Anika Constantinescu
Dr. Nicole Krysa
Dr. Abnashi Randhawa
Dr. Michael Wollin
Dr. Justin Griffiths
Dr. Maria Zhu
Attachment
This year, 892 patients were attached to a primary care provider. The waiting list, as of March 21, 2024, was at 4,923 people.
Long Term Care Initiative
As of March 31, 2024, the Long-Term Care Initiative (LTCI) has made significant progress, with 32 physicians now supporting care across 11 facilities, organized into 11 LTC physician teams. These teams are responsible for the care of 941 residents across a total of 987 beds, based on data from March 31, 2024. We are excited to welcome two new physicians to the LTCI network, Dr. Dayan Muthayan and Dr. Ayo Dada, whose expertise will further enhance our capacity to deliver high-quality care to long-term care residents. The LTCI remains committed to expanding its team and improving the overall health and well-being of residents within its network.
The MOA Network
This year, we partnered with the Chilliwack and Mission Divisions to host collaborative education sessions aimed at building a network of learning and peer support for MOAs. These sessions, covering key topics like Navigating Difficult Patient Conversations, Resource Navigation, and provided opportunities for skill enhancement, professional development, and cross-community collaboration. The initiative has strengthened relationships between clinics, fostering a supportive environment for MOAs to share best practices and develop the skills needed to address complex patient interactions effectively. Additionally, through we launched a dedicated MOA recruitment initiative to help clinics address staffing shortages and coverage. By implementing a locum pool, we connected clinics with qualified candidates actively seeking permanent and locum positions.