As many of you know, I typically write a summary of the key takeaways from our conferences to share with all of you. In the case of the recent Canada West Health Leaders Conference (CWHLC) held in Victoria, British Colombia on October 25 and 26, most of this work has been done for me. What I can tell you is that this was an excellent gathering of health leaders from Western Canada and indeed from across Canada. And while the content was excellent, what was really noticeable was the palpable positive vibe and sense of community, perhaps even a sense of relief at this opportunity to get together for the first time in many years. But don’t take it from me, check out the following testimonial:
“I’m feeling incredibly inspired after attending the Canada West Health Leaders Conference 2023! The conference had a theme centered around “Caring for people who care for people.” It was an unbelievable experience connecting with health leaders from across Canada, reuniting with old friends, and making new connections. The keynotes and concurrent sessions covered a wide range of topics, from self-care to building resilience in the workplace, especially in the wake of the pandemic.”
Lindsay Brookes
Manager, Contracts and Performance (Long-Term Care & Assisted Living)
Island Health
But it wasn’t only our members and delegates who had a great time, as witnessed by the feedback from our keynote speakers:
“What a fantastic experience working with you and with your colleagues at the Canadian College of Health Leaders. The audience was so on fire.”
Marie-Hélène Pelletier, PhD, MBA, RPsych
International Keynote Speaker, Work Psychologist
“On behalf of Healthcare Excellence Canada, thank you again for the opportunity to organize a panel presentation at CWHLC. It was a pleasure to join you at this event and bring together a panel that demonstrated retention in action, and support for the workforce. Additionally, a big congrats on a successful conference – all the learnings and the insights throughout all the sessions were impactful.”
Colleen Ferris, RN BScN MHS
Director, Innovations & Strategic Development
Healthcare Excellence Canada
Our theme was Caring for people who care for people and all our plenary speakers and our concurrent session presenters did a fantastic job of addressing various aspects of the critical challenge of workforce wellness, recruitment and retention facing healthcare. With thanks to our partner and sponsor, HIROC, we were able to produce a high-level summary of the four plenary sessions which you can access at https://cchl-ccls.ca/app/uploads/2023/01/CWHLC2023_PlenarySessionReport.pdf.
Sincere thanks go out to our sponsors, staff, and presenters. In the end we were able to care for our leaders who care for our friends, families, and loved ones. We look forward to seeing you in Halifax for the CCHL National Conference in June 2024 and in Saskatoon in November 2024 for the next edition of the Canada West Health Leaders Conference.
