It香蕉视频直播檚 been almost two months since Doug Cochrane was appointed chair of the Interior Health board.

Recruited by health minister Adrian Dix, Cochrane is in the midst of a steep learning curve trying to familiarize himself with the complexities of a health region that stretches across B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 southern Interior from the Canada-U.S. border, to the Alberta-B.C. border to the South Okanagan, and north past Williams Lake.

香蕉视频直播淢y past experience didn香蕉视频直播檛 really prepare me for the diversity and variety of health care services that exists within the Interior Health Authority,香蕉视频直播� Cochrane said.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 been a bit of a baptism under fire.香蕉视频直播�

Black Press had an opportunity recently to interview Cochrane and ask about his thoughts on some of the issues facing the health region.

Personal background

Cochrane has now resided in West Kelowna for the past couple of years but his family presence in the Okanagan dates back more than 35 years.

香蕉视频直播淚 have relatives and senior members of our family who have lived here for many years and they are always telling me what to do,香蕉视频直播� he laughed.

A pediatric neurosurgeon, Cochrane obtained his medical degree at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1975, followed by training in neurosurgery at the University of Calgary.

A pediatric neurosurgery fellowship followed at the University of Toronto香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital for Sick Children, which he completed in 1981.

He then worked at several different Alberta health care institutions before being appointed as staff neurosurgeon at B.C. Children香蕉视频直播檚 Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children.

Prior to his IH appointment, Cochrane was serving as the chair of the B.C. Patient Safety & Quality Council, and was the provincial patient safety and quality officer for B.C.

Cochrane, 66, has two daughters and three grandchildren but still wants to be active and involved.

香蕉视频直播淚 never did learn how to golf and my hips and knees preclude me from skiing so I look to contribute my time in other ways.香蕉视频直播�

Appointed to new job

Cochrane says the opportunity to become chair of the Interior Health board came as a bit of a surprise.

香蕉视频直播淚 got a call from the minister of health (Adrian Dix) asking if I would consider doing this. I香蕉视频直播檓 not sure why he particularly chose me, but he did make the call and made that request of me. I took some time to contemplate and think about it before I agreed to it.香蕉视频直播�

Cochrane suspects his administrative experience serving with the B.C. Patient Safety & Quality Council might have played a part in his appointment.

香蕉视频直播淭his is a new challenge for me, absolutely. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, you have a narrow kind of focus on your patient香蕉视频直播檚 health care香蕉视频直播�but it has become apparent to me that at times in your life you can provide services that impact the lives of individuals, and times when your knowledge can impact the health care system. Now I am at that latter stage.

香蕉视频直播淪o after helping individual patients over many years, I thought now lets see how to make the health care system work better to meet the needs of more people. That is the challenge before me and I thought it would be a good challenge to be a part of.香蕉视频直播�

Health care administration vs. surgery

As a neurosurgeon, Cochrane says he has been exposed to hospital and provincial health care administration needs and challenges.

香蕉视频直播淚 have a sense of how some aspects of the system works, but this is different,香蕉视频直播� he admits of becoming IH board chair. 香蕉视频直播淲ith a health care region of this size, there are different environments, different communities, different collaborations and relationships.香蕉视频直播�

The urban vs. rural health care service demands are part of that learning curve for him.

香蕉视频直播淓very organization and every facility has its own culture, but when you don香蕉视频直播檛 go out and see other environments, you don香蕉视频直播檛 see what those other cultures are like.香蕉视频直播�

So far, Cochrane has made a visit to the Kootenays and attended the IH aboriginal caucus as part of achieving a wider perspective of health care services within the region.

First Nations

Cochrane applauds the major steps taken by the health board, president and chief executive officer Chris Mazurkewich and past chairs John O香蕉视频直播橣ee and Erwin Malzer to build better health care service relationships with Indigenous communities across the health region.

香蕉视频直播淟ots of work has and is being done to support community care, and I must say for someone new to the system, it is significant the emphasis on cultural safety that IH has organized through all aspects and facilities of health care,香蕉视频直播� Cochrane said.

Recent: IH commits $2 million annually for First Nations elders care

Most recent evidence of that was an announcement earlier this month of IH contributing $2 million on an ongoing basis for nursing service enhancement to support First Nations elders and those living with chronic conditions, matched by a $1 million contribution from the First Nations Health Authority to support Indigenous communities in health care preparedness.

香蕉视频直播淐ultural safety to me is having an awareness of how aboriginal populations view and see things differently, based on their own history. How we interact and provide care to aboriginal populations and individuals is something that we need to think about differently and do differently than has been the case in the past.

香蕉视频直播淚 think that is a responsibility we have as Canadians, and our prime minister has said as much as well. To the credit of others who have come before me, Interior Health has set the stage where we can be a leader in creating a new kind of relationship.香蕉视频直播�

Related: Solving the drug overdose tragedy

Health care mandate

Cochrane says he has not been given a personal mandate by the health minister, but accountability is laid out through the policy priorities outlined by the new NDP government.

Those priorites, he says, include addressing the opioid crisis, mental illness impact on the health care system, improving remote and rural health services, improve health care relationships with Indigenous people and improve access and reduce wait times for surgical services.

香蕉视频直播淚 think the health ministry provides good guidance with clearly defined strategies and goals, some of which have been in play for a long time. But in some cases these are social changes as much as medical care changes, and social changes need to occur at the level of people so they sometimes take time.香蕉视频直播�

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