Health Quality BC (HQBC) recently revealed the recipients for the 2025 BC Quality Awards: An annual recognition of the people and projects finding solutions to health-care challenges and improving the quality of care in the province.
Congratulations to the Bridging Care Program (Victoria), award recipients in the “Excellence in Quality: Returning to Health & Wellness" category. Learn more about the program below.
Bridging Care Program (Victoria) Overview
People with acute psychiatric challenges in Greater Victoria previously faced two options: hospitalization at RJH or waiting at home for admission to a community program. Neither option is ideal for all clients. While some need intensive monitoring, others benefit from staying connected to their community and supports. The Bridging Care Program (BCP) aims to create a timely, viable alternative to hospitalization for people facing acute psychiatric illness.
BCP is a recovery-oriented day program where clients attend intensive group and individual programming Monday to Friday for one to four weeks. The multidisciplinary team includes a nurse, recreation therapist, occupational therapist, social worker, program assistant, mental health clinicians, and psychiatrists. Programming includes one-on-one sessions with a psychiatrist, group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy sessions, daily movement classes, social work support, and individualized care.
In its first year (April 2023–April 2024), 135 clients completed the program. They were contacted within 24 hours of referral and began attending within a week, meeting BCP's goal of providing a timely alternative to hospitalization. Participants showed significant improvements in mental health and wellness, measured by tools like the Personal Recovery Outcome Measure and Patient Health Questionnaire. The program showed demonstrable reductions in inpatient admission numbers before and after enrollment in the BCP.
Clinicians on the team spoke about this team's exceptional dynamic. They described being drawn in for the support and encouragement of learning, challenging themselves as clinicians, and expanding their skill sets to meet the needs of clients. One clinician shared, “I really love working with the clients, seeing small changes add up over the course of a month." Another agreed, adding, “It's a lovely experience to trust my team members and go back and forth about the best case for a client." Client feedback was equally positive, with one saying, “You saved my life and gave me the skills to save myself."
Given its effectiveness, planning for a virtual version of the program is underway. The model aims to expand program accessibility to a larger geographical area, and to those who face barriers to attending in person.
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This year, four Island Health initiatives received BC Quality Awards for their outstanding contributions.
Winners are awarded a sponsorship for ongoing development and/or to help support and disseminate learning from their projects, and are also invited to attend the Quality Forum, HQBC's annual conference.
Join us in congratulating the many individuals involved in this program for their outstanding achievement!