Amidst Banff’s lush mountain backdrop, over 500 pharmacists, physicians, and registered nurses from across Alberta gathered at the Strengthening the Bond tri-profession conference to learn how culture, collaboration, and change affect health care.
Opening keynote speaker, Don Bell, founder and former Executive VP of WestJet brought forth compelling messages about the value of people and strategies to create an optimal working environment. He said, “People work for people, not for organizations, and passionate people are fuelled by emotional commitment.” What makes people emotionally committed? An optimal environment – a culture – that values people, that communicates effectively with people, and that empowers people. “Culture is what you do when no one is watching,” he explained.
Presidents from the five conference host organizations (ACP, AMA, RxA, CARNA, CPSA) told delegates what each of their organizations would do right away to further interprofessional collaboration. The conference concluded with the five organizations committing to meet in the coming months and provide all their members with a written document before the year end on their next collaborative steps.
The conference was followed by the APEX Award ceremony, celebrating outstanding contributors to pharmacy and healthcare in Alberta. View videos of award recipients.
Originally published in the June 30, 2009, issue of The Link
