[splitimage]

I'm pretty excited about this opportunity.


I've been on an advisory committee at my psych hospital for the past 9 years, but unfortunately timed out as 9 years is the max you can serve.

So I've been looking for other ways to stay involved so I can advocate for better care within the hospital.

I heard the patient advisory council was recruiting, so I applied and was selected. I'm really happy about this, as it gives me a formal pathway into the hospital to advocate for better care, and better anti-stigma messaging.

It's initially a 2 year term, and we have our orientation meeting next month.

splitimage

[winter4me]

so glad for you!

[*Beth*]

That is fantastic! Congratulations! Sounds like an excellent way to serve and be served.

[lizardlady]

You go girl! Congratulations Splitimage. You will be a valuable asset for the board.

Happy and excited for you.

[Travelinglady]

Good for you!

[Open Eyes]

Good for you (((splitimage)))

[possum220]

Congratulations Splitimage. What a wonderful way to contribute to your community.

[guilloche]

Awesome! Congratulations, and good for you! I bet you're an amazing advocate for patients!

[eskielover]

I was wondering how things were going for you. What an exciting accomplishment. I am sure it will open doors for your passion to advocate for mental health patients in many ways. This is such exciting news. Congratulations!!!!

[Deilla]

That's wonderful! Congratulations!!

[Soupe du jour]

That's really cool! Congratulations! I wish I could do something like that.

[seesaw]

Hey Splitimage! I would love to know more about how you got involved in this! I'm trying to do more active advocacy in my community. How did you get involved with this?

Great job!

[splitimage]

@seesaw

I've been involved with my psych hospital for a while now. Back in 2011, I saw a notice on their Facebook feed that they were recruiting consumers for their constituencies council, which brings together different stakeholders to provide feedback to the hospital. I applied and was selected. ]

Then in 2015, they asked council members if anyone wanted to be part of the inaugural Steering Committee, which basically was responsible for recruitment, setting the agenda for full council meetings, and doing an annual presentation to the board of trustees. I said, sure I'm interested and was selected. Serving on that committee was a phenomenal experience. Last Nov. I was lucky enough to be given the chance to present to the board of trustees on concurrent disorders and that was really well recieved, and ultimately led to me having a very long one-on-one conversation with the head of addictions services.

Unfortunately 9 years is the maximum you can sit on the constituency council so I timed out. I was looking for ways to stay involved with the hospital, and learned from the hospital staff person who was the liaison to the steering committee, that the Patients' Advisory Council was recruiting, so I applied. I had a rather grueling 1 hr interview and then was selected.

For me, there's definitely been a bit of being in the right place at the right time, but mainly I've just responded to things that sound interesting and put my name forward, and being comfortable enough talking about my mental illness and addiction to be open about it.

Hope the above made sense.
splitimage

[seesaw]

Yes, makes perfect sense! I haven't been following my local hospitals on social media and I'm sure there are opportunities so I will start. I appreciate you sharing this!

[MuseumGhost]

Dear Splitimage,

You are an exceptionally well-spoken person. And you are one of the first people I asked to be a friend here, and you happily accepted. You've always been so helpful and compassionate. They are so fortunate to have you there!! Congratulations, and thanks, from someone who would love to be contributing more in that way. (Perhaps, someday.) This is encouraging and inspiring news!

[CharlieGyrle]

Congrats!
Sounds like you might live a life of service to your community. Enjoy!😀

[splitimage]

Thanks everyone for your kind messages - thought I'd post a quick update.

Since being selected, I've had my orientation sessions, by Webex, over 3 days and it was fascinating. What I was doing before was fairly high level while this is more right at the service delivery level so that's interesting.

And I've been appointed to 2 other committees reviewing programs already. /That's neat because it's a chance to really get down and dirty and learn about the programs and give a patient perspective. Both committees so far have been around the use of technology in treatment, which is a bit of a pet interest of mine.

And as an added bonus, we get honorariums for meetings, so I'm probably going to pick up around 100/month which is huge on my current income, and I'm allowed to earn up to 200 before my disability benefits get clawed back.

splitimage

[eskielover]

Sounds like you have found the perfect fit

[Taylor27]

Congrats Splitimage so happy and proud for you. Hugs