PAW

There is something new and exciting happening in physician health these days – groups of Physicians Advocating Wellness (PAW groups) are getting together in various communities around the province.

But how did these grassroots groups come together?

Dr. Laura Kelly’s embrace of physician wellness began, sadly, after a doctor colleague in her community of Maple Ridge committed suicide several years ago. A short time after that tragedy, Dr. Kelly, who spends half her time as an ER physician and the balance in a family practice, had the opportunity to meet Dr. Paul Farnan, former executive director of the Physician Health Program. He wanted to launch a network of groups to deal specifically with physician health and wellness in local communities throughout the province.

Dr. Dorothy (Sam) Williams is a geriatrician based in Victoria, B.C., where she works on a group service contract with the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

The product of a medical family (her mother, father and other family members are all in the field), she has been practising Geriatric Medicine since 2000.

Dr. Naved Ali is a Family Physician specializing in Addiction Medicine who works in Burnaby, Vancouver and on the North Shore of Vancouver. He also works for the Physician Health Program as an intake physician.

While Dr. Ali does not run a PAW group, he is a passionate advocate of the concept and wants to get information about PAW groups to as many physicians as possible – for good reason, he says.

In 1996, Dr. Ed Easingwood, died of a drug overdose after a long struggle with chemical dependency. After that life-altering event, his wife, Dr. Connie Ruffo, approached the B.C. Physician Support Program.

In 2005, motivated by her loss, she led a group of physicians at Peace Arch Hospital in brainstorming about a grassroots physician health and wellness program that would educate physicians on how to stay healthy and help distressed colleagues.

Dr. Shirley Sze is a semi-retired family doctor who has worked in Kamloops for the past 30 years. She continues to organize Continuing Medical Education (CME) which she views as an informal extension of the PAW work. Her colleague, Dr. Robert Baker, who started PAW work in Kamloops, continues to play an important role in conducting regular support sessions for health-care professionals undergoing stressful life events.

Peter Bowen-Roberts is a semi-retired Nanaimo-based physician who works as a locum and hospitalist (a doctor who looks after hospital patients without a regular physician).

He has not started a PAW group but embraces the idea for the role such a group can play in both preventing physician health problems and supporting doctors who may need help.

Here are his thoughts on what elements are required to for a successful PAW group: