Joan Park
Joan Park’s enthusiasm about her work and commitment to superior patient care has gained her admiration and respect from patients, colleagues, nursing leadership, physicians and other disciplines. Collaboration, innovation, scholarship and advanced practice are the hallmarks of her leadership.
In 1998 the dynamics of the healthcare system were changing to be more dollar efficient and yet of higher quality and more responsive to patients. Joan was selected to develop the role of Case Manager at St. Michael’s Hospital. This journey led her to discover that the potential of Case Management is to optimize quality patient care while at the same time managing the effective and efficient use of resources.
Her definition of quality became:
“Right Place, Right Time, Right Care, Right Provider = Right Cost”
From there, the spark of leadership grew to a roaring flame as she created momentum to both define and promote Case Management nationally.
By connecting with others, a small network of Case Management providers representing diverse disciplines, sectors, provinces and territories was formed. The National Case Management Network of Canada was launched in November 2006. As President of the National Case Management Network (NCMN) she spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Standards of Practice for Case Management in 2008. A cold call to Health Canada in 2009 resulted in NCMN receiving a Contribution Agreement in 2010 for a project “Developing Case Management in Canada: Standards of Practice, Learning Resources and Professional Association”. A second Contribution Agreement was awarded in 2012 for “Promoting Excellence and Professionalism for Case Management in Canada: Phase II Core Competencies, Credentialing and Sustainability”. Together the Canadian Standards of Practice for Case Management and the Canadian Core Competency Profile for Case Management Providers form a foundation for best Case Management practices and qualified Case Management providers.
Said one colleague: “Joan always had a vision of how patients should be managed throughout their illness and recovery. Her critical thinking and scholarship plus an unbounded optimism, has resulted in recognition of NCMN and the field of Case Management.”
Park says the power of Case Management is key to achieving a quality patient experience. “It demands person to person contact and I believe as people age, as people live with a chronic illness or survive a catastrophic illness or injury, we are going to need case management.”
Park also believes that the best Case Management practice happens as a result of health care and social service sectors working together and when the private and public sectors come together to meet patient needs, wants and dreams.
“The road ahead is to advance the field of Case Management across the country by disseminating the Standards of Practice and Core Competencies for use by professionals and practitioners, by supervisory and quality assurance personnel, by government and policy makers, and by the public”.
Follow the National Case Management Network online. The 7thannual conference, Raising the Bar for Case Management Together, September 26 & 27, 2013, will facilitate a community of conversations – connecting private and public sectors and health care and social services. It will be a time to learn together and make critical links with one another. Click here to register.
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