Message from BC Renal Executive Director

Dear BC kidney community,

Thank you for all that you do, have done and will do for people living with kidney disease in BC.

We have spent the last three years managing within the context of the pandemic and our upside-down lives, professionally and personally. We have done this alone and together.

During this time, we have come together to address workforce shortages and new ways in which we care for people, such as with virtual health, education for Indigenous cultural safety and humility, and delivering emergency responses in the face of unprecedented heat waves, fires and floods. Pretty amazing!

Some of you may not know that we have a special milestone to celebrate. It’s been 25 years since we first formed as a provincial network. Many of you do not remember a time without “BC Renal,” formerly the “BC Renal Agency.” Over those 25 years, we have evolved and grown and created a community of caring individuals and teams, working directly and indirectly to improve the lives of people living with kidney diseases. Thank you again for being a part of that journey. Throughout this last year, 2022, all of the provincial committees and working groups, professional groups, our patient partners and the BC Renal team have continued to support ongoing projects, and where possible, seek and embrace opportunities and innovation.

We have kept in mind alignment with PHSA and Ministry of Health priorities, and we have increasingly focused our resources on projects that will have the greatest impact.

Together, we have continued to uphold our high standard of care and have created new provincial initiatives and resources, many of which are described in this publication.

As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the new one, we sincerely extend our deep appreciation to everyone in our network. Thank you for your continued dedication, courage and compassion.

Respectfully,

Dr. Adeera Levin Executive Director