Family Physicians come together to support vulnerable patients in Vancouver’s Chinatown

Over the past year, the Vancouver Division has been engaging a Community of Practice (CoP) of family physicians who support Chinese-speaking (largely Cantonese and Mandarin) patients to provide culturally appropriate care. Many of their patients are elderly and have complex conditions that make their primary care needs more challenging. Due to the location of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the CoP is particularly significant in Primary Care Network 2 where these patients are being cared for mostly by solo family practices. 

In the fall of 2022, the Division engaged members of the CoP to understand what they envision as an ideal future for their practices and patients, with a focus on detailing the future of primary care in Chinatown. The two-part engagement series centered on: 1) Future Visioning for the Chinatown area and 2) Culturally appropriate resources and in-clinic supports. During these sessions, participants discussed tangible solutions to address the increasing number of Chinese-speaking patients experiencing difficulties accessing primary care, along with ways to support succession of long-practicing solo physicians. 

The CoP members have shared their thoughts on the value of the Community of Practice brings: “Wonderful to share info & ideas with other colleagues who share the same concerns about caring for our Chinese population.” 

The Division will continue exploring the ideas that emerged. Those with particular energy were around the navigation and distribution of Chinese-language resources and fostering stronger connections between new-to-practice and veteran physicians to support a smoother succession of their patient panels. We look forward to continuing collaboration with CoP members.