Strengthening Primary Care Through PCN Leadership and Local Action

An update from Brian Rowland, PCN Director

What is the Vancouver Division doing to strengthen Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and support Family Doctors here in Vancouver? 

Brian Rowland, PCN Director at the Vancouver Division of Family Practice, ensures PCNs continue to be a cornerstone of how family medicine is supported and strengthened in our communities. Behind that work is a governance structure designed to ensure that funding, programs, and local initiatives are aligned with the real needs of clinics and communities.

What does the PCN Director role involve?

As PCN Director, Brian’s focus is on supporting the six PCN Steering Committees across Vancouver. It’s important to note that Steering Committees are not operational groups managing day-to-day decisions. Instead, they provide governance-level oversight for each PCN, overseeing how Ministry funding is allocated and ensuring resources are deployed effectively — particularly for human resources that support team-based care (PCN Allied Health, RNs, Pharmacists).

In addition to this core governance role, the Steering Committees also champion small-scale, local projects that can have a meaningful impact on primary care within their specific PCN. Brian supports these initiatives from concept through implementation, while also overseeing other division-level projects that intersect with PCN priorities.

Who sits on a PCN Steering Committee?

Each Steering Committee is intentionally designed to represent a cross-section of voices within the PCN. The majority of members are family physicians, joined by a nurse practitioner and, in many cases, a patient partner. Each committee has a member of the VDOFP Board of Directors who serves as the Convenor.

This structure ensures that decisions are informed by different perspectives — across clinics, practice styles, and lived experience — while remaining small enough to function cohesively and effectively at a governance level.

How can physicians get involved?

VDOFP maintains a list of members interested in joining a PCN Steering Committee, with appointments made for one-year renewable terms. When current members step down, opportunities open for others within the PCN to participate.

Serving on a Steering Committee offers a unique opportunity to:

• Gain insight and have an impact on how resources are deployed within a PCN 
• Build experience in governance and system-level decision-making
• Develop leadership skills that can serve as a stepping stone to broader roles, including potential involvement with the Vancouver Division Board of Directors

As Brian puts it, Steering Committee members get to “see behind the curtain” — gaining a deeper understanding of how the PCN operates and how decisions shape care delivery across the network.

Current priority projects across PCNs

Many of the projects currently underway represent an expansion  of initiatives launched by the 2024–2025 PCN Steering Committees. These include:

Interprofessional Team (IPT) Group Visits

One of the top priorities is expanding IPT group visits, following a successful 2025 pilot. Group visits increase patient access to a finite number of allied health professionals. The goal is to work collaboratively with Vancouver Coastal Health to scale group visits across all allied health disciplines, including social workers, dietitians, and clinical counsellors. 

Food Security Initiatives

PCNs are exploring ways to share information about available food resources with patients and providers since food insecurity is a key social determinant of health within primary care.

Peer Provider Networks

These networks bring family physicians together to build relationships and facilitate referrals between family doctors with particular clinical expertise. For example, physicians with procedural skills such as IUD insertion can connect directly with colleagues who are seeking referral options, strengthening care continuity within the network.

Reproductive Mental Health & Seniors’ Mental Health

Both initiatives were piloted last year and will move  into their next phases, reflecting ongoing interest from physicians and a demonstrated community need.

Opportunities beyond Steering Committees

Physicians don’t need to be on a Steering Committee to participate in PCN initiatives. Community Network Managers (CNMs) regularly host engagement meetings and events where members can get involved, exchange ideas with colleagues on current family medicine topics, and contribute feedback.

For example, Peer Provider Network sessions involve open calls to family physicians within a PCN, bringing together those with and without specific clinical focuses to build practical referral relationships.

Division-wide programs supporting clinics

In addition to PCN-focused work, Brian’s team continues to manage several City-wide programs:

Flu Vaccine Delivery Program

Clinics can choose to have their doses delivered, and unused dosages picked up at the end of the season. A valuable component of this program is the involvement of medical students, who are eager to assist with immunizations and can help relieve time pressures for clinic teams during flu season.

Learn more about the Flu Vaccine Delivery Program.

Peer Physician Engagement Program

This program provides funding for physician-led gatherings within a PCN — whether between clinics or among colleagues — focused on topics chosen by participants. It’s a flexible way to support connection, learning, and collaboration at the local level.

Learn more about the Peer Physician Engagement Program.

Both programs are open to members and can be accessed through the Vancouver Division website.