Through ROAM, eligible rural maternity teams have the opportunity to access support and funding to strengthen peer, facility, and regional networks and relationships, and to create and implement a plan that enhances their ability to provide sustainable, high quality maternity care for women and families in rural BC.
What is ROAM?
Community maternity team providers will be supported by the ROAM team to design and customize initiatives to best meet the needs of local maternity team members. Below are the core elements of ROAM that will be offered to all communities:
- Community-driven network development initiatives – Access funding and support for initiatives identified by the maternity team in your community that will support strengthened relationships and enable you and your team to be able to provide high quality maternity care in your community. A few examples of possible initiatives include, but are not limited to:
- Monthly interprofessional care planning and case meetings
- Interprofessional meeting to plan maternity pathways of care for moms with possible or confirmed COVID-19, reviewing and discussing COVID-19 maternity care guidelines, and/or other topics
- Lunch & learns or rounds involving the community maternity team and regional OB providers
- Create maternity team learning plans
- Or other initiatives aligned with community priorities – the ROAM team can discuss options with the maternity team
- Peer coaching for obstetrical teams – Connect to coaching and learning opportunities available both for individuals and/or teams, with coaches within or outside of the community.
- Maternity pathway development – Create community-specific mapping of low-risk and high-risk maternity services, supports, and resources for use by providers and women and families in your community.
There are also three provincial elements of the ROAM program:
- FP-OSS Obstetrical Surgical Skills Event – Further information and date TBA
- Rural Maternal & Child Specialist Event – Further information and date TBA
- Real Time Virtual Obstetrics Supports – ROAM will be supporting the expansion of rural-relevant real time virtual obstetrics support
Who can participate in ROAM?
If you are a provider or health administrator involved in the delivery of maternity services from one of the eligible communities listed below, you can take the lead in bringing ROAM to your community.
We strongly encourage broad participation of the whole maternity team in your area. This could include, for example, family physicians providing maternity services, midwives, obstetricians, nurses, nurse practitioners, health administrators/directors of maternity programs, and others.
The ROAM team aims to support BC’s 31 rural communities designated as 1a or 1b maternity sites by Perinatal Services BC:
- Interior Health: Creston, Fernie, Golden, Invermere, Lillooet, Nelson, Penticton, Revelstoke, Shuswap/Salmon Arm, Trail, Williams Lake, Vernon
- Northern Health: Dawson Creek, Hazelton, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte, Quesnel, Smithers, Terrace, Vanderhoof, Fort St John
- Vancouver Coastal Health: Powell River, Sechelt, Squamish
- Island Health: Campbell River, Comox, Duncan, Port Alberni, Port Hardy/Port McNeill, Salt Spring Island
How to get involved
To bring ROAM to your community, or to get more information, please contact Adrienne Peltonen at apeltonen@rccbc.ca or call toll-free at 1-877-908-8222.
