Rural Obstetrical and Maternity Sustainability Program

Despite pandemic-related challenges, it was a year of growth for ROAM-SP. After bringing on a Project Manager and recruiting a Project Assistant to support its work, ROAM-SP focused substantially on engaging with ROAM-eligible maternity teams to share information about, and start them into, the Program. The team hosted six provincial ROAM informational webinars, as well as community-specific ROAM meetings for each community team beginning the program. As of March 31, 2021, ROAM had onboarded 27 of 32 ROAM-eligible rural communities. Of these 27 maternity teams, 23 had submitted project plans and begun implementation. The remaining communities intend to submit plans and start implementation in the next fiscal year.

ROAM funding for community network development initiatives supported maternity teams to plan and implement activities to support building relationships, networking with colleagues, and enhancing maternity care for patients in the community. As a result of this funding, teams have, in part, held regular care planning and/or case review meetings, met with regional specialists and public health, planned integration of new services, planned and implemented service improvements, and conducted initiatives on various local priorities to improve maternity care and its sustainability in the community.

ROAM also supported providers in participating in one-on-one and team coaching opportunities. Coaching participants were able to build relationships, share knowledge, ideas, techniques, and practice approaches. This resulted in increased competence and confidence amongst ROAM-SP maternity teams in rural communities.

A rigorous evaluation of ROAM-SP also began this past year. The team successfully recruited an evaluation consultant in BC and began implementing the evaluation. Results from the evaluation are anticipated next fiscal year.

In an effort to support rural specialist physicians involved in maternity, ROAM-SP facilitated the development of a new network of rural obstetricians and gynaecologists (OBGYN). This group met twice and conducted a survey to understand the priorities and directions for a rural OBGYN network. The Rural Coordination Centre of BC also supported the initiation of the new Sustaining Pediatrics in Rural and Underserved Communities (SPRUCE) pediatrician network. The previously formed network of family physicians with obstetrical surgical skills also continued to meet. The leads of the three networks met to share learnings and explore shared priorities.

Finally, throughout the year, ROAM-SP continued working closely with the Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Network to create integration between the two programs amongst the communities that are participating in both programs. Its team also linked with the General Practice Services Committee’s Maternity Care Working Group and contributed to a list of maternity programs in the province.

In the coming year, ROAM-SP will engage and onboard the remaining communities that are eligible to participate in the Program. It will also collect progress and impact reports from communities that used the Program this year. An adaptive review of the community reports and plans will help improve ROAM-SP’s implementation and impact. At the same time, ROAM-SP will fully implement its formal evaluation and report the findings.