Partnership & collaboration.

• Engage patients, families and communities in meaningful dialogue and as partners in their health management.
• Partner with community health care providers, partners from health authorities, community organizations, education institutions, health professional trainees, government, and media to optimally support patients in chronic disease prevention and management.

Culturally-tailored health promotion & outreach.

• Work with communities to provide culturally tailored education in the community’s native language to help patients prevent and manage chronic diseases.
• Host skills-building workshops and public health forums on a variety of chronic diseases, promoting health and wellness, chronic disease prevention and empowering patients with information and skills to manage their health.
• Patient education on disease awareness and knowledge, prevention and lifestyle modification, risk reduction and treatment options.

Multi-channel dissemination.

• Share health information through webcasts, a website (iconproject.org) and through media projects such as community televisions and radio programming to reach community members.
• Distribute patient resources and information handouts to help patients and families navigate the BC health care system.
• Use social medial including Facebook and Twitter to promote health events, community initiatives and share health information with community members.

Digital literacy to support patient self-management

• Link patients with credible online health information and digital tools to support patients in their chronic disease self-management journey.
• Build awareness around and demonstrate how digital tools can support and help patients achieve their health and wellness goals.

Evaluation & impact.

• Engage community members in evaluation and program feedback to ensure our program is impactful and meets the needs of the community members it serves.

The interCultural Online Health Network (iCON) is a program based in the UBC Digital Emergency Medicine Office and is funded by the B.C. Ministry of Health Patients as Partners Initiative. Visit the BC Ministry of Health website to learn more about the Patients as Partners Initiative.

The following organizations are fellow partners in the Patients as Partners Initiative:

• Centre for Collaboration, Motivation and Innovation (CCMI) 
• Delaney + Associates
• Family Caregivers of BC
• Pain BC
• UVic Self-Management Programs