About
You are invited to help make British Columbia the most informed place
in the world about the brain and brain injury
Based in the learning gained from a unique, twenty-year experience of hosting the premier national conference on acquired brain injury, the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society is launching the leading information and educational on-line resource in Canada called brainstreams.ca. Experience allows the Society to say with absolute confidence that brainsteams.ca will meet the educational and social-networking needs of a wide brain-injury community throughout B.C.
The Society recognizes that support is needed 24/7: mothers or fathers of injured people want to be able to go on line and access information when they are ready and have the time to ask questions or research an issue; the person with a brain injury wants the opportunity to talk regularly and often to others who are having the same lived experiences; professionals want to know what is available for support and to refer individuals and families to a reliable information resource that is 'open 24 hours'.
In British Columbia alone between 21 and 38 individuals sustain brain injury each day; additionally, for each person who is injured, there are a number of other people who are affected and involved: family, spouses, friends, employers, medical and other professionals, and direct service providers. Today, an estimated 10,000 persons are living with an acquired brain injury in B.C. However, including all stakeholders the potential audience for brainstreams.ca in British Columbia alone is at least ten thousand.
How can Brainstreams.ca serve the brain injury community?
The Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society (PCBICS)
The mission of the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference Society (PCBICS) is to bring together people living with brain injury, their family and friends, professionals and providers of service to support new and innovative education while increasing the awareness and prevention of brain injury.
Vision of the PCBICS
The long-term goal of the PCBICS is to create a legacy that will help make British Columbia the most informed place in the world on the subject of brain injury. As a result we hope to influence and create opportunities through education and networking, where survivors and their families are supported to live full and active lives. Widespread knowledge of risks and consequences will reduce the devastation that affects over 10,000 British Columbians and their families every year.
Society History
The primary activity of the PCBICS has been to organize the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference (PCBIC). The purpose of the conference was to provide a networking and educational event for Survivors, Families, and Professionals. During its 20 year history, the conference attracted over 10,000 participants and raised over one million dollars which was used to subsidize the participation of survivors and support the Society. The conference reached its peak in 2002, when it attracted 700 attendees including international participants.
In 2007, during the 20th Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference, it was decided that the conference required a hiatus. Extensive research was undertaken to re-align the purpose of the conference and it was determined that in addition to hosting future educational events (which includes this year’s conference), an Online Education and Social Network was needed to provide a one-stop shop for information and to combat isolation of survivors and their families, on a 24 hour basis, 7 days a week.
Brainstreams.ca, the Online Education & Social Network, was officially launched at the 2010 Conference. Brainstreams.ca provides information, education and social networking supports for survivors and families. It has been welcomed by the brain injury community in British Columbia and successfully offers a “one-stop shop” for information and to combat isolation on a 24 hour basis, 7 days a week. It is the first online resource of its kind in British Columbia, and Canada, and with your support it will continue to grow.
PCBICS Board of Directors
Please remove the space before and after the "@" symbol before using these email addresses
Board Chair
Patti Flaherty
Executive Director
CONNECT
pattif @ connectcommunities.ca
Treasurer
Carol Paetkau
Executive Director
Fraser Valley Brain Injury Association
cdpaetkau @ telus.net
Board Members
Joy Archer
Joy.archer @ gov.bc.ac
Renee Lopes Lieu, M.Cl.Sc. (OT)
Vancouver Coastal Health - Vancouver Community Rehabilitation & Resource Team
renvelopes @ hotmail.com
Megan Saul, BA, BSW, MSW, RSW
Social Worker
Acquired Brain Injury Program - Fraser Health
Megan.saul @ fraserhealth.ca
Geoff Sing
Manager Cridge Brain Injury Program
Cridge Centre for the Family
gsing @ cridge.org
Kelly Sharp
Community Intervention Coordinator/Educator
GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre
Kelly.Sharp @ vch.ca
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Join Us
The mission of Brainstreams.ca is provide 24/7 access to information and resources for the thousands of people who experience brain injury in BC and beyond each year.
We are actively seeking collaborators who share our vision to build Brainstreams.ca into a world-class online knowledge hub.
To explore partnership opportunities with Brainstreams.ca, contact Rosemary Casson at sponsor@brainstreams.ca.
A project of:
Project launch made possible by:
BC Neurotrauma Fund via
Brainstreams.ca is an online education and networking site for the Brain Injury Community in B.C. and beyond.
The material on this web site is provided for educational purposes only, and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.