Vicki Lee

Vicki Lee, MLIS

Clinical Librarian and Consumer Health Specialist
Supporting Navigators & Clients, province wide

A clinical librarian with a specialization in serving patients and families, Vicki Lee has worked in the health care system for thirty years. A master at discovering information needs and finding high quality information to meet those needs, Vicki makes sure that patients, families, and health care professionals have the best information available to make health care decisions.

Vicki has done extensive research in mapping patients’ information needs over the courses of their health care journey. As a determined detective with a clear understanding of what she’s looking for, Vicki is an expert at matching resources to needs. She has particular expertise in the areas of oncology, cardiology, pediatric developmental disabilities, and general medicine. She has been known to follow a patient into the operating room.

“The irony of working as a patient librarian who helps people understand their diagnoses and make informed decisions about their treatment options became apparent when I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a condition with no definitive diagnosis and therefore no cure. After spending seven years in bed in a dim, dark cave, I have managed to emerge due to expert research, a compassionate physician, lifestyle changes, mindfulness, a sense of humour, and sheer determination. I know what patients are going through. I have witnessed the power of information to change lives .”

A talented teacher, presenter, and coach Vicki provides outreach services to individuals, families, community organizations, and corporations by coaching and leading lectures and workshops in the following areas:

Navigating the health care system
Finding and evaluating health information
Managing your own health records
Being a family caregiver
Advance care planning
Death, grief, and survival

+ Testimonials

Gina
I want to thank Connie Jorsvik for all of her...

I want to thank Connie Jorsvik for all of her thoughts, insight, and empathy she put into my healthcare. I am… grateful to have had her as the foundation of my journey. The medical system has been increasingly difficult for me to navigate and tolerate as I faced complex and long-term illness. I came to Connie with a very complicated health history and crisis situation that needed to be approached with discretion. I was looking for a medical professional who I could trust implicitly, who would listen to me and thoroughly evaluate my circumstance, and someone who could guide and support me in getting the healthcare I needed. Connie has demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and credibility in our one-to-one dealings as well as appointments she has attended with me. She has been steadfast in taking on the complexity and challenge of putting together the puzzles pieces of my case. She has not only guided and assisted me in managing the many overwhelming aspects of living with illness, from dealing with doctors and appointments to coping with confusing and frustrating symptoms to sorting out paperwork for insurance and medical records but she has also genuinely cared for me and my well-being, encouraged me to keep going when I felt like giving up, coached me through barriers and self-realizations that were holding me back, and most importantly she has inspired and empowered me to be my own best advocate. Finding Connie was an absolute turning point on a path that was feeling hopeless and impossible.

Ben
I am located in Arizona but have a dear friend...

I am located in Arizona but have a dear friend in Vancouver B.C. who suffered a stroke in February 2014. After several months in ICU and acute care she was transferred to a long term care facility where she lives with residents decades older than herself. A mutual friend in Vancouver went to visit her and contacted me with her concerns. She felt my friend was not receiving all the potential therapy she should have and explained to me how an Advocate could help. Enter Connie. Connie visited my friend and in a short time was able to make arrangements for her to receive therapy at GF Strong Rehabilitation Center in Vancouver – one of Canada’s best public care rehab facilities. The change has been nothing short of miraculous. For eight months my friend had been confined to the hospital where her surgery took place and where she suffered the stroke that left her partially paralyzed. But after two short months of therapy at GF Strong thanks to Advocate Connie her prognosis is such that within a short while she will regain the use of the paralyzed portions of her body and eventually have her independence back rather than spending her life in a hospital ward. Without an advocate this would never have been possible. And one day soon I will take my friend to dinner and afterwards dancing… Thanks to Connie.

Sean
My wife died suddenly while in hospital almost...

My wife died suddenly while in hospital almost two years ago. I was not happy with the explanations I received from the doctors. On advice from a lawyer, I contacted Connie Jorsvik, a private patient advocate and she did a very detailed, thorough review of my wife’s hospital records and found several major gaps in her care. She produced a lengthy and through Letter of Complaint for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC). I want to thank Ms. Jorsvik for the vast amount of work she did in preparing the letter of complaint. I was able to get the justice I wanted and maybe, it is my greatest hope, that others’ deaths will be prevented. Ms. Jorsvik was frequently my ear during that horrible time. Her professionalism and compassion were lights pulling me out of the tunnel. I can’t recommend her patient advocacy services highly enough.

Janice
I have been using the services of Patient...

I have been using the services of Patient Pathways for about a year. Connie provides a tremendous service for families in health crisis who are finding it difficult to navigate the health care system. She is readily available to talk to on a one on one basis and offers support to the individual and the family. I am extremely grateful for the service she has provided to me and my family.

Susan
Thank you for your help and your support. We...

Thank you for your help and your support. We found you when I was starting to feel hopeless. You have given me back some hope.

Vicki Lee, MLIS

Clinical Librarian and Consumer Health Specialist Supporting Navigators & Clients, province wide

Clinical Librarian and Consumer Health Specialist
Supporting Navigators & Clients, province wide