Listening to Community, Learning What Matters – The BRAID Model
Everyone who works in or relies on the health care system knows it needs improvement. But how do we get there? It starts with shifting from talking at each other to talking with each other—recognizing that every voice matters in making health care work for all.
The BRAID model—Bridging Research, Accurate Information, and Dialogue—is built on listening with curiosity, understanding community priorities, and sharing accurate, relevant information to address concerns. It’s a proactive approach to engagement that strengthens trust and builds lasting relationships between communities and health organizations.
The Power of BRAID Lies in the Community
Communities are the heart of healthy, vibrant lives. Without their input, health organizations risk making decisions without truly understanding what matters to people in their community. While there’s a shared desire to work together differently, shifting from consultation to co-production requires confidence and readiness.
That’s where the BRAID model comes in. It offers a clear, practical approach to building strong community partnerships—making collaboration not just possible, but natural.
Interior Health is excited about the opportunity to engage in the BRAID project in a collaborative effort to build trust and confidence in vaccine within our communities.
Population and Public Health Services
Launching BRAID With Two BC Health Authorities
The best way to determine if the BRAID model can strengthen relationships between health organizations and communities is to put it into practice. Health Quality BC is partnering with the model developers at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City to launch a module-based training program for implementing BRAID in BC. Working alongside Interior Health and Island Health, we are rolling out the model in two communities, focusing on addressing misinformation about HPV vaccination.
Why Focus on Misinformation About the HPV Vaccination?
Vaccine misinformation has spread rapidly across the country, fueling hesitancy. The World Health Organization now ranks among the top 10 threats to global health. While HPV vaccination is a proven, evidence-based method for cancer prevention, uptake in British Columbia remains low. Factors contributing to this include misinformation, gaps in understanding which messages resonate, uncertainty around trusted sources and challenges in sharing accurate information effectively.
The BRAID model will serve two key purposes:
- Assessing its effectiveness in building community trust to address complex health issues.
- Co-producing HPV vaccination information that reflects community priorities and concerns and sharing it through trusted community sources.
The BRAID model focuses on strengthening trust and improving the flow of accurate information to support communities in making informed health decisions.
Island Health is actively working to build trust and increase vaccine uptake in our communities, and very grateful for the opportunity to partner with Health Quality BC to implement the BRAID project. Their support and expertise have been invaluable in tackling the growing issue of vaccine hesitancy.
Island Health
Join the Conversation & Stay Connected
Improving health quality starts with transparency—sharing progress so you can learn, ask questions and be part of the journey. With BRAID, we want to bring you along, not just to share our work but to learn from you as well. Together, we can strengthen the project, build connections and spark meaningful conversations.
Stay updated on our journey with BRAID by subscribing to the Improving Health Quality Together newsletter for the latest updates on this work.
