We Go Further.

Remote Community OT delivers fly-in occupational therapy outreach services to remote settings in BC and Yukon. We connect provincially-recognized clinicians with under-served communities and health centres.

Proven Success in Remote Communities

“The overall service provision has been fantastic. Both Linda and Zaleena have had incredible work ethic and their experience level has really shown when confronted with some of our more complex/challenging clients. I’ve been really impressed with the degree of post-visit follow-up, as that was a big concern we had at the start of the contract.

The equipment, strategies, and plans that Remote Community OT have been able to put in place have made a huge difference. We’re quite limited in our ability to identify and prescribe appropriate equipment beyond basic mobility aids so having their expertise has been invaluable. Their ability to source products from their contacts at various vendors and have things delivered in a timely manner has also been very impressive. Additionally, being able to bring new vendors into the fold because of their relationships is a huge plus.

Overall, we are very happy with the OT services. They were able to implement effective, concrete solutions for many of our patients in a relatively short period of time, and their versatility in seeing patients in a variety of settings was very helpful.”

Matthew Janzen | Community Physiotherapist
Haida Gwaii Hospital & Health Centre

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Total Days Reduced from Wait Times

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Combined Years of Expertise and Knowledge

Our Team

  • Megan Shields is a health leader.

    She has served as the Deputy Registrar of the College of Occupational Therapists of BC (COTBC), with oversight of provincial OT practice supports, quality assurance programs, and the adoption of cultural safety practice standards and initiatives.

    Megan is Clinical Faculty for the UBC School of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OSOT). She has held roles as Health Programs Manager and Provincial OT Clinical Advisor for the Mental Health Unit of WorkSafe BC. Additionally, she has clinical experience and certifications in trauma supports and leadership and clinical coaching.

    She is acting co-director of Everyday OT, a provincial leader in neuro-affirming OT supports.

  • Linda is a third-generation settler with Italian, French and Scottish heritage from her adoptive family and Icelandic/Scottish Isles/English heritage from her family of origin. Linda has worked in adult rehabilitation clinically since 1996. She is a Clinical Associate Professor and Mentor for the School of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OSOT) at UBC.

    She has humbly served the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations as a community OT since 2015, as well as recently supporting communities in Haida Gwaii.

    Linda has multiple awards and recognitions, notably for her mentorship and teaching in role emerging placements for Master of Occupational Therapy students. These include the 2021 Chris Courtney Award for Excellence in Fieldword Education, 2022 CAOT Award for Fieldwork Education, OSOT Fieldwork Educator of the Year, and Canadian Arthritis Network Master's Student Trainee Award.

    Linda's clinical research and peer-reviewed publications cover topics such as mothers with chronic conditions, health authority retention policy, and injury service provider credentialing.

    Linda  will be volunteering in Sierra Leone, Africa, in early 2025 with a rehabilitation and surgical team.

  • Zaleena is a first-generation settler born in BC, with ancestral roots in East Africa and of South Asian descent. She holds dual degrees in Occupational Therapy and Kinesiology, and has worked as a researcher at the SFU Human Motor System Lab.

    A trusted leader in her field, Zaleena has excelled in acute care, long-term care, and adult rehabilitation, with a particular emphasis on complex home and community care over the past 19 years. Her expertise spans chronic diseases, progressive neurological conditions, adult and older adult rehabilitation, seating and positioning, dysphagia, and palliative care.

    Zaleena has more than 30 professional development courses relevant to complex community support work, and is a fieldwork supervisor for Master of Occupational Therapy students.

    Notably, Zaleena is renowned for her product knowledge and ability to navigate funding minefields to expedite equipment and resource approvals.

    Zaleena has served the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations as a community OT and now extends her expertise to remote communities in Haida Gwaii.

Areas of Competency

    • General Adult and Older Adult Rehabilitation

    • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and Spinal Cord Injury

    • Arthritis Supports

    • Parkinson's and ALS Management

    • Burns

    • Addiction Comorbidity

    • Standard and Complex Seating Assessment (including mat assessment)

    • Power Mobility and Equipment Prescription

    • Manual Mobility and Equipment Prescription

    • Orthotics, Splinting, Serial Splinting, and Casting

    • Gait Assessment

    • Pressure Wound Management and Skin Care Guidelines

    • General community and home health supports

    • Bath assessments

    • Aging-in-Place and Home Safety Assessments

    • ADL and iADL assessments

    • Leisure Screens

    • Pre-Driving Assessments

    • Swallowing Assessments with texture, posture, & timing recommendations

*All of our clinicians have either professional or personal intersections with Indigenous or BIPOC people. We have all completed the San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program. We are committed to practising OT with the spirit of reconciliation and fighting for systemic changes in our profession, including the development of professional standards related to justice, equity, anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion.