Medical School and Northern Local Health Integration Networks Announce Collaboration Agreement: Unique Partnership Identifies Opportunities to Work Together to Improve the Health of People in Northern Ontario

MEDIA RELEASE
LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY, LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
December 5, 2007

For Immediate Release – Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Earlier today, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN), and the North West Local Health Integration Network (NW LHIN), signed a Collaboration Agreement which will allow the three parties to collaborate in several areas to enhance their shared mandates of social accountability and community engagement.During a media and information event held today, the three organizations with a vested interest in improving the status of the delivery of health care across Northern Ontario, highlighted their complementary resources, common approaches, and shared objectives that provide a solid foundation to work together.

The Agreement will see NOSM, the NE LHIN and the NW LHIN collaborate in such areas as:

– Research
Both the LHINs and NOSM have a focus on research. There are opportunities for the partners to share clinical best practices and research into population health.

– Planning Activities
A number of LHINs and NOSM planning activities can be enhanced through collaboration. For example, taking into consideration the input received by NOSM regarding local community needs in the development of the LHINs’ regional human resource planning initiatives will be invaluable.

– Population-Specific Projects
The LHINs and NOSM will work together to address the unique needs of Aboriginal, Francophone, northern rural, remote and urban communities.

– Sharing of Skills and Expertise Between Organization
The LHINs and NOSM will share skills and expertise in the areas of research and access to planning networks, as well as the Northern Ontario Virtual Library, among other opportunities.

– Education
Both the LHINs and NOSM have a shared interest in facilitating ongoing education and professional development for health service providers in their communities.

“Each of our organizations is committed to working together to improve the health of the people and the communities of the North,” stated Gwen DuBois-Wing, CEO of the North West LHIN. “We have a unique opportunity to have new conversations, explore new possibilities and to share skills, resources and expertise — all in the interest of the people we collectively serve.”

“This Collaboration Agreement offers a unique partnership for three organizations with a vested interest in helping to improve the delivery of health care in Northern Ontario. By sharing resources, expertise and project outcomes, we will be one step closer to achieving health-care programs that are reflective of the needs of Northern Ontarians,” said Rémy Beaudoin, CEO of the North East LHIN.

“A significant component of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s social accountability mandate is to build and cultivate relationships with health centres, hospitals and other health organizations across Northern Ontario to facilitate common goals,” said Dr. Roger Strasser, NOSM’s Founding Dean. “This Collaboration Agreement between the Medical School and the LHINs of Northern Ontario is truly a historic one that will allow us to maximize the positive impact our organizations are having in the regions to which we’re accountable,” he continued.

The Collaboration Agreement provides the potential for NOSM and the two LHINs to build a sustainable health system with greater access to medical services at the community level, and better health outcomes for the people of Northern Ontario.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a pioneering faculty of medicine. The School is a joint initiative of Lakehead and Laurentian Universities with main campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and multiple teaching and research sites across Northern Ontario. By educating skilled physicians and undertaking health research suited to community needs, the School will become a cornerstone of community health care in Northern Ontario.

The North East and North West LHIN are two of fourteen regional networks in Ontario created to plan, integrate and fund local health services. The LHIN’s are responsible for leading the transformation of the local health care system and work closely with health service providers including hospitals, the CCAC’s, long term care facilities and consumers and their families to integrate health care practices into a model that works for the people of Northern Ontario.

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For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact::

Lisa Kokanie
NOSM West Campus
(807) 766-7314
Lisa.Kokanie@normed.ca

Kimberley Larkin
NOSM East Campus
(705) 662-7243
kimberley.larkin@normed.ca