Rural health in Saskatchewan to be examined at Forum dialogue

May 7, 2010 – The McMaster Health Forum is preparing for its first off-site Stakeholder Dialogue to be held in Regina on June 17.

The dialogue will focus on designing a rural health strategy in Saskatchewan and bring together policymakers as well as others working at various levels in the province’s health system, for off-the-record deliberations about the pressing challenges being faced in rural areas.

An evidence brief identifying key issues and related research evidence will provide the starting point for deliberations among those who will be involved in or affected by decisions related to rural health.

The Stakeholder Dialogue, as well as the materials produced to inform it and to capture its key insights, are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through their Evidence on Tap – Expedited Knowledge Synthesis program. Saskatchewan Health has partnered with CIHR on this initiative.

While the discussions at stakeholder dialogues are confidential, the evidence brief and a dialogue summary capturing the key insights from the deliberations are made publicly available on the McMaster Health Forum website after the event.

To date, the McMaster Health Forum has held six dialogues at McMaster University, covering topics such as improving access to high-quality primary health care, strengthening chronic disease management, optimizing diabetes care, engaging civil society in supporting the use of health research, and enhancing the management of chronic pain.

Two other stakeholder dialogues will be held at McMaster in June.

Enhancing affordable, appropriate housing for people with HIV/AIDS will be the focus of deliberations at a dialogue on June 1. The dialogue and the issue brief that is being prepared as the catalyst for discussions are funded by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, which has been supporting research on HIV, housing and health for the past five years.

On June 21, a stakeholder dialogue will examine various issues related to supporting quality improvement in primary healthcare. The dialogue and related issue brief being prepared are part of the Quality Improvement in Primary Healthcare Project, which is supported by funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.