Please distribute wide. Apologies for any cross-posting. **** Conference Announcement Re-Imagining Health Services: Innovations in Community Health conference November 6 to 8, 2008 (Vancouver, BC) The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-BC and Simon Fraser University¹s Economic Security Project, along with SFU¹s Faculty of Health Sciences and UBC¹s Department of Family Practice and the Western Regional Training Centre for Health Services Research are hosting a conference on community health care solutions and innovations titled Re-Imagining Health Services: Innovations in Community Health. ABOUT THE CONFERENCE Canadians hear a lot about crisis in our health care system ? but we rarely hear about solutions. This conference will explore how community health care can: * Take pressure off hospitals; * Allow people to manage their health while living at home and in their own communities; * Improve the health of vulnerable groups, such as frail seniors, people living with mental illness, and people with disabilities or chronic conditions; and * Address the socio-economic determinants of health. The community health sector includes primary health care, community mental health services, residential care, home support, home care, and health promotion. The conference will highlight positive examples from BC and elsewhere of small and large-scale models for delivering community health services. We will also bring evidence from research and practice together to create a better understanding of how to achieve positive change in the community health sector. Academic and community-based researchers, community groups, health service providers, health professionals, health authorities, labour organizations, policy-makers and students are all invited to attend. This conference has been approved for CME credits by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. For more information about the conference, fees, and to register, please visit the conference website at: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/esp_conference CONFERENCE DETAILS AND LOCATION November 6, 2008 - Conference Opening Public Event 7:00-9:00 PM, Vancouver Public Library Downtown Alice MacKay Room (350 West Georgia St) The conference will begin with a free public event to share stories of local community health innovators and initiatives. Reservations are required. To reserve, please contact [log in to unmask] November 7-8, 2008 Re-Imagining Health Services Conference 8:30 AM-5:00 PM, UBC Graduate Student Society Building (6371 Crescent Road, UBC campus) For registered participants, the conference will take place the following two days. It will feature speakers and presenters with both research and practitioner backgrounds, who will share evidence and experience about what works in community health. Together, we will explore how we can achieve positive change in the community health sector. CONFERENCE PLENARY SPEAKERS Charlene Harrington (School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco) Dr. Harrington¹s research focuses on the relationship of ownership in long-term care and its impacts on quality of care. She has been a lead researcher on a national project that looks at public/private long-term care on a national scale. Ronald Labonté (Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa) Dr. Labonté¹s work focuses on the health equity impacts of contemporary globalization. He has been part of a major international study comparing primary care across different jurisdictions. Clyde Hertzman (University of British Columbia) Dr. Hertzman¹s work focuses on long-term social and health benefits of healthy child development. He is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership at UBC. Jack McCarthy (Executive Director, Somerset West Community Health Centre) Mr. McCarthy has been a former Board member of the Association of Ontario Health Centres and is currently Chair of the Canadian Alliance of Community Health Centre Associations. Rob Reid (Group Health Centre for Health Studies) Dr. Reid is the Research Director at Group Health Centre for Health Studies in Seattle and has published extensively on primary care reform. Christine Swane (EGV Foundation) Dr. Swane is the Director and Head Researcher at EGV Foundation, a Danish association of the aged based in Copenhagen. She is involved in research on Denmark¹s elder care system. Karen Tee (Fraser Health) Dr. Tee is the Manager for the Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Program in Fraser, that provides secondary prevention and support services to young people living with psychosis. Cathy Ulrich (CEO, Northern Health) Ms. Ulrich has been a leader in introducing integrated care at a regional level. Bonnie Brossart (Health Quality Council) Ms. Brossart is the CEO of the Health Quality Council in Saskatchewan, which was set up to monitor and improve quality of care at a provincial level. CONFERENCE THEMES * What are the innovations needed to better support people with significant health issues to live in the community? * How do we improve the integration of primary health care services with continuing care? * What changes in funding and governance are needed to more effectively support innovative approaches to community health delivery? * What is the role of community health services in addressing health inequalities as a determinant of health? * What are the barriers and facilitators in moving from small-scale experimentation to systemic change? For more information about the conference program and other presenters, please visit: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/esp_conference HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE We invite all community members, health services users, academic researchers, community-based researchers, practitioners, policy analysts, and other groups and individuals interested in community health care issues to participate in the conference. Community groups: We offer reduced registration rates for community groups. We will also have tabling and poster display space available to community organizations. If you are interested in a table space, please contact Eloginy Tharmendran ([log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ). Students: Registration fees will be waived for students who are interested in volunteering with the conference. Please contact Eloginy Tharmendran ([log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ) if you would like to volunteer. Further questions/information Please contact Eloginy Tharmendran at 604-801-5121 ext 222, [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> or Thi Vu at 604-801-5121 ext 230, [log in to unmask] ----- End forwarded message -----