Canada’s Secondary Health Crisis: A Call to Build on Health Systems Strengths and Value-Driven Investments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Toronto, ON): On March 31, 2021, The Conference Board of Canada released a report, Canada’s Secondary Health Crisis: A Call to Build on Health System Strengths and Value-Driven Investments.
More than 50 health sector leaders gathered in November 2020, with the common goal to build Canadian healthcare systems that are stronger, more adaptable and more resilient. All roundtable participants agreed that a return to the pre-COVID-19 “normal” is not an option, as systems were already stretched thin and therefore, ill prepared to handle the crisis.
While COVID-19 has negatively impacted nearly every aspect of the Canadian health care system, and the individuals served by that system, it has also been a catalyst for transformative change and adaptation. Now more than ever before, there is an opportunity to take proactive action to mitigate the looming impact of COVID-19, as well as address long-standing system fragilities that the pandemic both exposed and exacerbated.
Out of the November roundtable emerged the Resilient Healthcare Coalition (RHC), an independent collaborative of like-minded health system partners. The RHC represents a diverse range of stakeholders including industry, researchers, and advocacy groups, across both private and not-forprofit sectors. The mission of the RHC is to create a health system that is faster, nimbler and therefore better able to absorb shocks such as COVID-19.
The RHC is anchored in four key beliefs: 1) viewing health spending as an investment to be optimized, not a cost to be contained; 2) the need to break down distinct and restrictive siloes, moving beyond their typical norms and networks; 3) the importance of measuring health outcomes and maximizing value, through increased collection, sharing and analysis of health system data; and 4) the need to foster stronger collaboration across public, not-for-profit and private sectors to cocreate more adaptive systems.
The RHC is focusing on value-driven investments in the health system, as well as leveraging the strengths of the initial response to the COVID-19 crisis. It is also working to showcase local leadership and homegrown successes, while identifying and integrating models and solutions from around the world. While it is still in its early stages of development, its efforts will continue to intensify throughout 2021 and beyond. More information on the RHC can be found at www.resilienthealthcare.ca.
A resilient health system is better for governments, health care providers, and most importantly, patients. It is one that allows a country to detect and respond to threats, provides timely access to high quality care through the promotion of person-centred care, and harnesses the innovation of new tests and treatments. This is precisely what the Resilient Healthcare Coalition is working towards.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Genevieve Tallmeister – Coordinator Resilient Healthcare Coalition
info@resilienthealthcare.ca