April 6, 2016 (Ottawa, ON) – HealthCareCAN applauds federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan’s announcement today on including Canada’s research hospitals in the new infrastructure program for post-secondary institutions. The announcement confirms that research hospitals will be eligible for federal infrastructure support, something that HealthCareCAN has been strongly encouraging.
“This is an acknowledgement of the importance of health research as an engine of economic growth and the fact that Canada’s research hospitals are truly a national resource, serving Canadians from coast to coast, ” said Bill Tholl, President and CEO of HealthCareCAN, the national voice of the country’s healthcare organizations and hospitals. “Research hospitals provide the living laboratories through which the promise of science meets possibilities for patients and populations,” added Mr. Tholl.
Investments in health research facilities are crucial. Estimates of needed infrastructure funding range from $5 to $28 billion dollars, which puts building research hospitals of the future out of reach for provinces and municipalities without much needed federal government support. The need for investments that foster innovative solutions must also include consideration of how to best reduce the significant carbon footprint of Canada’s high intensity healthcare facilities. These investments will have enormous benefits to science as well as to patient safety, integration of care, infection control and the environment.
HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results-oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare. We act with others to enhance the health of the people of Canada; to build the capability for high quality care; and to help ensure value for money in publicly financed, healthcare programs. Learn more about our organization at www.healthcarecan.ca. Follow us on Twitter: @HealthCareCAN or Facebook: healthcarecan.soinssantecan.
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Media contact:
Lucie Boileau, Director of Communications, Marketing and Government Relations
lboileau@healthcarecan.ca
855-236-0213/613-241-8005 x 205
Cell: 613-462-5604