|
The Thunder Bay Summit will create strategies and recommendations focused on Northern and rural communities, including remote and Aboriginal populations. It will bring together national, provincial and community delegates to discuss the challenges and issues facing cancer control organizations across Canada. The highest inconsistencies in information, reporting, access and treatment are due to fragmentation in the cancer control systems, primarily resulting from connectivity, communication, access, and integrated networks, all issues facing these populations and the regional systems.
The Summits were originally designed to investigate "burning" issues facing the cancer control systems across Canada, and generate recommendations for initiatives and programming. They are governed by the National Steering Committee, comprised of senior representatives from cancer control boards and healthcare organizations across Canada, including Co-Chair Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, President and CEO of the BC Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Cancer Centre. "Since its inception, the National Summit Steering Committee has attempted to concentrate those issues that most affect the continuum of care in the cancer community," he stated. "The goal of the National Summits has always been to develop community cancer control recommendations and implementation plans for all regions, from the community to the national levels."
The processes through which the topics for each Summit are chosen are extensive and consultative across Canada. This year's Summit will focus on the remote and Northern areas of Canada, with larger populations of older people and children, challenged by poor health, lack of access and information. "With nearly 95% of Canada's land mass considered rural and remote with substantial Aboriginal populations, we thought it timely and absolutely necessary that this issue be addressed," stated Michael Power, Vice President of Regional Cancer Services for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. "We have thirteen exceptional regional cancer care sites around Northwestern Ontario, but we always challenge ourselves to identify the next achievable standard of care, and with the information from the Thunder Bay Summit, and working with our industry and academic partners, we can expand our scope of care delivery."
In planning the Summit in Thunder Bay, there were some new steps taken to foster participation and interaction. The real-time meeting technology through the use of laptop computers and multimedia projection provides delegates with immediate delivery of decisions and recommendations. This innovative approach will allow discussion notes and decisions from small groups to be displayed at plenary sessions, posted on the website for virtual delegates and for all levels of policy and decision makers. Virtual working groups met prior to the Summit to identify some of these challenges and issues, and will convene this weekend to present their findings on health human resources, electronic health records, community participation, improving access and other cancer control initiatives. An extensive literature search and pre–Summit delegate survey identified that some of the greatest challenges for cancer control and service delivery were distance, transportation and weather barriers, recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals, varying levels of access to technology, services and information; all markers for Northern and rural communities.
The cancer control agencies in Ontario are very familiar with the need for improved services and access for these populations, primarily concentrating on initiatives designed to address the barriers in the cancer control systems. There are notable gaps throughout Ontario, especially in province–wide information, accurate data for screening of specific cancer sites, wait–time information, supportive care, and integrated systems. "The opportunities we have through the National Summits allow us to meet with our colleagues in a context where we are all dedicated to one topic and focused on meeting objectives and deliverables," said Dr. Terry Sullivan, Vice President, Cancer Control and Research and COO, Cancer Care Ontario. "It is absolutely crucial that we have a wider scope of knowledge and understanding of the needs of these communities to determine the best guidelines for initiatives and programming. All of our current implemented initiatives and those in development are designed for seamless care, prevention, education and reducing barriers to healthcare, and we hope that this Summit will provide us with a closer perspective on our challenges."
There have been too few health studies focusing on remote communities, and Northwestern Ontario is well positioned to host this national event. "We decided almost immediately that we wanted to address the challenge of the Northern and rural community for the Sixth National Summit, because it's what we see on a daily basis," stated Alison McMullen, Acting Director of Preventive Oncology at Regional Cancer Care. " The opportunity to revisit our community and regional models and incorporate some innovations was very appealing, and we are certain that this Summit will generate strategies to assist cancer control organizations across the country in their efforts to enhance patient access and improve outcomes, and essentially bring their care 'closer to home'."
The Thunder Bay Summit will be hosting over 200 invited delegates, including keynote speaker Dr. Michael Richards, the National Cancer Director from London, England. Events will include the working group sessions, abstract and poster presentations, a tour of the new Health Sciences Centre, and an informal themed evening at Fort William Historical Park.
 
|
|
