Program for National Conference on Home Care Released

Federal Health Minister Allan Rock and Nova Scotia Health Minister Jim Smith today released the program for the National Conference on Home Care, which will be held in Halifax, March 8-10.

The conference, co-hosted by the two ministers, will permit participants to examine important issues and will help identify where further information and action are needed to better integrate home care within Canada's health system.

Mr. Rock and Dr. Smith will address participants Monday morning, March 9. On Sunday evening, the keynote speaker will be Michael Decter, chairperson of the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Conference speakers and panelists will offer perspectives from the Canadian home-care experience.

About 300 stakeholders from a broad range of health sector and other organizations, the public, and the federal, provincial and territorial governments are expected to attend.

"Home care is increasingly important in the provision of health services to Canadians and an integral part of our evolving health care system," Mr. Rock said. "Canadians rightly expect that they will have access to high-quality medical services in whatever setting is most appropriate. This conference will support our objective of improving home care and integrating it more fully with Canada's formal health care system."

"We are pleased to co-host this important national conference," said Dr. Smith. "The discussions that emerge will be very valuable."

The National Conference on Home Care is the third of three national health conferences funded by the Health Transition Fund (HTF). The HTF was announced in the federal government's 1997 budget and is designed to fund projects that generate evidence on ways to improve the health care system. Federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed that pharmacare, home care, primary care reform and integrated service delivery are the Health Transition Fund's priorities.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Preliminary program follows.

AU CHEF DES NOUVELLES: Ce communique est egalement disponible en francais; c. elec. [email protected] .

HEALTH--National Conference on Home Care: Preliminary Program

National Conference on Home Care Halifax March 8-10, 1998

Preliminary Program

Sunday, March 8 3 p.m. Registration opens 7 p.m. Welcome by Jim Smith, MD, Nova Scotia Minister of
Health 7:15 p.m. Official opening of the conference 7:30 p.m. Opening address by Michael Decter, chairperson,
Canadian Institute for Health Information:
Home Care and Health -- Now and Into the Future 8 p.m. Open forum on National Issues: Comment, discussion,
questions and answers 8:45 p.m. Reception

Monday, March 9 8:30 a.m. Opening remarks by Allan Rock, federal Minister of
Health, and Jim Smith, MD, Nova Scotia Minister of
Health 9:15 a.m. Plenary panel, followed by questions and answers:
What is Home Care?
Betty Havens, professor, University of Manitoba
Mireille Dumont-Lemasson, principal adviser,
Association des CLSC et des CHSLD du Quebec 10:30 a.m. Plenary panel, followed by questions and answers:
Home Care for the Future
Shirlee Sharkey, president and CEO, Saint Elizabeth
Health Care, Ontario
Dr. Howard Bergman, associate professor and director,
McGill University 11:15 a.m. Round-table discussions on the morning's sessions,
with report back to plenary 12 noon Lunch speaker: Frank Graves, president, Ekos Research
Associates: Canadian Values Toward Health and Health
Care 1:30 p.m. Plenary panel, followed by questions and answers:
Perspectives on Home Care -- Needs and Expectations
Faye Porter, provincial executive director, VON Nova
Scotia
Joan Wentworth, director, home care, Battleford Tribal
Council Health Services, Saskatchewan
Dr. Neena Chappell, director, Centre on Aging,
University of Victoria 3:15 p.m. Round-table discussions -- identifying the key,
national areas/issues in home care today, with report
back to plenary 5 p.m. Adjourn 6:30 p.m. Dinner

Tuesday, March 10 8:30 a.m. Plenary session in advance of small group discussions 9 a.m. Small group discussions: Addressing the Challenges and
Opportunities. Conference participants will be asked to
find ways to address the key challenges identified the
previous day 12 noon Lunch 1:15 p.m. Plenary session -- report back from the small groups 2 p.m. Plenary wrapup -- National Perspectives: Where do we go
from here? A summary of what we heard. 3:15 p.m. Conference closes