Media alert - Situation critical: can we regain world-class status in healthcare rankings? Canada's healthcare leaders meet to debate the key challenges

OTTAWA, June 10, 2015 /CNW/ - More than 700 hospital and health policy experts will tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing Canadian healthcare organizations. Among them: crumbling infrastructure, lack of standardized palliative care, and inadequate mental health services.

WHAT: 
HealthCareCAN and the Canadian College of Health Leaders are co-presenting The National Health Leadership Conference. Participants will discuss ways to halt Canada's drop in world healthcare rankings and get the right healthcare priorities back on the federal agenda.

WHEN: 
Monday and Tuesday, June 15-16, 2015

WHERE: 
PEI Convention Centre, Delta Prince Edward, 18 Queen Street,
Charlottetown, PEI

EVENT: 
This conference will focus on the significant issues plaguing Canada's healthcare system including:

• New report reveals Canadians worried about falling through the cracks Just how worried are Canadians about the existing healthcare system? A national snapshot reveals the extent of the problem.
• Woeful palliative care system impacting Canadians' quality of life: New statistics highlight a fragmented approach to palliative care in Canada – robbing Canadians of the right to die with dignity and compassion.
• Transforming adolescent mental healthcare: An Ontario centre presents findings of an innovative new program for teens. The results? Decreased wait times and length of stay, better follow-up, and increased levels of patient/family satisfaction.
• Crumbling hospital infrastructure: Serious infrastructure failings are already happening at a number of Canadian facilities. The total repair backlog is in the billions of dollars. How is this affecting care, and what sort of funding solutions are needed?

Highly anticipated presentations include:

• The Great Canadian Healthcare Debate: Healthcare leaders and hospital CEOs will debate and pass motions to serve as a call-to-action for Canadian healthcare policy-makers.
• The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health will be speaking on the federal government's health and healthcare priorities, on Monday, June 15, 2015.

SOURCE HealthCareCAN

Elissa Freeman (Toronto), 416.565-5605; Jennifer Tiller (Ottawa), 613.290.2473; Robyn McIsaac (Atlantic), 902.440.1551