Huron County-based Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health is forging new partnerships.
Gateway hosted a major rural health care conference on Friday at its new offices in the Libro building in Goderich.
They gathered academics, health professionals, business and banking community representatives, health unit and hospital administrators, elected officials, Seaforth and Goderich family health team representatives, creative cultural community representatives and Gateway research chairs and board members.
The purpose of this meeting was to explore and discuss opportunities for connecting these various sectors to advance health research in rural southwest Ontario.
During the meeting, two memoranda of understanding were signed between gateway and the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and Canadian Centre of Rural Creativity.
The theme of the day was 'Rural Health, Rural Economy, Partners in Growth'. The guest roster included the University of Guelph (School of Environmental Design & Rural Development), Western University (Master of Public Health and Health & Rehabilitation Sciences), University of Waterloo (School of Pharmacy), South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Alexandra Marine & General Hospital, Libro Credit Union, Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity, Huron Chamber of Commerce and the Huron Public Health Unit.
Also present were MP Ben Lobb and MPP Lisa Thompson.
"This powerhouse of knowledge forms a Rural Health Team that will deliver better health for rural residents," says Gateway founder Gwen Devereaux.
Several of Gateway’s research chairs also attended: Dr. Feng Chang (Chair of Rural Pharmacy), Dr. Agnes Kluz (Chair of Rural Senior Wellness) and Jay McFarlan (Chair of Rural Nutrition and Exercise).
"Today is symbolic of what Gateway has accomplished over the years: forging fruitful partnerships, bringing diverse backgrounds and expertise to the table, contributing to student success, and strengthening the rural voice," says Gateway’s Board Chair Dr. Feng Chang. "We look forward to building on this milestone and charting our course ahead together."
Dr. Agnes Kluz (Gateway) and Peter Smith (Centre Rural Creativity) sign MOU. (photo sumitted)
