Sample of Keynote Speakers at the Georgian Bay Research and Education Day, June 7, 2017

Logo CGMH romplogo collingwood logo Georgian 2017

Second Annual Georgian Bay Interprofessional Healthcare and Wellness Research and Education Day

Collingwood, Ontario – Building on the success of last year’s event, the second annual Georgian Bay Interprofessional Healthcare and Wellness Research and Education Day took place on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH).

This event was the product of a collaboration between CGMH, the Town of Collingwood, the Rural Ontario Medical Program(ROMP), and Georgian College.

Despite its somewhat complex name, the event’s goals were resoundingly clear: enhance interprofessional collaboration, facilitate networking, educate on important topics, inspire action, and engage diverse stakeholders.

Research Day was designed to exhibit quality improvement posters and allow local keynote speakers to deliver lectures on the topics of youth mental health, quality improvement, and patient-centred care in the South Georgian Bay area.

Over 50 research and initiative posters were exhibited from local health and wellness professionals, and time was dedicated to networking and conversing around these posters. The posters described innovative partnerships, quality improvement projects, new community and organizational programs, and more! For a full catalogue of posters at this event, please visit the CGMH Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CollingwoodGMHospital

Leaders from Research Day’s partner organizations delivered opening remarks to begin the day. Dr. Michael Lisi, Chief of Staff at CGMH and Chair of the Research Day Committee, welcomed the crowd of more than 130 attendees and 70 live stream viewers. He noted the diversity of organizations and professionals present in the crowd, and also briefly introduced the youth mental health stream that would be addressed in the second half of the morning.

Dr. Peter Wells, Executive Director of the ROMP, then took a moment to commend Dr. Lisi for receiving the Honour Roll Status for the 2016 Minister’s Medal honouring excellence in health quality and safety. This provincial award was presented to Dr. Lisi to recognize his leadership in spearheading last year’s Research and Education Day.Dr. Wells also recognized the importance of including learners and students in the community, a key role of ROMP.

Fay Lim-Lambie, Dean of Health, Wellness, and Sciences at Georgian College, noted the potential of passionate health and wellness partnerships, and extolled Research Day: “I am convinced that you will leave here feeling more inspired, more energized, more informed, and absolutely more delighted in the company and the knowledge that will be imparted on you today.”

The first keynote speaker of the day was Dr. Joshua Tepper, a family physician and the President and CEO of Health Quality Ontario. Through the use of case examples, Dr. Tepper elucidated how “quality care” differs depending on the individual patient. Next, Dr. Jacqueline Limoges and Dr. Sara Lankshear, members of the nursing faculty at Georgian College, outlined the significant shifts in health care ideology and legislation, and made recommendations for “charting a course in today’s health care context” towards “patients first” care. Dr. Kate Coulson, a Family Medicine physician-in-training at CGMH, wrapped up the first lecture session by describing a concrete example of a quality improvement project undertaken by several rural ROM Presidents to improve ultrasound skills.

A networking and poster viewing session followed this first session, where attendees had a chance to view the multitude of posters lining the walls of CGMH and engage in conversations with their authors.

“Bridging Healthcare, Community, and Mental Health” Dr. Lisi commenced this session by presenting a newly created Youth Mental Health Map, which outlines mental health resources for youth in the South Georgian Bay area. This initiative was made possible through the Henry J. & Marilyn Knowles Fund for Youth Mental Health Initiatives. As stated by Marilyn Knowles, “There is so much work to be done before we can expect to make headway and provide the comprehensive treatment network that young people in our community need and deserve. If nobody started this work now, where would we be in 20 years?” Marilyn was recognized at the event for her contribution and support.

Dr. Lisa Simon, a Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist and Associate Medical Office of Health at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, began by speaking about income as a social determinant of health and the Basic Income Pilot beginning soon in Ontario. Next, the Mental Health Response Unit, consisting of a mental health response worker and two members of the OPP, described their work in providing exceptional police and mental health support during and after a crisis. Dale Graham from CGMH Community Mental Health then spoke about the impact of early childhood events on mental health. Jennifer Parker, Jennifer McMaster, and Fiona Proctor, leaders of the Be Well Community Collective in South Georgian Bay, presented on the Collective’s four main initiative sand highlighted their goal of providing South Georgian Bay with an interconnected system and fun and easy to use tools that cultivate and inspire a community that values health and happiness. Jesse Hayman gave a compelling presentation on how Jack.org empowers youth to become mental health leaders in their schools and communities. Finally, Denise Lynch Lacroix, School Social Worker at Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI), Annie Hillock, Chair of the Guidance Department at CCI, Kellie Casey, Education Outreach Teacher and Supervised Alternative Learning at local schools, and Jacqui Jesso, Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor at CCI with the Canadian Mental Health Association, cinched the event’s focus on youth mental health in the last presentation of the morning. The group relayed mental health and well being supports for students at CCI and students in the Supervised Alternative Learning program.

The Research and Education Day committee would like to thank the four partner organizations for their ongoing support, and most importantly, would like to thank all community health and wellness professionals who participated in the day and who are committed to quality initiatives in the South Georgian Bay region.

Next year’s Research and Education Day will take place Wednesday, June 20, 2018 with a key topic stream of Geriatrics. It is hoped that this exciting and unique event has inspired action and collaboration, and will continue to leave a legacy of engagement and commitment to health and wellness for years to come.

For more information on Research and Education Day, please contact Michelle Hunter (ROMP) at 705-445-7667 or Dr. Michael Lisi at 705-445-2550 ext. 8629.