Feds announce millions for new project: 91��ɫ a major partner

muellerm — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The federal government announced Wednesday at 91��ɫ that it would contribute up to $15.5 million dollars through its Technology Development Program to the Connected Health and Wellness Project, of which 91��ɫ is a major partner.

The Connected Health and Wellness Project is a collaborative project led by a partnership of 91��ɫ, NexJ Systems and McMaster University. All together the project includes 16 Ontario private sector, academic and not-for-profit research partners. In addition to the federal funding, the project has leveraged more than $23 million in private-sector investments.

From left, 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; Dr. David Price, chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University; Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health; Gary Goodyear, minister of state for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario; William M. Tatham, CEO of NexJ Systems Inc.; and Mark Adler, MP for 91��ɫ Centre.

This project will involve cloud-based software will allow patients to access and share their health records with their family, friends and care teams, including a health coach, to collaboratively manage their health and wellness. The new profession of health coaches will be trained at 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Health. This technology will also allow hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals to access and update this information on an ongoing basis.

For example, patients with diabetes will be able to track their biometric measurements, such as meals and exercise, using smartphones and share this information easily with their medical teams.

Gary Goodyear, minister of state for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, makes a funding annoucement at 91��ɫ

“91��ɫ is proud to partner with the government of Canada, industry, academic and healthcare providers to deliver a new people-centred, technology-enabled health and wellness model,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri at the funding announcement at 91��ɫ’s Life Sciences Building. “91��ɫ's creation of a training program and professional standards for the new health coach profession is a first inCanadato combine multiple skill sets in health promotion, disease prevention and behaviour change that highlight91��ɫ's breadth and depth in health expertise.”

Announced by Gary Goodyear, minister of state for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Mark Adler, MP for 91��ɫ Centre, the project is a technology platform containing an integrated suite of compatible technologies and apps designed to improve the health of Canadians.

“Our Government is committed to helping personalize health care for Canadians,” said Goodyear. “Our investment will bring integrated health and wellness solutions to market that will provide Canadians with new solutions to better manage their own health using innovative technology developed in our region.”

Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health at the announcement

Goodyear went on to say that we are at the forefront of the next generation in health care management, which will not only reduce costs of delivering health care to our citizens, but it will improve the health care that they receive and ultimately that is what’s it’s all about. He also said that the government’s investment will help 91��ɫ and its partners to undertake a collaborative project that may in fact revolutionize health-care delivery, not only in Canada, but ultimately around the world.

As the amount of people with chronic medical conditions grows, along with the need to manage these conditions, the need for this kind of project is clear.

"The combination of mobile technology, electronic health records and behaviour change supported by a health coach will help more people live healthier, longer, and receive timely access to effective health care when needed. This is the essence of people-centred health,” said Harvey Skinner, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health. "This partnership is an important step forward for transforming and sustaining health-care and wellness systems in Canada and globally.”

More than five billion people globally now have access to mobile technology and that presents a huge opportunity to reach out to people in poorer and remote communities, said Skinner.

The project will help create the conditions to make southern Ontario’s businesses and not-for-profit institutions global leaders in the development and delivery of integrated electronic health-care software. It is also positioning the region as a leader in advancing health coaching, which is intended to help Canada and other countries around the world find new ways to decrease health-care costs.

Mamdouh Shoukri talks with Gary Goodyear following the announcement at 91��ɫ

Other partners in the project include:

Academic: George Brown College, Seneca College and Centennial College

Industry: RIM; Rogers; Tyze Personal Networks; OSCAR Service Providers; PryLynx Corporation and Trivaris

Healthcare providers: Southlake Regional Health Centre; North 91��ɫ General Hospital; Centre for Global eHealth Innovation (University Health Network) and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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20 Questions to ask if you sit on a not-for-profit board

fmaquito — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Professor Richard Leblanc says not-for-profit boards as good as their guidelines

A not-for-profit organization should choose its board members with as much care as a well-run company, says the lead author of a new guide that offers advice on finding, training and evaluating directors.

“Not-for-profit organizations must be trusted by their stakeholders both in the delivery of services to beneficiaries and in their stewardship of the organization’s assets, including donations. To earn and maintain this trust, they must be well governed by an effective board of directors,” says 91��ɫ Professor Richard Leblanc. “Directors should be selected based on their skills and experience to ensure that the board can effectively oversee the organization.”

The , “20 Questions Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations Should Ask about Board Recruitment, Development and Assessment,” is available online from the (CICA). The CICA, through its Risk Oversight and Governance Board, commissioned Richard Leblanc, PhD and co-author Hugh Lindsay, CA to develop the guide as part of the CICA’s commitment to supporting and enriching the work of boards of directors in the voluntary sector.

Leblanc, associate professor of Law, Corporate Governance and Ethics in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, was given unprecedented access to the boardrooms of some of North America’s most powerful companies and produced a groundbreaking study that led to significant changes in the governance guidelines for all Canadian public companies. Many not-for-profit boards are now where the boards of these publicly-traded companies were about four or five years ago, he says, in terms of board evaluations.

According to the new guide, one of the questions boards of not-for-profit organizations such as hospitals, universities or charities should be asking is: Do the board and its committees have mandates or charters? The responsibilities of boards and committees must be written down because they will help define which specific tasks are expected of a director: is he or she expected to help raise funds, for example, or chair a board committee?

The “20 Questions” guide also encourages boards to ask themselves questions such as: What skills and personal qualities should board and committee chairs have? How does the organization develop directors as effective board members (including orientation, learning opportunities and mentoring)? What should be evaluated when the effectiveness of the board and its committees is assessed? And how should under-performing directors or chairs be dealt with?”

Many not-for-profit boards don’t assess how they are doing or fail to follow through on the results of a board assessment.

“But if a few directors or the chair are not performing, or are resisting change, and no evaluations are done, it perpetuates a bad board,” says Leblanc.

Leblanc, together with CICA principal, Beth Deazeley, LLB are presenting a webinar on the guide on March 30, 2010, at 12:30-1:30 PM EST, put on by the CICA’s Directors Source program. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. You can register for the webcast here in or .

The document is being issued by the CICA’s Risk Oversight and Governance Board. It can also be found on a special CICA site .

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not-for-profit organizations Archives | Research & Innovation

Feds announce millions for new project: 91��ɫ a major partner

20 Questions to ask if you sit on a not-for-profit board

Professor Richard Leblanc says not-for-profit boards as good as their guidelines