Sault Ste. Marie to host Northern health forum

The Ontario Rural Council (TORC) is holding a Northern Rural Health Forum at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie March 31 to invite debate on health-care issues facing Northern Ontario. The forum will highlight innovations that address Northern health-care challenges and explore the links between research, innovation and economic development.

TORC is a multi-sector organization with a mandate to act as a catalyst for dialogue, collaboration and action on a wide range of rural and Northern issues, including health care, source water protection, rural poverty, renewable energy, rural entrepreneurship and access to justice.

The Sault Ste. Marie forum, entitled "Transforming Northern Health: Innovations Making a Difference," will feature panel discussions, roundtables and a keynote speech by Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Progressive Conservative MPP for St. Paul's and a former family physician who practiced in Huntsville and Toronto.

A panel addressing the links between research, innovation and economic development will include Dr. David Topps, director of eLearning at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Tom Vair, executive director of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre and Pam Nolan, manager of health and social services at the Garden River First Nations Wellness Centre.

A second panel on Innovative Community Solutions will include Dr. Allan Northan, chief medical officer of Algoma Public Health, Mary Geoux, a nurse practitioner with Sudbury & District Nurse Practitioner Clinics and Lucy Fronzi, project manager for EMRxtra and ePrescribing at the Group Health Centre.

The registration fee for the full-day event is $65 for adults and $25 for students. Those unable to attend will still be able to hear Dr. Bennett's keynote address online for a fee of $20.

To register or learn more about the forum, go to www.torc.on.ca.