Michael Smith Health Research BC is British Columbia’s health research agency. We are working towards a future where BC is recognized worldwide for its vibrant, coherent, inclusive, and globally competitive health research system, which improves the health of British Columbians, the health system, and the economy.
Niagara Health is a regional hospital system with multiple sites and a growing network of community-based and virtual services.
We believe every person in our region deserves to live every day of their life in the best health possible. As a community-based academic centre, our focus on teaching and learning, research, innovation and partnership propels us to continually improve care and make a difference in people’s lives.
Our team is made up of more than 7,300 employees, physicians, volunteers and patient partners who contribute to our purpose of providing Extraordinary Caring. Every Person. Every Time. Our Accreditation with Exemplary Standing is a clear demonstration of the team’s commitment to the highest safety and quality standards.
We provide a full range of acute care hospital services to the 450,000 residents across the Niagara region. In addition to operating one of the busiest emergency medicine programs in Ontario, we have regional centres of excellence in mental health and addictions, as well as cancer, cardiac, kidney, children’s health, and women’s and babies care. With the third-oldest population in Canada, we are also placing an increased focus on care for older adults.
There are few sectors under constant change and evolution like the healthcare system. Creating a healthier Niagara is a collaborative effort and underscores the importance of our ongoing work with patients, their families, and our community partners to improve the health and well-being of our region.
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services provides quality health care to all residents of the province. The transition to one health authority will bring us closer to realizing the vision put forward by Health Accord NL to reshape our health-care system. Transition work is ongoing in all areas of the organization in support of improving the health and health outcomes for people in Newfoundland and Labrador.
About Northern Health
Northern Health provides a full range of health care services to over 285,000 residents of Northern British Columbia. Serving an area of 592,116 square kilometers[i], it is the largest geographic health region in the province covering over two-thirds of British Columbia and comprised largely of rural and remote communities.
The Health Authorities Act[ii] gives Northern Health the legislative authority to develop policies, set priorities, prepare budgets and allocate resources for the delivery of health services under a regional health plan that includes: (i) health services provided in the region, or in a part of the region, (ii) type, size and location of facilities in the region, (iii) programs for delivering health services in the region and (iv) human resources requirements under the regional health plan. Northern Health provides the following health services:
Northern Health works collaboratively with a medical staff comprising of some 250 family physicians and 125 medical and surgical specialists. Northern Health is organized into three Health Service Delivery Areas (HSDAs): Northeast, Northwest, and Northern Interior. Each HSDA is led by a Chief Operating Officer, who has overall responsibility for the operations of the HSDA. Reporting to each Chief Operating Officer are Health Service Administrators, senior managers who handle the day-to-day provision of services in a community cluster. There are currently fifteen Health Service Administrators in Northern Health.
Northern Health is committed to providing health services based in the primary care home and linked to a range of specialized services which support people and their families over the course of their lives, from staying healthy to addressing disease and injury, to end-of-life care. Most northern physicians are appointed to Northern Health’s Medical Staff and have privileges to practice within Northern Health facilities. These physicians are actively engaged in quality improvement and are participating with Northern Health to improve service delivery.
Long term care facilities in the North are operated by Northern Health, with the exception of two[v] operated under contract. Most northern assisted living facilities are operated by non-profit societies, with Northern Health providing personal care support services and nursing care in these settings.
Vision
Northern Health leads the way in promoting health and providing health services for Northern and rural populations.
Mission
Through the efforts of dedicated staff and physicians, in partnership with communities and organizations, we provide exceptional health services for Northerners.
Values
Value statements guide decisions and actions. We will succeed in our work through:
Strategic Priorities
Priority 1: Healthy People in Healthy Communities
Northern Health will partner with communities to support people to live well and prevent disease and injury.
Priority 2: Coordinated and Accessible Services
Northern Health will provide health services based in a Primary Care Home and linked to a range of specialized services which support each person and their family over the course of their lives, from staying healthy, to addressing disease and injury, to end-of-life care.
Priority 3: Quality
Northern Health will ensure a culture of continuous quality improvement in all areas.
Enabling Priorities
These two priorities cut across all parts of the health care system and are critical for enabling Northern Health to achieve its Strategic Priorities.
Our People
Northern Health provides services through its people and will work to have those people in place and to help them flourish in their work.
Communications, Technology, and Infrastructure
Northern Health will implement effective communications systems, and sustain a network of facilities and infrastructure that enables service delivery.
[i] Statistical Profile for Northern Health: 2009. BC Stats:
[ii] Health Authorities Act. Chapter 180 http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/00_96180_01
[iii] As at April 1, 2012 there are 525 acute care beds open and in operation
[iv] As at April 1, 2012 there are: 1,062 complex care beds and 35 respite care beds provided in the 23 noted facilities. Also allocated across northern British Columbia are 307 assisted living units
[v] Simon Fraser Lodge operated by Buron Health Care; and complex care beds within Wrinch memorial Hospital Hazelton operated by United Church Health Services and affiliated with Northern Health.
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), created in 2002, made history by becoming Canada’s first independent medical university—now known as NOSM University—on April 1, 2022. Born of a grassroots movement, NOSM University is a made-in-the-North solution to regional health care inequalities. Its internationally recognized distributed, community-engaged learning (DCEL) model is distinctive and has grown into something extraordinary. This education model requires NOSM University to have strong ties and engagement with remote, rural, Indigenous and Francophone communities. It features partnerships and collaborations with more than 500 organizations, in more than 90 communities, and with more than 1,800 clinical, human, and medical sciences faculty dispersed across all of Northern Ontario. In addition to offering a Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) fully accredited MD program, NOSM University offers a Master of Medical Studies, Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program (NODIP), Medical Physics Residency Education Program (MPREP), Physician Assistant (PAs), and Postgraduate Residency programs accredited by both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). NOSM University has a mandate to be socially accountable to the cultural diversity of the region it serves including Indigenous and Francophone peoples, remote communities, small rural towns, large rural communities, and urban centres.