Canadian Youth & Mental Health Patients to Benefit from New Support for Research Collaborations

OTTAWA, Canada, June 6 -- The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada issued the following news release:

Canadian health researchers are working hard to put their discoveries into the hands of the counselors, doctors and nurses on the front-lines of supporting their clients as they recover. The Government of Canada values their important contributions which help to guarantee the best mental health and health system services are available to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Today, Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan along with Joel Lightbound, Parliamentary Secretary to Jane Philpott, the Minister of Health announced $4.8 million in funding for three new networks under the International Knowledge Translation Platforms (IKTP) initiative of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE). This funding will support international collaborations for youth mental health and addiction services, prisoner mental health services and best practices in health care supply chains.

Today's announcement was made at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre where one of the project recipients, Healthy Young People Everywhere (HYPE), is based. With the help of their international partners, HYPE is addressing urgent priorities in youth mental health and addiction service delivery, such as timely access to counselor and health professionals who provide much needed care. Their work engages youth and their families and generates the scientific framework to ensure evidence is integrated into practice and policy.

Project recipients also include the International Collaboration for Excellence and Innovation in Mental Health in Corrections (I-CEIsMIC), and the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health). Recipients will each receive $1.6 million in funding over the next four years.

Quotes

The health of our young people, including their mental health, is critical to ensuring a strong and healthy Canada today and in the future. Through our support for the Healthy Young People Everywhere (HYPE) network, the Government of Canada is helping health care providers improve mental health care, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of young Canadians.

The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health

By connecting Canadian researchers with their counterparts abroad, these new networks will accelerate discovery and innovation while strengthening Canada's international relationships. With a focus on mental health in youth and correctional institutes, and health sector supply chains, the three networks receiving funding today will have a positive socio-economic impact on Canadians and the global community.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

The Government of Canada is proud to support the three research teams whose international collaborations will result in better health services for all Canadians.

Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary for Science

With its investment in these three new networks, the Government is addressing some of the most urgent priorities in mental health and addiction service delivery, by bridging knowledge gaps and sharing research evidence with patients, health care providers and the decision-makers who need this vital information.

Joel Lightbound, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Science has no boundaries - just frontiers. Successful innovation requires us to take a global perspective. We must collaborate with the best talent, whether it is found next door, across the country or around the world. These networks are designed to do exactly that.

B. Mario Pinto, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Chair, Networks of Centres of Excellence Steering Committee

The Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and global best practices so health systems can build supply chain leadership capacity, accelerate the adoption of best practice, and measure the impact of global health sector supply chain innovation to strengthen quality and safety of healthcare services worldwide.

Anne Snowdon, Director, SCAN Health

Our current systems of youth mental health care are not sustainable. Governments, service providers, researchers and advocates are just some of those who are hungry for evidence to guide their efforts to build systems that better meet the holistic needs of youth. They also need support in the implementation and sustainability of such efforts. The HYPE Network represents an important bridge between research policy and practice. There has never been a better time for such global collaboration and action.

Ian Manion and Steve Mathias, Co-Scientific Directors, Co-Scientific Directors, HYPE

We are excited to advance the vision for I-CEIsMIC to identify, develop, package, implement, and disseminate models to provide the highest quality mental health services to inmates of correctional facilities internationally. Our mission is to establish a peak network of international partners and collaborators, with the ultimate objective of improving the health and well-being of inmates, the safety and security of institutions, promoting public safety and reducing the economic burden of crime. Our team possesses the extensive academic and service delivery credentials and international leadership to accomplish this task.

Sandy Simpson, Scientific Director of I-CEIsMIC

Quick facts

* The networks will receive a combined $4.8 million from 2017 to 2020.

* SCAN Health (headquartered in Windsor) will work to reduce medical error, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes by implementing supply chain best practices such as tracking products and care processes, and automating inventory management.

* HYPE (headquartered in Ottawa) will address urgent treatment priorities and the need for improved knowledge sharing in youth mental health and addiction services in Canada and abroad.

* I-CEIsMIC (headquartered in Toronto) will implement an evidence-based model of mental health services specifically targeted to the needs of correctional institute inmates.

* The NCE-IKTP was launched in 2016 as a new initiative within the NCE suite of programs, designed to leverage and build on the connections between Canadian researchers and their international counterparts. They mobilize Canada's best research, development and entrepreneurial expertise and focus it on specific issues and strategic areas.