We are an independent policy think tank, intent on changing the health-care debate, health-care practice and the health-care experience in Ontario.

 

Message from the President

APRIL 2007

Welcome to The Change Foundation, and to its rebirth.

Now in its second decade, The Change Foundation has approved a new strategic plan to guide its transformation into a respected policy and research think tank.  It will offer unique and timely leadership on emerging health-care issues and challenges, starting with the integration of health-care services in communities across Ontario.

After a decade of providing grants to researchers for change initiatives and nursing research projects, the Board refined its focus and realigned its activities to match a new vision and mission. The result: the Foundation has decided to channel its efforts and resources over the next three years into the following areas and activities:

• Providing or precipitating research synthesis, evidence-based policy analysis, and informed debate about the renewal of health care in Ontario with a specific focus on integration issues;
• Improving patient outcomes through integration-related quality improvement projects, starting with a focus on home-care services and informal caregiving; and
  
• Creating opportunities for Ontario decision makers to interact with provincial, national and international experts who can share their evidence and insights about how to make the most of the opportunity that integration offers.

The need is real and the timing perfect. On April 1, the province's 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) assumed full responsibility for planning, funding and integrating local health services, overseeing fully two-thirds of the province's health-care budget.  There are many questions about essential elements of integration to answer and analyse -- funding, governance, information management and patient outcomes to name a few -- and there will be more as the LHINs mature and evolve. At the same time, the need for quality improvement in community care sectors in the new world of integrated health care is also pressing. The Change Foundation intends to provide the information, evidence and analysis to fill those gaps and answer those questions.  

Integration and quality improvement are a fitting first focus for The Change Foundation as it moves into its new role, directing the development of research to fill gaps in data and knowledge. If the Foundation can contribute relevant and useful information on health-care integration to decision makers over the coming years, helping steer system change away from the shoals and towards successful implementation, we will have made a good start to living up to our new potential as an organization and instrument for positive change.  

We are excited about the possibilities that present themselves with our new mission. We believe The Change Foundation has the focus, the freedom, and the funds to help fulfill its renewed mandate to promote, support, and improve health and the delivery of health care in Ontario.

You will be hearing and seeing more from The Change Foundation over the coming months and years as we build on and roll out our strategic plan.  To reflect the renewal underway, The Change Foundation will be getting a new look, a new logo, and new communications tools, including a new website.

It will take a while to get there, but we hope that during the journey, you will go first – and frequently -- to www.changefoundation.com for reliable, relevant and timely information on health integration and quality improvement issues.  We are committed to keeping our interested audiences in the loop as we work together to gather, create and disseminate the evidence and knowledge to help Ontario through this important transition.



Cathy Fooks
President and Chief Executive Officer