TORONTO, July 20, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Eve Adams, MP for Mississauga - Brampton South, visited Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital today with her son, Jeffrey. She highlighted how federal investments are helping strengthen healthcare across the country. MP Adams joined other members of the Canadian Government who made similar visits with health researchers across the country.
"Our Government is proud to support the outstanding health researchers at Holland Bloorview," said MP Eve Adams. "I was delighted to meet with these researchers and find out how their work is helping to improve the wellbeing of children visiting the hospital."
There are more than 10,000 health research projects underway in Canada right now that receive Canadian Government funding. Some recent initiatives announced include:
...Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples, in which researchers will partner with aboriginal communities to carry out initiatives linked to suicide reduction and other key health priorities;
...Funding 13 projects to improve the efficiency of front-line healthcare delivery, whose results will be available for provincial and territorial governments to use to strengthen their systems; and
...Funding for a national transplantation research program.
MP Eve Adams met with Dr. Elaine A. Biddiss and her colleagues. Dr. Biddiss is studying the effect of interactive media experience in a children's hospital clinic waiting area.
"Waiting to see a doctor or clinician can often make a child apprehensive or bored. Traditional waiting rooms provide toys for children to play with but they are often not accessible to children with disabilities who may not have the dexterity or mobility needed to play with them" says Elaine Biddiss, scientist, Bloorview Research Institute. "The CIHR grant has given us the opportunity to study the impact of an interactive and inclusive waiting room that features a large-scale projection wall that children can interact with via a pressure-sensitive floor."
Federal support for health research primarily flows through its health research investment agency - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR supports the best in peer-reviewed health research with the vision of creating a healthier future for Canadians.
"Canadian health researchers across all research disciplines and themes continue to have a significant impact on the country's international scientific excellence and competitiveness," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR. "At CIHR, we prize the many achievements and contributions our researchers make to resolving pressing health challenges and to improving the health outcomes of patients and supporting a robust and sustainable health care system."
Since 2006-05, the Government has invested $2.2 billion in health research in Ontario through CIHR.
