Alexandra Marine & General Hospital Leadership Council and Gateway Collaboration Meeting

On Friday May 29, 2015 at the Parkhouse Restaurant in Goderich, Ontario, The Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health (Gateway) met with the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital (AMGH) Leadership Council to discuss possible collaboration opportunities. On behalf of Gateway, Dan Stringer and Gwen Devereaux started off this productive meeting with an introduction of Gateway’s goals and mission, the research chairs, existing collaborations and past research projects. One of Gateway’s summer research assistants, Alanna Roy, then presented on future research collaboration opportunities between AMGH and Gateway in regards to women’s health, mental health and the health of older adults. Julia Huber, another summer research assistant, discussed her collaboration with Everspring Farms in the development of three food products targeted towards specific chronic diseases, and introduced the idea of a clinical study using these products at AMGH. The final summer research assistant, Katrina Merner, offered collaboration with AMGH in regards to the opioid misuse project, Retiring Well, Peer Mentorship and a quality of medication use study. Jay McFarlan, Research Chair of Nutrition and Exercise, discussed Grand Sparks, a week-long program promoting physical activity and nutrition in grandparents and grandchildren that he will be running in July. Sheila Schuehlein introduced health coaching and the expansion of the Retiring Well and Peer Mentorship program in AMGH. Finally, Rose Marie Dolinar talked about her research project investigating COPD in rural chicken farmers and seeking access to a spirometer lab in the hospital. Following Gateway’s presentations, both teams split into groups and had a walking meeting discussing questions revolving around future collaboration opportunities between the two organizations. Both Gateway and AMGH Leadership Council were able to leave this productive meeting feeling informed and excited about the future partnership with one another.