Two of Guelph's largest institutions are working together to advance healthcare in the region.
The University of Guelph announced Friday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Guelph General Hospital.
The partnership is designed to help the university and hospital address challenges affecting the health of the region, he said, adding that while the two organizations have worked together before, the MoU will allow them to leverage their respective strengths to overcome local challenges.
“I think some of the issues that both organizations are facing have really come to the forefront,” Mark Watson, president and CEO of Guelph General Hospital, said of the reasons for the partnership.
“Part of that is the social determinants of health, like housing and employment. This is an area we're both involved in and I think we'll be even stronger together, so we thought this was a great opportunity to work together.”
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The areas covered by the MOU include:
Get the latest health and medical news in your inbox every Sunday. Strengthen research and development efforts in healthcare, medicine, life sciences and related fields. Improve clinical care, patient outcomes and how healthcare is delivered. Support education and training programs for health professionals, students and researchers and explore interprofessional education opportunities. Foster innovation and technology transfer between the healthcare and academic sectors. Address the health needs of the community through joint outreach and engagement activities.
“We believe solution-oriented, collaborative partnerships are more important than ever before,” Charlotte Yates, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Guelph, said in a statement.
“Research-intensive, learner-centred universities like U of G are ideal partners for healthcare providers because both address complex challenges and deliver public value in ways that no entire organisation or sector can do alone.”
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Watson believes some of the research the university has done in environmental sustainability, agriculture and veterinary services could be applied to the hospital's operations.
“A lot of the lessons learned there and how to improve human and animal health can be applied to how we deliver health services better.”
Watson said accelerated learning and student placement models will be explored, including recently hosting four students as part of U of G's president's summer co-op initiative and two students as part of a co-op work period.
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The university says the partnership will provide expertise in One Health and team-based care to help solve health problems that cannot easily be addressed through traditional specialization, as well as leverage research on rural development to address inequalities in rural centers.
“It allows us to bring our physicians, our services, all of our specialties to rural areas that are often underserved and don't necessarily have the same access that we have in Guelph,” Watson said.
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