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L’ACSP souhaite la bienvenue au RQSP
L’ACSP félicite le Regroupement québécois en soins de plaies (RQSP) de la tenue de sa première journée scientifique à Montréal le 31 mars. « Nous nous réjouissons de notre partenariat avec le RQSP, a déclaré madame Peggy Ahearn, directrice administrative de l’ACSP. Le RQSP répond aux besoins très particuliers des fournisseurs de soins des plaies du Québec. Je sais que nos collègues de l’Association canadienne des stomothérapeutes se joignent à nous pour souhaiter beaucoup de succès à cette nouvelle organisation. »

The group will be pursuing the creation of a Canadian Wound Management Innovation Agenda, said Maureen Latocki, Acting Executive Director of the Alliance. “Through that agenda, we hope to bring together individuals with clinical, academic, industry and government expertise, to drive forward opportunities to create more value in the healthcare system,” she added.

The group hopes to align with governments at both the federal and provincial levels. Indeed, added Latocki, “Our initials step will be to speak with one voice to governments to disseminate key information regarding the costs associated with wound care, and how that information can be used by healthcare administrators and government policymakers to make the most informed decisions regarding how wounds are prevented and managed in practice.”

Future initiatives include the development of a Canadian Wound Innovation Network, which would seek to create Centres of Excellence in wound care across the country.

“We are pleased to be a founding member of Wound Care Alliance Canada,” said Peggy Ahearn, Executive Director of the CAWC. “Through this partnership with like-minded organizations, we can foster the policies and procedures necessary to deliver optimal wound care to those in need.”

New Peer Led education program coming to your province soon!

The Diabetes, Healthy Feet and You initiative will soon be launched into Phase 2!

Ten provinces from across Canada will be delivering a Peer Led (Persons with Diabetes) educational program/workshop that motivates persons living with diabetes and their loved ones to know and apply good foot care practices. The workshops are called PEP Talk: Diabetes, Healthy Feet and You.

The goal of the Peer Led workshops is to have trained community Peer Leaders from each Province facilitate workshops in partnership with health care professionals. The focus of the program is to empower persons living with diabetes to “discover and use their own innate abilities to gain mastery of their diabetes” and foot care (Funnell, 2004).

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of diabetic foot complications and accessing timely care, can save limbs!!

For locations and dates of workshops happening in your area please visit http://www.diabetesPEPtalk.ca.  If you would like further information about this program please do not hesitate to contact Andrea Martin at 416.485.2292 ext. 221 or e-mail andrea@cawc.net

The Canadian Association of Wound Care and Bayshore Home Health are pleased to announce a unique and exciting educational initiative to provide Bayshore nurses across the country with advanced wound care education and training. The initiative will ensure that Bayshore clients receive optimal wound care management, which is crucial to reducing both healthcare and economic burdens.

Earlier this year, eight facilitators from Bayshore’s nursing staff were trained by the CAWC to conduct the CAWC Institute of Wound Management and Prevention L-Series program. The CAWC L-Series offers intensive, hand-on education regarding the prevention and management of acute and chronic wounds.

The facilitators, with representation from across Canada, were carefully chosen based on their experience, expertise and leadership skills. In early 2012, the facilitators will attend the CAWC L1 to L-3 Series meetings as regional wound care leaders, and will provide their expertise and hands-on knowledge. They will then be fully prepared to roll out the L-Series program to Bayshore’s 3,500 nurses across the country.

To ensure quality control as the L-Series launches with Bayshore staff, a CAWC Institute faculty member will attend each facilitator’s initial presentation. “That’s part of our commitment to ensuring that the program is successful,” says Peggy Ahearn, the CAWC’s Executive Director.

“Thanks to the CAWC, we are now equipped to provide point in time education to Bayshore nurses, which is critical,” says Katherine Grant-Brown, Clinical Practice Leader, Skin Health and Wound Care, Bayshore Home Health. “Our goal is that each and every Bayshore nurse will undergo this training.”

“This is a sizeable commitment on the part of Bayshore” says Peggy Ahearn. “Recognizing that wound care is a substantial part of the day-to-day work of these nurses is an important step in the prevention and management of chronic wounds.”

About Bayshore Home Health: Bayshore Home Health delivers a wide range of nursing, personal care, home support and companion services through more than 50 home care offices and 24 community care clinics across the country, serving over 70,000 clients annually. These services are purchased by government care programs, insurance companies, workers’ compensation boards and the public. Bayshore Home Health is a division of Bayshore HealthCare.

About the Canadian Association of Wound Care: The Canadian Association of Wound Care is a non-profit organization of healthcare professionals, researchers, corporate supporters, patients and caregivers dedicated to the advancement of wound care in Canada. Since 1995, the Association has enhanced the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals through its annual professional conference and educational events held across Canada.

For further information please contact:

Peggy Ahearn
Executive Director
Canadian Association of Wound Care Telephone: 416-385-2292, ext. 222
Email: peggy@cawc.net
Website: www.cawc.net

Katherine Grant-Brown
Clinical Practice Leader, Skin Health and Wound Care Bayshore Home Health
Telephone: 905-822-8075, ext. 310
Email: kgbrown@bayshore.ca
Website: www.bayshore.ca

Press Release .pdf

TORONTO, Nov. 16, 2011 – MEDEC announced that it has teamed up with the Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy (CAET); the Canadian Association for Wound Care (CAWC) and the Ontario Woundcare Interest Group (OntWIG) to pursue the development of a national evidence-based wound management innovation strategy. As a first step, the alliance is poised to host a Wound Innovation Summit in 2012 with broad stakeholder engagement from the academic, government, provider, clinical and commercial sectors.

In Canada, hundreds of thousands of patients experience the debilitating effects of acute and chronic wounds every day. Despite costing the health system hundreds of millions of dollars annually, wound prevention and care is not recognized as a major national health priority.

MEDEC’s Wound Care Committee formed a Task Force in 2010 that recommended advocating for a national wound care innovation agenda. The objectives of the plan included promoting evidence-based quality patient care; improving timely access to innovative and cost-effective wound management products and services; accelerating the development of a made-in-Canada strategy for the discovery, development and delivery of wound technology, expertise and knowledge for both Canadian and global markets; and advocating for public and private sector investment to allow wound care companies to thrive in Canada. The Task Force identified a natural alignment between government’s keen interest in innovation as an economic driver of jobs and investment and the wound care industry’s strength in bringing innovative products and services to market. “To be able to join forces with CAET, CAWC and OntWIG is a significant accomplishment. Together we can advance access to quality wound prevention and care for the benefit of patients regardless of where they live”, said John Gregory, Chair of the MEDEC Wound Care Committee.

"The alliance represents an important step forward in furthering CAET's mission of representing specialized nursing care for patients with wound challenges," said Karen Bruton, President Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy. "The Summit planned for later next year is an ideal platform for us to raise awareness of the role of the enterostomal therapist in delivering high quality wound care."

“The strength of the relationship between CAWC and our alliance partners is in the resources, technologies and experience that each organization brings to the table” said Pat Coutts, President Canadian Association of Wound Care. “By working together, we can maximize our effectiveness in raising the profile of wound care within the healthcare system.”

"OntWIG and the alliance share a commitment to advancing evidence-based wound care policy" said Laura Teague, OntWIG President. "We are confident that our joint efforts will dramatically improve patients' lives in the years ahead.”

About MEDEC
MEDEC (www.medec.org) is the national association representing the medical technology industry in Canada. Our members are committed to providing safe and innovative medical technologies that enhance patient care and advance patient outcomes. The medical technology industry in Canada employs over 35,000 Canadians in close to 1,500 corporate facilities, and has sales of nearly $7 billion per annum. MEDEC’s Wound Care Committee represents 3M Canada Company; Coloplast Canada; ConvaTec Canada Ltd.; COVIDIEN; Healthpoint; Hill-Rom; Hollister Limited (Canada); KCI Medical Canada Inc.; Molnlycke Health Care; Smith & Nephew Inc.; Stryker Canada LP; Systagenix Wound Management; and TSS – Therapeutic Surface Solutions.

About CAET
CAET (www.caet.ca) The Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy represents Canada’s enterostomal therapy nurses, promotes high standards for ET nursing practice, education, research and administration for this group of specialized nurses who provide specialized wound, ostomy and continence nursing services.

About CAWC
CAWC (www.cawc.net) The Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) is a non-profit organization of healthcare professionals, researchers, corporate supporters, patients and caregivers dedicated to the advancement of wound care in Canada.

About OntWIG
OntWIG (http://ontwig.rnao.ca/) OntWIG is an affiliated interest group of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). Membership is comprised of interdisciplinary health care professionals from all health care sectors with a mandate to influence wound prevention and treatment policy in Ontario.

For further information: communications@medec.org

News Release .pdf