VANCOUVER – The Honourable Jane Philpott, Canada’s Minister of Health, and Terry Lake, British Columbia’s Minister of Health announced today a major investment in research that will strive to improve patient care for those living in British Columbia.
The Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia announced a combined $80 million in funding and in-kind contributions towards a new British Columbia Support Unit for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (BC SUPPORT).
BC SUPPORT Unit (the Unit) is a multidisciplinary cluster of specialized personnel in the areas of research, policy, and patient care, who will engage patients to identify their needs and set priorities for research.
“I strongly believe that innovation is essential to improving health care. Through initiatives such as Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, we are promoting innovation, fostering collaboration, and helping ensure that we address the health care needs of Canadians,” said Jane Philpott, Federal Minister of Health.
It is expected to increase patient-oriented research throughout the province and help improve health-care services for British Columbians.
BC SUPPORT Unit will collaborate with its counterparts in other provinces and territories to create a pan-Canadian platform for supporting patient-oriented research through the sharing of information and best practices.
Together with its partners, the BC SUPPORT Unit will provide services for researchers, patients, health-care providers, and health system decision-makers. The BC SUPPORT Unit was developed under Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR), with support from the Governments of Canada and British Columbia, and provincial partners.
