July 23, 2009
With the launch of the Gateway Rural Health Research Institute, the Huron Business Development Corporation has helped create the only community-based organization of its kind in Canada. Modelled after a similar centre in Hazard County, Kentucky, the Gateway Rural Health Research Institute has an ambitious mandate to implement community driven research programs on a wide range of rural health issues. Research will be conducted on a variety of concerns including diabetes, obesity, heart attack and depression.
Construction was completed last year on a new municipally-owned facility to house the Institute, and a Director of Research put in place. Two Medical Investigators are now focussing on diabetes and mental health. The research centre is located in the town of Seaforth, in the municipality of Huron East in Huron County.
The Huron Business Development Corporation, a Community Futures Development Corporation, has been instrumental in improving healthcare accessibility in Huron County. “We see health care as an important economic development tool,” says Paul Nichol, Economic Development Manager. “For communities to attract new residents and new business, good health care must be available.”
Recently, the Huron Business Development Corporation’s HealthKick Huron Gateway was recognized as a “Project of Excellence” at the Community Futures National Event 2009 at Blue Mountain near Collingwood. Nearly 800 staff members and directors of Community Futures Development Corporations from across Canada attended the event.
HealthKick Huron and Gateway were chosen to represent Ontario as a positive example of Community Futures work. It was also seen as an excellent project that could be duplicated by other rural economic developers. “We were so pleased that Huron Business Development Corporation’s project was chosen to be nationally recognized. We’re proud of the work that they have done, and happy that the Huron BDC is willing to share their success story,” says Diana Jedig, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations, which hosted the National Event.
The Gateway Rural Health Research Institute grew out of a rural health initiative, HealthKick Huron, which has been on-going in Huron County, thanks to the work of the Huron Business Development Corporation. Among their many projects, which include physician attraction and retention, is the MedQuest program, designed to provide students with realistic experiences in the field of medicine using state-of-the-art advanced simulator training, peer workshops, and the opportunity to watch healthcare professionals in a clinical setting. This not only encourages young people to work in community healthcare, it also aids in youth retention, another challenge for rural economic developers.
Being awarded the recognition of a “Project of Excellence” by the Community Futures Network of Canada is another of several distinctions, which HealthKick Huron has received. Last year, the Huron Business Development Corporation received the Ontario Minister of Health & Long-term Care’s Healthcare Innovation Award, as well as the Economic Development Council of Ontario’s Achievement Award for Best Healthcare Recruitment Program.
“I always go in thinking we're going to win. It's about knowing a good thing when you see it and these projects deserve national prominence," Nichol says of the “Project of Excellence” recognition. "The award celebrates the great things the Seaforth community is doing and positions it for future economic growth and development."
For more information on the Huron Business Development Corporation, contact:
Paul Nichol: 519-527-0305, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information on the Community Futures National Event or the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations, contact:
Mary Alderson: 519-633-2326 ext.124, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.