The North Island Research and Innovation Hub seeks to build capacity for research and innovation across the North and Mid-Island, with a physical location in the North Island Hospital - Comox Valley.
After community outreach and engagement across the region, the Hub has developed an Action Plan that lays out its proposed vision and values, goals, and priority areas.
Vision
- For the North Island region to be a showcase where innovation begins, research takes place, and positive healthcare outcomes are achieved.
Values
- The Hub's values include collaboration, compassion and humility, and cultural safety.
- The Hub seeks to be equity-informed, open and transparent, guided by community, reciprocal, and trust-based.
Goals
The Hub will build on the power of regional and provincial partnerships to:
- improve healthcare sustainability
- enhance and improve quality of care
- embed research and innovation into the healthcare system
- stimulate new research and innovation projects in the North Island
- establish the Comox Valley as a key destination for research and innovation
Priority Areas
The Hub will focus on:
- rural and non-urban priorities
- healthcare sustainability
- seniors’ health and wellbeing
- Current Initiatives in Seniors’ Health
-
- Comox Valley Dementia Care Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Pilot Grants - These three projects will address research priorities identified by the community in a September 2023 workshop to improve care and services for people in the region who are living with dementia (read the report or see a summary below). The grants were enabled by the Comox Valley Community Foundation through the Robert and Florence Filberg Fund and facilitated by the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation. Read more about the funded projects.
- Conconi Family Foundation Distinguished Scholar in Seniors Health - Thanks to dedicated funding from the Conconi Family Foundation and community partners, Dr. Amy Salmon has been named the inaugural Conconi Family Foundation Distinguished Scholar in Seniors Care. Dr. Salmon will be embedded in the health system to make positive changes in how we care for our seniors. Her work will begin on the North Island, where she resides. Contributions to the Scholar program were generously provided by the Eldercare Foundation, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, and Island Health.
- Innovation Initiatives & Partnerships
-
- Innovative transport models (e.g., drone technologies)
- University of Victoria Dementia-Friendly Community Aspiration Cluster
- Navigating Comox Valley dementia care community services and supports (Universities of Victoria and British Columbia)
- Co-developing tools with caregivers to build a learning health community to support staying home longer with dementia (University of Victoria)
- Walk with Me: A Learning Health System approach to re-examine the toxic drug crisis and action new ways forward (Vancouver Island University)
- Indigenous arts-based community-engaged research (Vancouver Island University)
Get in Touch: research@islandhealth.ca
Additional Resources