9 November 2010
Moncton (NBHC) – The New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC) is releasing the results of its first large-scale citizen engagement initiative in a report titled Our Health. Our Perspectives. Our Solutions. Results of our First Engagement Initative With New Brunswick Citizens.
Citizen engagement is at the core of the NBHC’s work, since it is part of the organization’s mandate to engage New Brunswickers in a meaningful dialogue to improve health services in the province. Our Health. Our Perspectives. Our Solutions. represents an important step towards fulfilling this purpose.
Through this initiative, the NBHC was able to gather information on what citizens believe is required to achieve a citizen-centered health system. From March to June 2010, hundreds of participants from all walks of life and from all around the province attended sessions and took part in a three phase engagement process designed to involve New Brunswick citizens and health stakeholders in a dialogue on what people value most with regard to the provincial health system, how the system can be strengthened and what can be done to improve provincial health outcomes.
Participants provided feedback to the NBHC that was deeply rooted in their individual perspective, which they shared with great generosity. Moreover, by inviting the same individuals to attend each phase of the dialogue sessions, they were able to deepen their understanding of the issues as they progressed, reflecting on and integrating what they heard between phases and thus offered richer and more informed perspectives throughout the dialogues.
“While I was acting as moderator for these sessions, I was able to closely observe the wide variety of perspectives provided by the participants,” said Stephane Robichaud, CEO of the NBHC. “As the report clearly indicates, there is a powerful province-wide consensus on a number of key elements which, together, lay the ground work for a citizen-centered health system in our province. This entire initiative rests on the back of the participants, and we are grateful for their honesty.”
The report includes an overview of the methodology followed for the three phases of this initiative as well as a profile of the participants and a summary of their comments. The NBHC will build on the information in Our Health. Our Perspectives. Our Solutions, including the results of its quantitative findings, to develop its recommendations, which will be presented to the New Brunswick Minister of Health in early 2011.
The NBHC has been established as an objective organisation that measures, monitors and evaluates New Brunswick’s health system performance through a citizen-centered dual mandate of performance measurement and citizen engagement.
Our Health. Our Perspectives. Our Solutions. Results of our First Engagement Initative With New Brunswick Citizens is available for download here or please read the attached Q&A document for the highlights.
MEDIA CONTACT: Christine Paré, 506-869-6714, Christine.pare@nbhc.ca
Share this article