GBF and CIHR have announced a joint, pan-Canadian initiative called Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) which will support the development of IYS as learning healthcare systems (LHS). IYS-Net will fund capacity for provincial and territorial IYS initiatives to undertake research, innovation, and knowledge mobilization, underpinned by investment in data infrastructure and pan-Canadian collaboration. The overall goal is to ensure that IYS reaches its full potential in terms of equity, access, and outcomes for youth and caregivers. More information on IYS-Net can be found on CIHR’s website.
An LHS is a healthcare system in which research, data, and experience generate knowledge and evidence that is embedded in and applied to policies and practices to continuously innovate and improve equity, service delivery, and the experience of care. The approach also provides capacity to enable researchers, service providers, youth, caregivers, and policy makers to build cross-sector collaboration. See the GBF webinar from November 3 rd, 2021 for more information on LHS as applied to mental health services.
GBF and CIHR have committed to co-developing and co-funding IYS-Net and will seek further public and private partners to support financially and/or in-kind. This will help to ensure that all provinces and territories can participate. In addition, IYS-Net will be developed in phases, and input will be sought from a broad range of stakeholders to ensure that all jurisdictions in Canada receive the support they need to help youth.
In our special newsletter published in February 2022, we told the story of GBF’s work in IYS. This work began a decade ago with a GBF-CIHR partnership to transform youth mental health services. The partnership created the pathbreaking funding process called Transformational Research in Adolescent Mental Health (TRAM) and funded the pan-Canadian network ACCESS Open Minds (AOM). We at GBF are delighted to be working again with CIHR on a pan-Canadian initiative that will further advance and improve IYS.
|