SPEECHES

Dr. Cy Frank, Vice Chair
Launch of the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute
Friday, March 26, 2004

Good morning. It is amazing to be here to share the dream so strongly endorsed by the McCaigs and our many partners, as it becomes a reality. Namely, the formalization of the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute.

Even more exciting is the new Institute will have the honour to implement a made-in-Alberta model of health care service distribution - the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Initiative.

I'd like to review the issues facing bone and joint health today.

It's no secret that there is a huge burden of illness in Canada. As our population ages, more people will need to use our health care system, but this costs money. In Alberta, the money spent on health care is enormous and it will only get more expensive. This is a costly burden that we must address while not compromising the high quality of care that Albertans rightfully expect.

While administration and government may clearly see the costs associated with quality health care in an overburdened system, the average Albertan sees something else: lines and waiting.

With huge volumes of people needing care in our facilities, access is limited everywhere... for everyone. In Alberta alone, you might be surprised to know that in 2001, about one-quarter of all claims to Alberta Health were for bone and joint-related problems and in that same year, one-third of the Alberta population used our health system for treatment of these injuries and diseases. Since then, these numbers have been increasing and they will continue to increase!

In fact, this quietly growing consumption of health care resources by people with bone and joint problems is also happening worldwide, causing the World Health Organization and over 70 countries, including Canada, to declare this "the bone and joint decade." A global problem requires a global approach and, given our commitment here today, where better to lead this international effort from than Alberta?

But, this is not just about the numbers. This is about people - it's about your co-workers, your children, your brothers and sisters, your parents, your friends - and maybe even YOU - getting access to help for individual health issues.

In fact, many Albertans suffer in fear and in excruciating pain for as long as six months waiting to see a specialist. The suffering experienced by people with bone and joint health issues is, simply, debilitating because it can affect almost every aspect of your life. Ask disabled workers who can't work because of pain or ask the young father who can't play ball with his kids.

Recently, there was a newspaper article about a man who, while waiting for a hip replacement, needed to take up to 16 Tylenol 3 pills a day to continue to function normally. The future envisioned by the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute doesn't have that kind of suffering. That kind of pain for that length of time doesn't need to exist.

I'm proud to stand here today and say that we can make a difference! We can meet these issues head on. We will change health care in this province for the better. And we will do all this by employing a new health care model that others can emulate.

With a patient/public-centered model of bone and joint health and health care, our Institute will change how we do things in at least five key areas:

1. We will define and manage to "standards of care" of appropriate access, quality and cost for all Albertans. Our priority will be: "getting the right person to the right place for the right education and treatment - at the right times, the first time, every time.
2. We will benchmark ourselves against the world's best practices. Why would we aim lower than the best?
3. We will use research evidence to make the best decisions on behalf of every patient, and we will monitor our own results through on-going surveillance and feedback to ensure quality care over time. This will become the world's best database of evidence-based care and will have enormous clinical and monetary value.
4. We will work with our partners to make our system more affordable and more sustainable by implementing the most efficient and cost-effective care process possible. We should also support processes to create definitions for true "evidence-based care." We think our health care system should support treatments that are known or shown to work well - don't you?
5. By linking to the primary care initiative groups, we will strive to keep healthy people healthy. Avoiding diseases and injuries through prevention programs which support primary care will be our goal.

Only in Alberta can such innovation happen. If it were not for the unique mix of factors that exist here, the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute and Initiative would not exist.

It takes leadership to produce great things, and this Institute has been blessed with the leadership of a host of founding partners. This province-wide initiative would not be possible without the dedication and vision of partners such as the universities, health regions, Albert Medical Association, Alberta Health and Wellness, Premier Ralph Klein, Minister Gary Mar and Mr. Bud McCaig. These groups and people support true health reform and growth.

The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute builds on a primary health care reform strategy that exists right here in Alberta. It is driven by science and innovation. The Institute builds on solid learning strategies focused on teaching health care providers and all Albertans about bone and joint health. It truly encourages innovation through leadership in coordinating stakeholders toward common goals.

We are the result of many building blocks and many great people. And we are ready!

The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute will be an umbrella organization to motivate the implementation of the new bone and joint model in Alberta. Our vision is of improved bone and joint health care for all Albertans to a standard that is the best in the world - a model for others to emulate. We see a system of health care that is both efficient and effective for every Albertan. We see changes that the average patient will see: reduced wait times and high quality care, all from a new, world-class model of health service delivery.

At its very essence, the Institute is about promoting bone and joint health and prevention. The Institute will be totally inclusive for all Albertans. We are guided by a basic principle of good health for all and of making health care in Alberta the best system in the world.

The model hosted by the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute contains essential elements for success. The first, of course, is our goal - to improve patient care for all Albertans. The second and third elements enable us to reach that goal and make it reality. They are research and education. Through the coordination of partners, the Institute will be the umbrella organization for both these elements, encouraging innovation that is unequalled around the world. And, with that expert knowledge, each individual patient will benefit.

As I mentioned, this initiative would not be possible without the cooperation of our founding partners:

• The Alberta Government
• The Alberta Medical Association
• The Capital Health Authority
• The Calgary Regional Health Authority
• The University of Alberta
• And the University of Calgary

These groups have come together because we realize that we must encourage public health care in this province to evolve to meet the needs of Albertans. We have created the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute to serve as a powerful catalyst to begin this change. Right here, in Alberta, we are creating a world-class model of health service delivery that we hope you will endorse and support. It will be something we can all be proud of.