The
Ontario
Pharmacy
Evidence
Network
(OPEN)
is
disappointed
to
announce
that
the
Ontario
Ministry
of
Health
and
Long-Term
Care
(MOHLTC)
has
cancelled
funding
for
the
OPEN:STIMULUS
3
year
program
grant.
OPEN:STIMULUS’s
research
will
end
on
July
17,
2019,
14.5
months
earlier
than
the
original
end
date.
OPEN:STIMULUS
was
one
of
11
peer
reviewed
Health
Service
Research
Fund
program
grants
funded
by
the
MOHLTC
investigating
a
wide
variety
of
health
care
topics.
OPEN
was
informed
that
the
decision
to
end
the
program
grants
was
made
after
a
line-by-line
budget
review
that
aimed
to
direct
government
resources
solely
towards
direct
patient
care
efforts.
OPEN:STIMULUS
was
a
major
grant
which
provided
funds
to
help
OPEN
create
quality
sustainable
health
care
services
for
Ontarians.
The
STIMULUS
grant
funded
projects
at
four
post-secondary
institutions
across
Ontario
and
was
based
out
of
the
University
of
Waterloo.
It
supported
the
following:
- Development of community pharmacies as connected health hubs – led by Nancy Waite, professor and Sherilyn Houle, assistant professor, University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and Lisa Dolovich, professor, and Lisa McCarthy, assistant professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
- Community and healthcare provider-supported de-prescribing – led by Barbara Farrell, clinical scientist from the Bruyère Research Institute and Dee Mangin, professor, McMaster University DeGroote School of Medicine
- Development of the first provincial data atlas describing delivery of medication management services including changes over time – led by Suzanne Cadarette, associate professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
- Incorporating sex, gender and vulnerable populations analyses – led by Nancy Waite, professor, University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and Emily Milne, Department of Sociology, MacEwan University
- OPEN Patient Engagement Strategy and Citizen’s Panel – led by Zahava Rosenburg-Yunger, assistant professor, Ryerson University
While
OPEN
is
very
disappointed
with
this
decision,
OPEN
researchers
will
continue
to
pursue
important
health
research
supported
through
other
funding
sources.
OPEN
is
committed
to
staying
open!
It
will
continue
to
foster
a
network
of
researchers,
students
and
knowledge
users
that
conducts
research
to
inform
policy,
education,
and
health
care
practice.
OPEN
is
proud
of
its
many
accomplishments,
including,
most
recently,
the
OPEN:STIMULUS
funded
creation
of
OPEN
Citizen’s
Panel.
These
citizens,
just
like
our
researchers
and
knowledge
users,
are
engaged
and
contributing
to
ensure
that
OPEN
is
able
to
link
research
findings
to
improving
Ontarian’s
health.