A Letter from Heather Borquez, Chair of the National Lung Health Framework
Dear Respiratory Health Stakeholders:
As you may be aware, this past September I joined the Canadian Lung Association as the CEO, replacing Nora Sobolov. I was immediately impressed with the volume and quality of work that has been invested by stakeholders into the National Lung Health Framework. It is an ambitious and much-needed endeavour, and is clearly laying a path to improvements in respiratory health in Canada. I was delighted when I was asked to continue Nora’s role as Chair of the Steering Committee, and to have the great opportunity to be a part of this ground-breaking initiative…..
Right now is a particularly exciting stage for the Framework, and stakeholders have much to celebrate. The recent funding announcement from the Federal Minister of Health to invest in respiratory disease prevention will open new doors over the next few years. Not only will the respiratory community have access to much-needed data on public awareness of respiratory health, but we will see increased sharing of tools, the promotion of best-practices, and new prevention programming across the country.
Another important Framework initiative is the development of a National Research Agenda. As one of the four strategic areas, research is a cornerstone of the National Lung Health Framework. This initiative, being led by the Canadian Thoracic Society and the Lung Association, will build a much needed plan that will work towards increasing funding and capacity for respiratory research.
It is also exciting to see how much work is being done at the provincial and territorial level. As every jurisdiction has unique strengths and challenges, the strategic planning process for each is equally unique. Already stakeholder-led partnerships and collaborations are being formed and expanded upon. Stakeholders are engaging their provincial governments to look at how best to move forward and improve respiratory health in all of their communities.
And this is just the beginning.
Both myself and the rest of the Steering Committee want to hear from you! Please take a moment to fill out a quick survey on the Framework’s process so you can help us measure our accomplishments, and help direct how we move forward. To fill out the survey, please visit: http://www.acaciaconsulting.ca/lung/en/survey.php.
I thank you for your dedicated support and commitment to the National Lung Health Framework, and look forward to working with you as we move the Framework from planning into action
Sincerely,
Heather Borquez
Chair
National Lung Health Framework