Transcultural Health Conference will explore ways health care facilities can adapt in order to better serve Canada’s increasingly diverse population

Over 150 Canadian healthcare professionals, administrators, educators and community representatives will be in Montreal on May 10 and 11 to share ideas and explore ways the health care system can better meet the cultural, linguistic and acculturation needs of new immigrants and refugees. The conference Advancing Knowledge, Strategy and Connectedness in Healthcare Across Cultures will look at such issues as: access to healthcare, diversity in decision-making, and challenges facing immigrant children. Some 16 speakers will share their recent research findings and over 30 different posters outlining programs and research in the field will be on display.

The keynote speakers are among the leaders in their fields and include:

• Jeffrey G. Reitz, PhD, FRSC - "Challenges of Canadian Healthcare Delivery to Newcomers: Risks & Responsibilities"
• Rani Srivastava, RN, MScN, PhD - “Organizational Change: From process to outcome in achieving diversity”

Other topics to be discussed are:

• Interpréter n'est pas traduire. Modèles et aléas d'une pratique nécessaire pour des soins transculturels de qualité, Yvan Leanza, MPs
• Understanding The Immigrant Experience : The Health Connection,
  Alice Chan Yip, MDCM, FRCP(S) and David Este, PhD
• Culture and ethics in clinical care: Challenges and priorities, Fern Brunger , BA, MA, PhD

The Multiculturalism Program of The Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) of the MUHC and partners areorganizing Canada’s first National Transcultural Health Conference: Advancing Knowledge, Strategy and Connectedness in Healthcare Across Cultures. The event is being held in recognition of the 20^th anniversary of the MCH’s Multiculturalism Program. The MCH was the first Canadian pediatric hospital to establish a multiculturalism program and continues to emphasize “respect for diversity” with plans to expand and harmonize existing services

WHAT: National Transcultural Health Conference

WHEN: May 10 and 11 (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m)

WHERE: Centre Mont Royal, 2200 Mansfield

The media are welcome to attend the conference. Preconference interviews can be arranged. For more information about the conference and the keynote speakers, please go to the MCH website at www.thechildren.com.

Lisa Dutton
Manager
Public Relations and Communications
The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC
(514) 412-4307