Backgrounder

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative (THSSI)

August 25, 2011
Yellowknife, NWT

The Government is committed to helping ensure that the North has safe, healthy and prosperous communities.

In keeping with this objective, in 2005 the Government provided the territories with a five-year, $150-million targeted fund, the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative (THSSI), to facilitate the transformation of territorial health systems toward greater responsiveness to Northerners' needs and improved community-level access to services. Budget 2010 extended the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative funding by $60 million over two years, to consolidate the progress made in the first five years of the Initiative.

In 2011 the Government announced that the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative funding is being further extended by $60 million over a period of two years (2012-2014). Funds being allocated for this period will support time-limited initiatives in key health system reform areas, including:

• Developing mental health and chronic disease management strategies;
  
• Addressing human resource gaps in the health field;
  
• Strengthening system performance measurement, monitoring and reporting; and,
  
• Implementing strategies to realize further efficiencies in medical transportation systems.

How the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative works

The Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative provides territorial governments with the opportunity to explore innovative solutions to service delivery gaps resulting in changes to their respective health care delivery systems. Additionally, it enables each territory to balance prevention and promotion activities with clinical service delivery, and it serves as a catalyst for territories to identify and consider evolving needs and develop responsive strategies.

The Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative funds are administered through agreements with the territorial governments and subdivided into three components:

1. Medical Travel Fund - to offset or help pay for expenses related to or incurred in the course of providing or paying for medical transportation.
   
2. Territorial Health Access Fund intended to:
   
   • reduce reliance over time on the health care system;
     
   • strengthen community level services; and,
     
   • build self-reliant capacity to provide services in-territory
3. Operational Secretariat Fund intended to:
   
   • support the functioning of a Federal/Territorial Assistant Deputy Minister Working Group to guide the implementation of the initiative;
     
   • fund several Pan-Territorial projects; and,
     
   • provide Territorial governments with capacity to manage THSSI commitments.

Results:

Since it was established, the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative has enabled Territorial Governments to:

• Generate momentum on critical health initiatives:
  
  • Expand midwifery and mental health services (Nunavut)
    
  • Develop social inclusion and wellness strategies (Yukon)
    
  • Enhance nurse practitioner and community nursing services (NWT)

• Conclude some projects and launch time-limited initiatives:
  
  • Implement an electronic tracking system for medical travel and boarding homes (Nunavut)
    
  • Develop health risk management and quality assurance policies (Yukon)
    
  • Implement Foundation for Change, a health system reform strategy (NWT)

• Collaborate on projects to address common health priorities:
  
  • Medical travel program review
    
  • Healthy choice and mental health prevention/promotion strategy
    
  • Oral health initiative

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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