On May 26, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) launched The Health of Our Nation – The Future of Our Health System, a commission mandated to generate policy solutions for transforming the health-care system to better meet the changing needs of Canada's population. Smadu will co-chair the commission with Maureen A. McTeer, a health law expert and author as well as adjunct professor of common law at the University of Ottawa. Their role will be to lead a team representing nursing, medicine, business, government, academia and the public in a review of research and broad consultation.
The commission is charged with presenting innovations and solutions that will move Canada's health-care system beyond the hospital-focused acute care model to include community-based services like home care. Particularly, it is interested in solutions that pertain to healthy aging across the lifespan, preventing illness or injury, and managing chronic disease.
A CNA release said the commission is expected to table its final recommendations in June 2012.
National appointment
Marlene Smadu, associate dean of the College of Nursing Saskatchewan Campus in Regina and of international student affairs, has been named co-chair of a national expert panel on health system improvement.