The Health Council of Canada Health Innovation Award will be given to the student or students who best answer the question: "What do you propose to help renew and sustain Canadian health care, and why?"

"The Health Council of Canada is committed to highlighting innovation in Canadian health care renewal. Who better to ask for their ideas than those who will shape the Canadian health care system in the future?" said John G. Abbott, CEO of the Health Council of Canada and member of the judging panel.

The Health Council of Canada is hoping the discussion will make its way into relevant courses across Canada, although health-related students are also encouraged to submit ideas independently.

"We're asking teachers and professors to take this discussion into their classrooms, to challenge their students, and to have their students generate well thought out and reasoned ideas. Who knows, the students may come up with something no one has thought of before," said Abbott.

The winners of the Health Council of Canada Innovation Award will have their submission featured on the CanadaValuesHealth.ca website, on the HealthCouncilCanada.ca corporate site and in a nationally-distributed Health Council of Canada e-newsletter.

For more information on the Health Council of Canada Health Innovation Award, including contest criteria, please visit CanadaValuesHealth.ca. The site also features tools for professors, teachers, and students to get started, including our discussion paper, Value for Money: Making Canadian Health Care Stronger, and a slide deck for classroom presentations.

Background

The Health Council of Canada, created by the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal in Canada. Councillors were appointed by the participating provinces, territories and the Government of Canada. For information on the Health Council of Canada and to view past reports, visit www.healthcouncilcanada.ca.