Bridging the Distance: Bold Solutions for Rural and Remote Child Health

How can we ensure children and youth receive the right care, in the right place, no matter where they live? 

On September 23, Children’s Healthcare Canada is bringing together leaders from across Canada for Bridging the Distance: Bold Solutions for Rural and Remote Child Health - a national virtual forum focused on advancing more equitable, accessible, and innovative healthcare for children and youth living in rural, remote, northern, and First Nations communities. 

Across Canada, geography continues to shape access to pediatric care. Workforce shortages, long travel distances, limited specialty services, and gaps in local capacity can create significant barriers for children and families. 

But communities and healthcare organizations across the country are developing bold solutions. 

This full-day forum will bring together leaders in research, policy, clinical care, Indigenous health, education, and health system innovation to share what is working, what is being learned, and what can be scaled. 

From Innovation to Action 

Participants will hear from organizations developing practical solutions to improve care closer to home, including: 

Made in Manitoba: Bringing Rehabilitation and Child Development Closer to Home 
Discover how St. Amant and SSCY Centre are working with Indigenous communities to expand rehabilitation and child development services across Manitoba, including through Jordan's Principle, outreach, virtual care, and community-based models. 

Beyond Cultural Competency: Building Cultural Safety Through Inuit Partnership 
Learn how Qikiqtani General Hospital and the Government of Nunavut, with support from Healthcare Excellence Canada's Cultural Safety Design Collaborative, have developed an Inuit-led cultural safety program grounded in lived experience and community priorities. 

Bringing Care Closer to Home: Building a Regional Model for Sickle Cell Care 
Explore a collaborative initiative between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to develop a regional, tiered model for children and youth with sickle cell disease, drawing on the successful Levels of Care approach used in pediatric oncology. 

Expert Care, Closer to Home: Building Regional Pediatric Capacity Through Virtual Care 
Hear how Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre's Regional Paediatric Response Program is connecting community hospitals and nursing stations with pediatric expertise through virtual assessment, ongoing clinical support, and capacity building.