Making Connections
Three-day Health Achieve conference brings high-profile speakers to townHealth care takes centre stageRudy Guiliani's coming to town. The former mayor of New York City is the opening day keynote speaker at the Health Achieve 2005 conference and trade show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. David Chilton |
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 [ 2005-10-26 ] |
Guiliani, widely praised for his work following the 9/11 attacks, will speak on "Leadership in difficult times."
Warren DiClemente, vice-president, education services and operations for the Ontario Hospital Association, which is putting on the event, says Guiliani is just one of the many well-known speakers who will take part Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and 2. Others include Dr. David Suzuki, who will be featured at the Green Health Care session; Preston Manning, founder of the Reform Party, who will address the Financial Management session; Dr. Marla Shapiro, a physician with her own daily health and lifestyle TV show; and Dr. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Speaking at the Nursing session Nov. 1 will be Mary Ferguson-Pare, vice-president and chief nursing executive at the University Health Network in Toronto. She will speak on "International developments in nursing innovation." The session is sponsored by the Toronto Sun.
Health Achieve 2005 is the latest in a long line of such conferences and exhibitions, says DiClemente. The first one was held in 1924 and attracted about 100 delegates. This year, he continues, there will be 70 concurrent sessions over the three days, 350 speakers and 326 suppliers of health services and products occupying 200,000 square feet of exhibition space. This year's theme is "Inspiring Ideas and Innovation."
Anthony Dale, the OHA's interim vice-president of policy and public affairs, says, "It (the conference and trade show) is one of the largest and most important health care conventions and exhibitions of its kind in North America."
The purpose of the event is to bring together speakers on a wide variety of relevant health care issues, Dale says, as well as provide a trade forum for some of the most important suppliers of health care.
Over the three days, topics under discussion will cover most aspects of health care, says DiClemente, from addictions and cancer treatment to waiting times for patients and the recruitment and retention of staff. In fact, just about any subject of interest and substance will be on the menu, he points out.
There won't be any formal recruiting going on at the conference, but DiClemente says, "One can't overstate the importance of the networking that takes place at the show. Through our HR there are a number of sessions that will take place, and there's a reception for students coming into the health care sector to meet and greet people who are already in health care."
OHA members are charged $240 a day to attend or $595 for three days. Non-members pay $370 a day or $965 for the three days.
There were 7,600 delegates at the conference last year and DiClemente says he hopes to do better than that this year. Most of the attendees will be from Canada, but there are also contingents from the U.S., India, Pakistan and elsewhere, he explains.
As health care has changed so has the conference, says Dale, and the OHA has recently adjusted its positioning. "For a long time the convention and its activities were focused just on Ontario and just hospitals, and they're critical and crucial audiences for our convention and they always will be, but we also recognize that in health care today there are no borders, whether it's health or human resources or technology. The list is extensive."
What the OHA has done, Dale continues, is to expand the convention first to other provinces and latterly to other countries.
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