Grant: Dissemination Events - Priority Announcement: Ethics

The Ottawa Hospital's Ethics Education Program (EEP) has been developed as an outreach program of the Department of Clinical and Organizational Ethics. Its primary function is to build ethics capacity within the Champlain LHIN, focusing on small and outlying organizations with limited resources and little or no ethics capacity. The primary instructor for the EEP is Dr. Thomas Foreman (Director, Clinical and Organizational Ethics). The curriculum for the program is comprised of literature incorporating the results of ethics research in health-care settings, literature discussing different models of ethics programming, guest presentations from experts in the field, and case review. Classes last 2.5 hours over a four month period for a total of 25 instruction hours. Participants will in the program either in person at TOH, or via the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN). This program is currently running from September to December, 2010, and has been very successful to date. A total of 20 participants registered for the program, with 10 health-care institutions represented. Notably, 13 participants have opted to participate via OTN, and all but one of those participants are joining from outlying areas such as Cornwall and Alexandria. The registration fee for the program has been kept nominal in order to maximize the number of participants from small organizations and has been set at $1,000.00.This fee covers the cost of teaching, materials, planning, implementation, guest speakers, and light refreshments. Our goal in applying for this funding opportunity is to obtain 25 $1,000.00 scholarships to enable financially challenged institutions to take advantage of the program. By doing so, we intend to build capacity within the region, assist financially challenged organizations, and build a community of practice which will improve the quality of care provided within the Champlain LHIN.