Mr. Chair, members of the committee, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you about the alliances and the partnerships that the Health Services have established with the civilian community in the field of health.
First, the Canadian Forces Health Services Group is legally responsible for delivering care to Canada's military personnel at home and abroad. However, the closure of military hospitals in Canada has resulted in the Canadian Forces becoming increasingly reliant on a wide variety of civilian health care agencies to fulfil its mission in providing this health care. In fact, the group lacks a number of components, which makes it reliant on the civilian health care network, with which it must establish partnerships with regard to these components. Accordingly, partnerships and alliances with civilian organizations are core to the Canadian Forces Health Services Group's strategy, as it is often the only way to access some of the required resources and health-related services delivered in civilian settings.
In 2003, the Canadian Forces Health Services Group implemented the national Health Services Civilian-Military Cooperation, or the HS CIMIC: a unique capacity-providing expertise with no equivalent in the civilian sector. This section comprises one national manager — a position I have held for the past four years — who operates out of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group Headquarters in Ottawa, and regional coordinators operating in various regions of the country, each with an assigned geographic area of responsibility.
From 2004 to 2008, I worked as the HS CIMIC cooperation coordinator for the Quebec region, returning to this role three weeks ago. From 2008 until this past April, I was, as I mentioned earlier, the national manager for the team. Over these past several years I have gained solid experience in the development and maintenance of strong and efficient civilian-military alliance networks and at securing access to high quality care for ill or injured military personnel.
HS CIMIC ensures and facilitates access to care in the civilian sector either as a complement to day-to-day in-garrison care or urgent care in relation to operations or exercises. In 2006, as a complement to Canadian Forces Health Services Group's support to Operation Athena, HS CIMIC was formally mandated to develop and implement the strategy for securing the care of ill or wounded soldiers in Canadian health care environments, for example, acute or trauma care in Canadian civilian hospitals, rehabilitation services, mental health services and other specialized services such as home care. Particular efforts have been oriented to mental health related initiatives for ill or injured military personnel and their families.
HS CIMIC is also responsible for securing education and training opportunities in civilian francophone and anglophone settings for Canadian Forces Health Services Group personnel. As of today, 154 memorandums of understanding were negotiated and formalized in relation to a mandatory program held in hospitals or ambulance services. The objective of this program is to maintain clinical skills of Canadian Forces health care providers so that all can provide care to ill and injured CF members, at home or abroad.
The Department of National Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff both consider care offered to injured or ill members of the Canadian Forces to be a priority. Furthermore, the Canadian Forces Health Services Group has a firm resolve to provide the highest quality health care services available to military personnel. In this respect, the continuous and fruitful relationships established with civilian health services in Canada, as well as with other departments with a health mandate at the federal and provincial levels through the section that I led, play a key role in following up on this priority.
Thank you.