This platform brings together the researchers of the network in partnership with patients, along with theme co-leads and partners involved in the various research projects/studies of the CHF Alliance and the Heartlife Foundation. The Patient Engagement and Empowerment Platform is co-led by a patient partner and researcher, both of whom also sit on the Executive Council. This platform is responsible for the deployment of the Patient Partnership strategy within the CHF Alliance.
The CHF Alliance Patient Engagement and Empowerment Platform has established the mandate to:
The CHF Alliance is a national research network that brings together the Canada’s heart failure (HF) researchers and clinical experts with patients, caregivers, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders, government, policy makers, knowledge users, non-for-profit organizations, health care providers, academic institutions and industry partners to improve the prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and management of HF. The Alliance is patient-driven and spans the patient lifecycle, from children to the elderly, from rural to urban, across geographic and socioeconomic barriers. It includes innovative, research projects within an integrated program and leverages clinical expertise, industry partnerships and access to large cohort data.
HeartLife Foundation is Canada’s first – and only – national patient-led Heart Failure organization. We are a Federal Charity aimed at raising public awareness of Heart Failure, engaging patients, families, and caregivers to provide education and support, facilitate access to the latest research, innovations, and treatments, and advocate better care for all.
An estimated 750,000 people are currently living with heart failure in Canada (Heart & Stroke Foundation, 2022). In their 2016 Report on the health of Canadians, the Heart & Stroke Foundation estimates that 90,000 Canadians are diagnosed with heart failure each year and this number is on the rise. Heart failure costs the Canadian healthcare system more than $2.8 Billion dollars per year – with the majority of those dollars being spent on acute care.
