December 15, 1999 For Immediate Release

The North Central Municipal Association (NCMA) is partnering with the University of Northern British Columbia to host a rural and remote health research conference in Prince George January 22-24. The purpose of the conference is to identify issues affecting health care in rural and remote areas, propose research needs, and develop strategies to address the issues.

The NCMA's support guarantees funding to allow a representative from every NCMA-member community to attend the conference. "Health care remains the top priority of NCMA members," says NCMA President Blair Lekstrom, Mayor of Dawson Creek. "This partnership will ensure municipal participation and input into an issue that is affecting the survival of many northern communities."

The BC Rural and Remote Health Conference is a follow-up to the National Rural and Remote Health Research Summit that was co-presented by UNBC and Health Canada in October. The co-chairs are Max Blouw, UNBC Associate Vice-President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, and Dave Richardson, CEO of the Northern Interior Regional Health Board.

More than 300 people are expected to attend the conference, which will be held at the Prince George Civic Centre. There will be four main themes:

• Recruitment and Retention of Health Care Providers in Rural and Remote BC
• At-Risk Populations in Rural and Remote BC
• LResearch, Public Policy, and Rural Health
• Healthy Communities, Health Services, and Community Economic Development

Registration for the conference is continuing. Prospective delegates can contact Don Manson at 960-5018 for more information. The NCMA is made up of 36 municipalities from north-central BC.