Trying to better understand and improve rural health care is the motivation behind a new partnership.
The South Bruce Grey Health Centre and Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health have signed a collaboration agreement that will allow for the hospital to participate in rural health research projects.
SBGHC President and CEO Paul Rosebush says there tends to be a lack of understanding of how health care policies impact rural areas.
"There's a dearth of knowledge about rural health, what the needs are, what health outcomes we should be working towards and there's a real dearth in information that could lead to good policy development to support health care in rural communities," says Rosebush.
He says the partnership will connect the hospital's doctors and professionals with leading researchers to help solve some of the issues facing rural health care.
Gateway President Gwen Devereaux says these types of agreements are important not only for improving rural health care, but for attracting new doctors to the area.
She says the majority of prospective doctors do not consider rural areas for their practices, but partnerships like the one between Gateway and SBGHC help the area feel a little more urban because they allow doctors to participate in research projects.
Devereaux says they already have projects in mind, adding they will be announced in the near future.