Major relaunch for centre shaping rural health
Scotland's only centre dedicated to investigating and improving the health of rural communities is officially relaunched today (Wednesday, Oct 6) .
The Centre for Rural Health (CRH) is the new name for the Highlands and Islands Health Research Institute (HIHRI) which is based in Inverness and is part of the University of Aberdeen.
The rebrand is part of an ambitious drive to consolidate and further develop the unit's reputation as a centre for expertise in its field both on the national and international stage.
Centre director Professor David Godden said: "Our aim is to ensure that the Centre becomes a key source of advice to Government for all kinds of rural health matters. Some of the research we are currently conducting will be important to policymakers, for example our work in relation to the new GP contract and the resultant changes to out of hours services, as well as the evaluation we are carrying out into NHS 24."
The Centre's goal is to advance knowledge of health and health services of people living in rural and remote communities which have their own particular challenges.
One of the Centre's main research themes is the health of rural people which covers a range of areas such as ageing in rural communities, health and agriculture, and mental health and suicide. The other key theme of the Centre is exploring access to care and the delivery of health services in remote and rural areas.
Professor Godden added: "We already have international links with a number of countries which include Australia, Canada, Sweden, Finland and Norway. We hope to build on those following our relaunch."
Academics, health services professionals, policymakers and political representatives are attending a symposium taking place today (Oct 6) at the Centre to mark the launch. More…
Entitled Where Now for Rural Health? National and International Challenges, the event will feature a number of key speakers including the Centre's Dr Cameron Stark who will discuss suicide in rural Scotland.