We are celebrating two things this week – first, our 5000th participant has been enrolled! The BC Generations Project is now well on its way to the 40,000 goal, but we still need many more people to join and to tell their family and friends.
Also this week the Canadian Medical Association Journal issued a news release to announce the publication of our paper, describing the national study (Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow), of which we are a part. This paper describes how the regions worked together to bring about the building of this resource for health research, and what progress has been made to date.
By the time the BC Generations Project’s Vancouver assessment clinic closes on February 11, almost 5,000 Metro Vancouver residents will have joined the province’s largest-ever health research project. This closure will mark the end of the first phase of recruitment, which saw all participants spend 90 minutes at our clinic to provide health information, have body measurements taken, and donate blood and urine samples.
We’ve been thrilled by the huge response from those who wish to join the Project, which prompted us to keep our clinic open two weeks longer than originally planned. We are gratified by British Columbians’ clear commitment to the health of future generations.
As part of the research process, all the centres involved in this national cancer project continually refine their methods for more cost-effectively and efficiently increasing participation within current funding. As a result, we’ve developed a simplified process for all British Columbians to join the Project, no matter where they live. Our goal remains to attract 40,000 people from across BC by 2012.
Starting late February, British Columbians will join the BC Generations Project without an assessment visit. Instead, they’ll complete a questionnaire by mail or online, and visit a local laboratory to provide blood and urine samples. For now, we’re suspending the collection of data such as blood pressure, lung function and grip strength as part of our intake procedure. This information can be collected later during follow up, and won’t affect our ability to use the information and specimens for research.
The changes we’re making to the BC Generations Project will also be made at our four partner centres, all part of the national Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow. This ensures we can conduct large scale health studies that use a consistent set of data.
As always, we hope you’ll consider joining the BC Generations Project, and that you’ll encourage your friends to sign up too.
temporary assessment centre in Abbotsford
Despite the soggy weather, our first visit to Abbotsford on November 23-26 has been a great success. Our temporary assessment centre in the parking lot at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre will see more than 80 new participants this week, including quite a few hospital staff. We’re also getting the opportunity to “test drive” a mobile assessment unit to determine if this is the best way for the Project to reach participants across the province.
The BC Generations Project will be in Abbotsford this month for our first visit to the Fraser Valley. On November 23-26, 2009 we’ll be setting up a mobile assessment van at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre. If you’d like to join the Project as a participant, appointments are still available for these days. You can inquire by calling 604-675-8221, or toll free at 1-877-675-8221.
And if you can’t attend our assessment clinic this time around, don’t worry. We’ll be back in the Fraser Valley soon.
Welcome to the new website for the BC Generations Project. We hope this site answers all your questions, and inspires you and your friends to participate in this exciting research project. Stay tuned for our official public launch in October, and the unveiling of our fan site on Facebook!
