Dear Valued Subscriber:

GS1 Canada’s Boards and Working Committees continue to work diligently to respond to the needs of Canada’s healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Together, with their collaboration and support, we are excited to share progress being made about the ongoing adoption of GS1 standards.

Global standards save: the journey of supply chain transformation

Visit our new webpage to learn about Canadian researcher Dr. Anne Snowdon’s recent research which looks at how three global health systems identified supply chain transformation and transparency as the key to improving patient safety and used global standards to get there.

This new research provides the first empirical evidence that identifies how supply chain infrastructure, enabled by global standards, can improve inventory savings and reduce labour costs per case.

Most importantly, the new research also provides evidence of a link to reduced Never Events, which can cause harm to patients.

Commit to patient safety by implementing global standards within your organization and join the movement now!

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Alberta Health Services advances use of ECCnet Pharmaceutical Content for patient safety

Alberta Health Services (AHS) supply chain transformation journey is continuing as they enhance patient safety by establishing an Alberta-wide digital item master of pharmaceutical products, enabled through GS1 global standards and ECCnet Pharmaceutical Content.

AHS’s solution will enable end-to-end traceability by incorporating supply chain data with clinical data, improving workflow efficiency and ultimately enhancing patient safety.

AHS’s digital item master will be the first provincial registry to incorporate manufacturer- and brand-certified images and pharmaceutical product data for all products approved by Health Canada.

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Launching recreational cannabis in Canada with GS1 global standards

As Canada prepares for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use, GS1 Canada has been consulting with provincial cannabis authorities and representatives from the cannabis business community to develop key guidelines on which global standards licensed producers will need to adopt.

GS1 Canada's ECCnet New Item Setup solution helps to streamline the listing process for cannabis and cannabis-related products while ensuring data meets Canadian trading partner and regulatory requirements.

Learn more about the latest global standards requirements for recreational cannabis and cannabis-related products and the benefits of GS1 global standards in the cannabis supply chain.

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Congratulations to Debbie Fischer for receiving Trudeau Medal

We would like to congratulate Debbie Fischer, a valued member of the GS1 Canada Healthcare Advisory Council, on being recognized by the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, her alma matter, on receiving a Trudeau Medal for her outstanding contributions to the world of business, healthcare and community at the 2018 Gala of Excellence.

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Congratulations HealthPRO on the success of the Transforming, Together campaign

We would also like to congratulate HealthPRO on their recent success and being awarded the coveted Gold Quill Award for their Transforming, Together campaign,which was successful in improving patient safety.

Through the campaign, HealthPRO leveraged its national voice to drive awareness among pharmacy suppliers of the challenges hospitals were experiencing with existing pharmaceutical products as they relate to patient safety and supply chain efficiencies and impact change.

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African GS1 Healthcare Conference in Addis Ababa!

More than 310 participants from 38 countries met in May in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the African GS1 Healthcare Conference to discuss how GS1 global standards can be used to track and trace access to safe medicines, an important issue worldwide.

To find out more about the African GS1 Healthcare Conference read the full article from the global GS1 Healthcare newsletter.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1 in 10 medicinal products circulating in low- and middle-income countries is either substandard or falsified.

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GS1 Canada has a new team member – meet Angela Hawkins

We are excited to welcome Angela Hawkins to the GS1 Canada team as Director of Public Affairs. In this role, Angela will be working closely with all sectors to continuously raise the level of awareness of GS1 global supply chain standards with key stakeholders and government in Canada.

Welcome Angela!

If you would like to reach Angela, please send her an email at Angela.Hawkins@gs1ca.org.

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