Established in 2004, the Canadian Child & Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC) is a collaboration of eight major national organizational and program members working together with a common vision to advance the cause of child and youth health and health care in Canada. The current membership of CCYHC includes the:

• Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres (CAPHC); *
• Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (CCHCSP); *
• Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN);
• Council of Canadian Child Health Research (CCCHR); *
• Maternal, Infant, Child, & Youth Research Network (MICYRN);
• National Infant, Child, & Youth Mental Health Consortium (NICYMHC);
• Paediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC); and, *
• Pediatric Surgical Chiefs of Canada (PSCC); *

* Denotes a CCYHC Founding Member

The Coalition engages a broad range of constituents and stakeholders in the area of child and youth health and provides a powerful framework for stimulating new knowledge development and promoting the uptake and application of knowledge to practice and policy.  It also serves to support training and education initiatives and to strengthen national advocacy towards improving the health and health care of Canada’s youngest citizens.

CCYHC firmly believes that the synergistic strength gained through formal collaboration on jointly established strategic priorities provides a strong vehicle for achieving more in identified areas of concern than individual member organizations can accomplish independently.  Building on the combined strengths of its many partnerships, the Coalition has made significant progress towards achieving its objectives within the context of several key initiatives and programs including: 1) the Child and Youth Health Indicators Development Program; 2) the Maternal, Infant, Child, and Youth Research Network (MICYRN); and, 3) the National Paediatric Surgical Wait Times Strategy.

In addition to the identification and development of these specific national priorities and strategies, the Coalition also works in an advocacy role to provide support and feedback to several child and youth related initiatives on a national level.

The Canadian Child & Youth Health Coalition is a collaborative and consensus-driven organization representing the interests of the entire child and youth health care community. The activities of the Coalition thus far have demonstrated what can be accomplished on a national level by willing and passionate individuals and organizations. The CCYHC will capitalize on this capacity, enthusiasm, and momentum as it continues to develop and expand its membership and scope of activity in the coming years.

To learn more about the CCYHC and its activities, please visit: www.ccyhc.org