The Aging, Community and Health Research Unit was founded in 2013, by Dr. Maureen Markle-Reid and Dr. Jenny Ploeg, with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Community-Based Primary Health Care Signature Initiative and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Health System Research Fund Program Award. ACHRU continues to build on this research program with funding from the Max Bell Foundation, Ontario SPOR Support Unit (OSSU), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): Catalyst Fund and Pan-Canadian SPOR Network in Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations (PIHCI), Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative, Labarge Foundation, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), and Diabetes Action Canada.
The research program was developed through extensive collaboration with local, provincial and national decision-makers, providers and patient and caregiver groups. Their commitment to the program enhances the ability to scale-up the results. This research program has resulted in knowledge that can be used to guide health services policy decisions and the allocation of resources in community-based primary health care for older adults with MCC across Canada. Ultimately, this research will develop a model for incorporating effective and efficient chronic disease prevention and management practices that are sustainable through partnerships with community partners and knowledge users.