Turf, Trust & Collaboration

This workshop is presented by the Tamarack Institute.

This interactive virtual workshop is back by popular demand for one final session before Liz Weaver's retirement this fall. The session focuses on the core leadership competency of trust-building. 

Collaborative success requires the engagement and commitment of partners to the common cause. Participants in the workshop will walk away with ideas, tools and approaches to effectively engage diverse community partners and intentionally build trusting relationships and collaborative impact. Come prepared to share your experiences and insights on how to build trust.

# This workshop is designed for those who are:

  • Conveners or facilitators of collaborative tables where building trust is an imperative
  • Individuals who are members of organizational or collaborative teams seeking to build trust in your team
  • Individuals or teams experiencing broken trust and would like to work better together
  • Individuals or teams who are intrigued by the idea of trust and are seeking practical approaches to build trust.
Details
Thursday, August 29, 2024 - 13:00
1:00 - 4:30 pm
Cost: 
$199-249
Internal/External: 
Event Type: 
Location

Developing Your Collaboration Impact Story

This workshop is presented by the Tamarack Institute

Join Liz Weaver and Sylvia Cheuy for this newly developed, virtual 2.5-hour workshop that will guide you and fellow changemakers in crafting your collaboration’s own impact story.

Participants will learn about the seven steps to craft compelling stories, which highlight their collaborative’s successes and progress. Attendees will also be guided on how to craft their collaboration’s impact story in a way that will help attract and retain funders and partners.

# This workshop is designed for those who are:

  • Implementing a collaborative project and want to better understand their impact
  • Playing a lead communications role on behalf of a collaboration
  • Guiding a collaborative project through a phase of renewal
  • Wondering about the sustainability of their collaboration and how to plan for it
Details
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 - 13:00
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Cost: 
$219-249
Internal/External: 
Event Type: 
Location
Online

Creating Workforce Joy and Well-Being

This workshop is presented by the Institute for Healthcare Information (IHI).

Learn strategies and gain resources to create a positive work environment that fosters meaning, purpose, and belonging in this online course. 

# Create Joy in Work, Reduce Health Care Burnout

An epidemic of burnout among health care professionals is affecting quality, safety, and health care system performance. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI’s) Creating Workforce Joy and Well-Being online course with coaching shares the proven quality improvement (QI) methods to create a positive work environment that fosters meaning, purpose, and belonging.

In this course, participants will explore strategies to co-design solutions with staff and learn simple, impactful steps to help staff find joy and meaning in their work. This 12-week program is full of new thinking, resources, strategies, frameworks, and solutions that will help workforces truly thrive — not just survive.

Download the IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work

# Course Format

The learning format of this online course includes six weeks of biweekly video content, three all-learner calls, and an opportunity for added coaching.

  • Biweekly Video Content: ​Online modules will be released throughout the course that consists of reading, video lectures, discussion prompts, and assignments for you to complete on your own time.​ Lessons are released at 12:15 PM Eastern Time (ET) and can be rewatched.
  • All-Learner Calls: All-learner calls are live, town-hall-style calls led by course faculty. Each call is recorded.

# For More Information

 

Details
Thursday, September 26, 2024 - 00:00
12 Weeks, Starts September 26
Cost: 
$467-549
Location
Online

Arts and Aging Day 2024

This event is presented by the Research Institute for Aging 

Together with Arts in Care Homes in the UK, Arts and Aging Day Canada uses social media to showcase the amazing work being done in multiple settings across our country including long-term care homes, retirement communities, seniors centres, municipal recreation programs, community programs, and arts organizations. The day is a chance to promote the positive effects of arts-based activities, learn more about what different organizations are doing, and create nation-wide connections in the field of arts, health, and aging.

We invite you to share your own home, community organization, and/or workplace’s arts activities, creations and experiences through social media. From choirs to poetry, visual arts to dance, we want to highlight all the ways that arts and creativity are engaging and supporting Canadian older adults and those who care for them, both in-person and virtually. This day is a great opportunity for you to learn from colleagues across the country and find new ideas to bring back to your family, community, or workplace.

To get involved, take a photo, write a blog post, or make a video of an arts-based activity or creation - ahead of time or on the day. Write a social media post with the hashtag #ArtsAndAgingCA and share it on September 24. Follow @artsaging on X and #ArtsAndAgingCA on your favourite social platforms.

For more ways to get promote and celebrate Arts and Aging Day, check out the Social Media Toolkit.

Details
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 - 15:00
September 24 - All Day
Location
Online / Social Media

Seeking Cultural Safety: Ethical Considerations for Newcomer Health

This webinar is presented by the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

This interactive learning experience utilizes a case-based approach to demonstrate the potential breadth of concerns that may arise with barriers for newcomers accessing the healthcare system. As this is a workshop, please be prepared to be active and participating in this session.

CCHL members receive 0.5 Category II credits for attending this webinar.

# Speaker

  • Michelle Mullen, Bioethicist, CHEO

 

Details
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - 13:00
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Event Type: 
Location
Webinar

EngageFest! The Power of People and Place

EngageFest! is presented by the Tamarack Institute.

Our two-day cross-sector gathering is taking place virtually on October 29 & 30, 2024, with in-person meet-ups in various locations across Turtle Island. Over 500 changemakers from around the world will gather for two days of capability building, knowledge sharing, and inspiration to explore this year’s theme: The Power of People & Place.

# EngageFest! attendees will:  

  • Explore tools and resources to support deepening connections, fostering inclusion, and shifting power. 
  • Learn ways to leverage local knowledge and community assets to transform systems. 
  • Walk away with strategies for igniting motivation to sustain collaboratives and nurturing collective efforts. 
  • and more!

# Speakers

EngageFest! will feature thought-provoking speakers from around the world. Take a look at our confirmed keynotes and check back our website often to see our full list of speakers!

# Prices

  • Single registration price: $499. 
  • Group registration: $439
  • Francophone registration: $349
  • Supported rate: $249 - for those who have limited professional development funding
  • Tamarack member rate: $179
  • Barrier-free rate: $0 - for those with no professional development funding, lived/living experience, students and youth, and any other barrier to participate not listed.
Details
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 14:15
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 - 00:00
October 29 & 30, 2024
Cost: 
$0 - $499
Location
Hybrid
In-person meetups across Canada

Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Newcomer Children and Their Families: Insights from a Citizen Panel and Stakeholder Dialogue

This webinar is presented by the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4)

# Description 

The migration journey of children, youth  and their families who are newcomers to Canada can be a complex and stressful experience. A growing body of research evidence has documented the mental health challenges facing this group, the need to improve access to care, and to reimagine how mental health services are organized to address their needs. This webinar will provide participants with a summary of the key insights that emerged from a citizen panel and stakeholder dialogue convened on this topic, where best evidence was considered alongside views and experiences to help identify next steps to address this challenge.

# Learning objectives

  • To understand the process used by the McMaster Health Forum to convene citizens,  government policymakers, organizational and system leaders, professional leaders and researchers to deliberate about the issue of improving access to mental health services for children and youth who are newcomers to Canada 
  • To learn from those involved in the process about the key insights that emerged in terms of the problem(s) driving the issue, potential policy solutions for addressing them, implementation considerations and viable next steps for different constituencies 
  • To learn about how this work fits into the broader context of efforts to support children, youth and their families who are newcomers to Canada 

# Presenters

  • Kaealan Moat, Managing Director and Senior Scientific Lead, Evidence Products and Processes, McMaster Health Forum
  • Ahmednur Ali, Scientific Lead, Equity-driven Evidence Support, and Editor of Health Systems Evidence, McMaster Health Forum
  • Amanda Sim; McMaster Health Forum
Details
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 13:00
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Event Type: 
Location

PRAIDA: Strategies for Supporting Asylum Seekers in Canada

This webinar is presented by the National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4)

Join us for a webinar on PRAIDA, the only institutional Canadian program for the reception and integration of asylum seekers, boasting over 60 years of expertise in working with migrant populations in Quebec. The program has adapted over time to various migration waves and changes in Canadian and American immigration policies. More recently, the additional protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) has raised new issues, particularly regarding access to asylum. Its application along the entire Canada-U.S. border has impacted the profile of the clientele served and traditional migration routes, necessitating new responses to address these challenges. This webinar will outline the unprecedented situation Canada is facing concerning the arrival of asylum seekers and how PRAIDA has adeptly adapted to meet the needs of these individuals.

# Learning Objectives

  1.  Provide an overview of the situation regarding the arrival of asylum seekers in Quebec and Canada.
  2.  Become familiar with the mandate and service offerings of PRAIDA.
  3.  Understand the impacts of the additional protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement.

# Speakers 

  • Alexis Jobin-Theberge, Senior Advisor, Programme régional d’accueil et d’intégration des demandeurs d’asile (PRAIDA)
  • Karissa De Cotis, Social Worker, Programme régional d’accueil et d’intégration des demandeurs d’asile (PRAIDA)
Details
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 - 13:00
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Cost: 
Free
Internal/External: 
Event Type: 
Location
Webinar

Prix du changement transformateur d'Alliance pour des communautés en santé 2024

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Les Prix du changement transformateur 2024 ont souligné une année exceptionnelle en reconnaissant l’innovation, le leadership et l’engagement envers l’équité en santé dans les soins de santé en Ontario.

Cette année, un nombre record de nominations ont été reçues pour la catégorie du prix d’équipe, mettant en lumière le travail remarquable qui s’effectue dans la province. Le conseil d’administration et le personnel de l’Alliance remercient tous ceux qui ont soumis une nomination, ainsi que le comité de sélection des prix pour les décisions difficiles qu’il a dû prendre.

Félicitations aux lauréats de cette année; nous sommes ravis de souligner votre travail! Nous vous encourageons tous à célébrer avec nous; la diffusion de ces vidéos est une des meilleures façons de faire connaître aux décideurs l’impact des organisations et équipes de santé communautaire, alors que nous travaillons pour assurer la pérennité des programmes et services essentiels à l’équité en santé.

Lauréats des Prix du changement transformateur 2024 :

Les Prix du changement transformateur (équipes/organisations) soulignent des exemples remarquables de l’application du Modèle de santé et de bien-être ou du Modèle de santé et de bien-être holistique (pour les organisations autochtones). Ils reconnaissent les personnes, programmes et services qui favorisent des changements transformateurs pour améliorer la santé et le bien-être des personnes et des communautés faisant face à des obstacles en matière de santé.

East Effort – un programme collaboratif de l’est de Toronto (Centre de santé Flemingdon) - vidéo en anglais

East Effort est un programme collaboratif lancé en 2021 à l’est de Toronto pour répondre aux besoins urgents des communautés en quête d’équité pendant la pandémie. En trois ans, le programme a touché plus de 140 000 personnes grâce à un partenariat avec plus de 30 organisations. Financé par la Stratégie de soutien aux collectivités prioritaires de l’Ontario, son objectif est d’améliorer la santé et le bien-être des personnes les plus marginalisées. Le programme repose sur un modèle de gouvernance collaborative responsable d’orienter le programme, de distribuer les fonds et de garantir l’atteinte des objectifs. Le comité directeur est composé de prestataires de services, de résidents de la communauté et de représentants des équipes Santé Ontario. 

Niagara HELPS (Centre de santé communautaire Quest) - vidéo en anglais

Niagara HELPS (Homelessness Emergency Liaison and Peer Support) est un programme de soutien par les pairs employant des personnes ayant une expérience personnelle d’itinérance pour aider les individus qui vivent une telle situation et qui se rendent aux urgences du Niagara Health Hospital à St. Catharines et à Niagara Falls. Les pairs aident les clients à cheminer dans le système, à faire part de leurs besoins et à les mettre en contact avec des services communautaires. Ce programme favorise une coordination des soins parmi les prestataires pour soutenir la continuité des soins et offrir des services complets. Il réduit la dépendance aux services hospitaliers et aux services d’urgence et améliore la santé et le bien-être des personnes en situation d’itinérance. Il a commencé comme un projet de recherche appelé HEART (Health and Equity through Advocacy, Research, and Theatre [santé et équité par la sensibilisation, la recherche et le théâtre]) mené par l’Université McMaster où des personnes ayant une expérience relativement aux urgences la présentaient par le théâtre.

Prescribed Alternatives Program (anciennement « Safer Supply Program »; CDPIP 360 Degree de Peterborough) - vidéo en anglais

La clinique dirigée par du personnel infirmier praticien (CDPIP) 360 Degree de Peterborough est la première CDPIP à ouvrir un site pilote d’approvisionnement sécuritaire financé par le gouvernement fédéral en réponse à la crise des empoisonnements par la drogue au Canada et, en particulier, aux taux de mortalité par empoisonnement par la drogue à Peterborough, qui sont supérieurs à la moyenne de l’Ontario. Ce modèle de service interdisciplinaire reposant sur des pairs permet d’orienter les soins sur les objectifs individuels des personnes qui consomment de la drogue, favorisant ainsi leur réengagement avec les soins de santé et autres services de soutien. Dès le départ, la clinique s’est efforcée de faire participer la communauté des consommateurs de drogues dans la création du programme d’approvisionnement plus sécuritaire, ce qui a abouti à un programme qui répond aux besoins des participants et qui évolue selon leurs commentaires. Ce programme dirigé par une CDPIP démontre que l’approvisionnement plus sécuritaire par prescription peut être offert par du personnel infirmier praticien qui fait appel à l’ensemble de son champ de pratique. 

 

Prix héritage Adrianna Tetley, Tara Groves-Taylor, PDG, Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo

Tara Groves-Taylor est la PDG de Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo qui fournit des services de soins de santé primaires à plus de 23 000 personnes dans la région de Kitchener-Waterloo. L’organisation est également l’un des plus grands centres de santé pour réfugiés au Canada. Depuis son arrivée, Tara a grandement contribué à améliorer la santé et le bien-être des personnes qui font face à des obstacles, notamment les réfugiés, les personnes en situation d’itinérance, et celles ayant des problèmes de santé mentale et de toxicomanie. Elle a également inspiré la création du « Healthcaring Pulse », un bulletin électronique mensuel de sensibilisation pour les prestataires, les décideurs, les défenseurs et les communautés de l’Ontario, visant à établir du soutien dans l’ensemble du système. 

Le prix est nommé en l’honneur d’Adrianna Tetley, qui a été directrice générale de l’Alliance pour des communautés en santé pendant plus de 16 ans. Adrianna, qui a toujours été passionnée par l’amélioration de la santé et du bien-être des personnes confrontées à des obstacles, a contribué à ce que l’équité en santé soit au programme de nombreuses tables de concertation provinciales. Son influence sur l’équité en santé et les soins de santé primaires dans la province est indéniable.

Le Prix Adrianna Tetley récompense un leader émergent dans le domaine de la transformation des soins de santé primaires qui, comme Adrianna, démontre ténacité et détermination pour améliorer la santé et le bien-être des personnes et des communautés qui font face à des obstacles à la santé et dont la personnalité est un reflet de celle de l’Alliance : inspirée, ouverte, perspicace, avertie et fougueuse.

Prix Denise Brooks du champion pour l’équité en santé, Florence Ngenzebuhoro, ancienne PDG, Centre francophone du Grand Toronto

Florence Ngenzebuhoro est anciennement PDG du Centre francophone du Grand Toronto. Ce centre multiservice, situé dans la région du Grand Toronto, sert de carrefour et de centre de soutien principal en Ontario pour les francophones du monde entier. Sous la direction de Florence, l’organisation a connu une croissance rapide et a élargi sa portée communautaire. Au cours des quatre dernières années, le Centre francophone du Grand Toronto a ouvert de nouveaux bureaux à Mississauga et Scarborough et a établi des services d’établissement à l’aéroport Pearson. Florence a cofondé le « Mouvement ontarien des femmes immigrantes francophones » (MOFIF) en 2001. Elle s’implique aussi activement dans diverses organisations, dont l’Université de l’Ontario français (UOF), l’Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO), le Comité consultatif national en établissement francophone (CCNÉF) et la Table nationale en immigration francophone (TNIF). 

Le prix est nommé en l’honneur de Denise Brooks qui a été la directrice générale du Centre de santé communautaire du noyau urbain de Hamilton pendant plus de 25 ans. Denise s’est consacrée longuement à la défense de causes sociales, au service à la communauté et au développement communautaire à la ville de Hamilton. En quête de justice sociale, elle a œuvré sans relâche pour du changement. On se souvient de Denise pour son engagement envers l’équité en santé. Tout au long de sa carrière, elle s’est efforcée d’améliorer la vie des personnes les plus marginalisées et de ne laisser personne pour compte. Au cours des années précédant son décès, elle a mené d’importants efforts pour lutter contre l’iniquité sociale à Hamilton et pour souligner les effets néfastes de la pauvreté sur la santé.

Le Prix Denise Brooks du champion pour l’équité en santé a pour but de souligner des exemples exceptionnels de l’application de la Charte pour l’équité en santé. Le prix est décerné à une personne pour ses efforts visant à éliminer les obstacles entravant l’équité en santé et à promouvoir des politiques et des initiatives qui luttent contre la discrimination, l’oppression et les conditions sociales qui engendrent des inégalités en santé. De plus, le prix récompense des personnes pour leurs efforts remarquables pour la réduction de la pauvreté et pour l’avancement de la justice sociale et qui ont un engagement ferme envers la lutte contre l’oppression, y compris le racisme envers les Noirs et les Autochtones.

Prix Joe Leonard, Brian Dokis, ancien PDG, Centre d’accès aux services de santé pour les Autochtones du Sud-Ouest

Jusqu’à récemment, Brian Dokis dirigeait le Centre d’accès aux services de santé pour les Autochtones du Sud-Ouest (Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre – SOAHAC). Il s’est joint à l’organisation il y a 25 ans lorsque 10 centres d’accès aux services de santé pour les Autochtones (CASSA) ont été établis en Ontario pour fournir des services de soins de santé culturels dirigés par des Autochtones aux peuples des Premières Nations, Inuits et Métis de la province. Sous sa direction, le SOAHAC a pris de l’expansion pour inclure six sites dans le sud-ouest de l’Ontario à London, Newbury, Owen Sound, Waterloo-Wellington, et Windsor et sur la réserve de la Première Nation des Chippewas de la Thames. L’année dernière, le SOAHAC a célébré son 25e anniversaire avec l’inauguration officielle d’un nouveau bâtiment plus grand à London. Depuis le lancement des 10 CASSA il y a 25 ans, Brian a été un membre actif du cercle des directeurs généraux des CASSA, qui a ensuite évolué en le Conseil autochtone des soins de santé primaires (Indigenous Primary Health Care Council - IPHCC), une voix importante dans l’avancement des services de soins de santé primaires autochtones en Ontario. Brian siégeait au conseil d’administration de l’IPHCC avec d’autres dirigeants autochtones. 

Brian est ici honoré par des leaders autochtones et l’IPHCC lors d’une cérémonie de la couverture pour souligner et honorer ce moment transformateur dans la vie et la carrière de Brian. 

Ce prix est nommé en l’honneur du premier directeur général du Centre de santé communautaire LAMP, Joseph Patrick Leonard, que Brian connaissait et a reconnu dans son discours de remerciement. Le but de ce prix est de reconnaître des individus comme Joe Leonard qui ont démontré un leadership extraordinaire, un engagement et un appui pour des solutions créatives visant des soins de santé accessibles, de haute qualité et abordables.

Prix du Champion de la santé communautaire, Santé arc-en-ciel Ontario (SAO)

Sil Hernando, photographié ci-dessus, a accepté le Prix du Champion de la santé communautaire au nom de toute l’équipe de Santé arc-en-ciel Ontario. Sil a souligné que la mission de créer plus d’espaces et de services sécuritaires pour les personnes 2SLGBTQ+ est plus essentielle que jamais, compte tenu des obstacles, y compris la violence et la haine, auxquels font face ces personnes. 

Santé arc-en-ciel Ontario, un programme de Sherbourne Health, vise à améliorer les soins de santé pour les communautés 2SLGBTQ. En proposant des formations pour les prestataires de soins de la province, le programme renforce les compétences cliniques et culturelles pour mieux servir les clients 2SLGBTQ. Santé arc-en-ciel Ontario promeut également le changement dans le système en produisant des ressources fondées sur des données probantes et en contribuant aux démarches en matière de politique publique avec une perspective de santé 2SLGBTQ. Le programme agit comme un catalyseur de recherche et organise la plus grande conférence canadienne sur la santé des personnes 2SLGBTQ. Ses efforts visent notamment le renforcement des capacités relativement aux soins de santé pour les personnes transgenres en Ontario par des formations portant sur les compétences cliniques et culturelles, du mentorat, l’établissement de réseaux, la création de ressources et des consultations. Le programme met aussi en contact des communautés 2SLGBTQ avec des services qui leur sont adaptés par un répertoire de prestataires de services. 

Le Prix du Champion de la santé communautaire est décerné à un partenaire de l’Alliance dont le travail contribue à faire progresser l’équité en santé; ce partenaire inspire et amplifie le travail des membres de l’Alliance pour améliorer les résultats de santé des personnes marginalisées. 

Felicitations à tous!

Alliance for Healthier Communities' Transformative Change Awards 2024

Thursday, June 27, 2024

This year’s 2024 Transformative Change Awards were a year like no other for these amazing accolades recognizing innovation, leadership and dedication to health equity work in health care in Ontario.

This year, there was a record number of nominations for the team awards category, showcasing amazing work happening all across the province. The Alliance board and staff wish to thank everyone who submitted a nomination package, as well as our awards selection committee, who had hard decisions to make.

Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s awards – we are grateful to celebrate your work! We encourage everyone to celebrate with us, too – sharing these videos is one of the best ways to ensure decision-makers know about the impacts of community health organizations and teams, as we work to ensure the sustainability of programs, services and teams that are essential to health equity.

Here are the 2024 Transformative Change Awards recipients:

The Transformative Change Awards (teams/organizations) celebrate exceptional examples of the Model of Health and Wellbeing (MHWB) or the Model of Wholistic Health and Wellbeing (MWHWB) (for Indigenous organizations) in action and recognizes people, programs and services that champion transformative change to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities facing barriers to health.

East Effort – An East Toronto Collaborative (Flemingdon Health Centre)

East Effort is a collaborative program that launched in East Toronto in 2021 to address the urgent needs of equity deserving communities during the pandemic. Over 3 years, the program has reached over 140,000 people in partnership with over 30 organizations. The goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of those most marginalized and was funded through the High Priority Community strategy. The program foundation is a collaborative governance model that is responsible for guiding the program, distributing the funds and ensuring program goals are achieved. This Steering Committee is composed of service providers, community residents and OHT representatives.

Niagara HELPS (Quest Community Health Centre)

Niagara HELPS (Homelessness Emergency Liaison and Peer Support) is a peer support program that employs individuals with lived/living experience and works with people experiencing homelessness who attend the Emergency Departments at Niagara Health Hospital at its St. Catharines and Niagara Falls sites. Peers help clients with system navigation, advocacy and connecting them to services in the community. The Niagara HELPS program enables coordinated care among providers to support continuity of care and to offer wrap-around services. It reduces reliance on hospital and emergency services and improves the health and wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness. HELPS started as a research project called HEART (Health and Equity through Advocacy, Research, and Theatre) by McMaster university research where people with lived experience shared their experience in the ED through theater.

Prescribed Alternatives Program (formerly Safer Supply Program; Peterborough 360 Degree NPLC)

The Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (360NPLC) is the first NPLC to open a federally funded safer supply pilot site in response to Canada’s drug poisoning crisis and, specifically, Peterborough’s drug poisoning fatality rates, which are above Ontario’s average. A peer-driven, iterative, positive, interdisciplinary model of service keeps the individual goals of people who use drugs at the centre of their care and enables participants to re-engage with health care and other supportive services. From the outset, 360NPLC set out to involve the community of people who use drugs in co-creating the Safer Supply Program. The result is a Prescribed Alternatives Program that actually works for people who use drugs and which continues to evolve in response to participant feedback. Additionally, this NPLC-run Prescribed Alternatives Program demonstrates that prescribed safer supply can be offered by nurse practitioners working to their full scope of practice.

Adrianna Tetley Legacy Award, Tara Groves-Taylor, CEO, Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo

Tara Groves-Taylor is the CEO of Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo. The organization provides primary health care services to over 23,000 people in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. It is also one of the largest refugee health centres in Canada. Since joining the organization, Tara has made significant contributions to improving the health and wellbeing of people facing barriers, including refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and those with mental health and substance use issues. She helped inspire the creation of the innovative Healthcaring Pulse monthly Advocacy E-briefing for providers, decision-makers, advocates, and communities across Ontario to build system-wide support. 

The award is named after Adrianna Tetley, Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Healthier Communities for more than 16 years. Always passionate about improving the health and wellbeing for people facing barriers, Adrianna helped put health equity on the agenda at many provincial tables. She has been a powerful force that has shaped the health equity and comprehensive primary health care landscape in the province.

The Adrianna Tetley Legacy Award honours an emerging leader in the primary health care transformation landscape who demonstrates Adrianna’s tenacity and determination to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities facing barriers to health as well as the Alliance’s personality: inspired, open, perceptive, savvy, and feisty.

Denise Brooks Health Equity Champion Award, Florence Ngenzebuhoro, former CEO, Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto

Florence Ngenzebuhoro is a former CEO of the Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto. This multiservice centre, located in the Greater Toronto Area, serves as a hub and a primary support centre in Ontario for francophones from around the globe. Under Florence’s leadership, the organization has experienced a rapid growth and expanded its community outreach. Over the last four years, the Centre francophone du Grand Toronto has opened new offices in Mississauga and Scarborough and established a reception agency at Pearson Airport. Florence co-founded the “Mouvement ontarien des femmes immigrantes francophones de l’Ontario” (Ontarian Movement of Francophone Immigrant Women of Ontario—MOFIF) in 2001. She is also actively involved in various organizations, including the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF), the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO), the Comité consultatif national en établissement francophone (CCNÉF), and the Table nationale en immigration francophone (TNIF).

The award is named after Denise Brooks who was the Executive Director of Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre for more than 25 years. Denise had a long history of social advocacy, community service and development in the city of Hamilton. She worked relentlessly to bring about change in the pursuit of social justice. Denise is remembered for her commitment to health equity. Throughout her career, Denise worked to improve life for the most marginalized. She was committed to leaving no one behind. In the years before she passed, Denise led important work addressing social inequality in Hamilton and highlighting the detrimental impact of poverty on health.

The Denise Brooks Health Equity Champion award celebrates exceptional examples of the Health Equity Charter in action and recognizes an individual who demonstrates outstanding contributions to dismantling barriers to equitable health and championing policies and interventions that challenge discrimination and oppression, and address social conditions causing health inequities. Additionally, the award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to poverty reduction, advancing social justice and shows a strong commitment to anti-oppression, including commitment to addressing racism against Black and Indigenous people.

Joe Leonard Award, Brian Dokis, former CEO, Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre

Up until recently, Brian Dokis had been leading the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre, also known as SOAHAC. Brian joined SOAHAC 25 years ago when 10 Aboriginal Health Access Centres were established in Ontario to deliver Indigenous-governed culture-based healthcare services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across the province. Under his leadership, SOAHAC has grown to include six locations across Southwestern Ontario in London, Newbury, Owen Sound, Waterloo Wellington, Windsor and on the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation Reserve. Last year, SOAHAC celebrated its 25th anniversary with the official opening of a new, larger building in London. Since the ten Aboriginal Health Access Centres were launched 25 years ago, Brian was an active member of the AHAC Executive Leaders Circle that later grew into the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, a key voice in advancing Indigenous Primary Health Care services throughout Ontario. Along with other Indigenous leaders, Brian sat on the Board of the IPHCC. 

Brian is pictured here while being honoured by Indigenous leaders and IPHCC in a Blanket Ceremony to mark and honour this transformative moment in Brian's life and career.

This award is named after LAMP Community Health Centre’s first Executive Director, Joseph Patrick Leonard, whom Brian knew and recognized in his acceptance speech. The purpose of this award is to recognize individuals like Joe Leonard who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, commitment and support for creative solutions to accessible, high quality and affordable health care. 

Community Health Champion Award, Rainbow Health Ontario

Sil Hernando, pictured above, accepted the Community Health Champion award on behalf of Rainbow Health Ontario's entire team, noting that its drive to create more safe spaces and services for 2SLGBTQ+ people is as essential as ever, given the barriers, including violence and hate, that people face.

Rainbow Health Ontario is a program of Sherbourne Health, and it aims to create opportunities for the healthcare system to better serve 2SLGBTQ communities. Rainbow Health Ontario offers training for healthcare providers across the province to build their clinical and cultural competency in caring for 2SLGBTQ clients. It also supports system change by producing evidence-based resources and contributing a 2SLGBTQ health perspective to public policy processes. Rainbow Health Ontario acts as a research catalyst and hosts Canada’s largest 2SLGBTQ health conference. Rainbow Health Ontario’s work includes building capacity for trans health care across Ontario through clinical and cultural competency training, mentoring and fostering networks, as well as resources and consultation. This program also connects 2SLGBTQ communities to 2SLGBTQ-positive services through a Service Provider Directory.

The Community Health Champion Award is given to a partner of the Alliance whose work is helping advance health equity and who both inspires and amplifies the work of Alliance members towards improved health outcomes for marginalized people.

Congratulations to all!