Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund To Bring Services Closer to Ontarians

TORONTO, Feb. 19 – The opportunity to vastly improve the quality and accessibility of services provided to Ontarians in their communities is behind the work now underway to establish a Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund (CHSSIF) in response to the economic challenges facing Ontario. The Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC), the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) look forward to working with the Ontario Government on this critical project.The Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund presents an unprecedented and historic opportunity to put a down payment on Ontario’s future community health & social services’ infrastructure to meet growing demand, while creating jobs for workers in small and mid-sized construction and related companies. These initiatives will stimulate the economy in rural and urban communities throughout Ontario.

Under the sponsorship of a Community Health Centre, Community Support Service Agency or a Community Mental Health & Addiction Programs provider, we envision under one roof: community health centres, supportive housing, community support services, community mental health & addiction services, wellness centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres – the possibilities are endless and will be determined by communities across the province. Not only will this better serve the needs of Ontarians, especially those facing barriers to accessing service, it also advances the integration goals of the Government and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) by enhancing community partnerships and reducing the overhead costs for local service providers.

This Infrastructure Fund would also implement many of the recommendations in the Government of Ontario’s Breaking the Poverty Cycle report, including the Oral Health Plan, the Roots of Youth Violence Report, and other Ontario Government priorities like the Aging at Home Strategy, quality family health care, and the enhancement of access to mental health and addiction services in local communities.

The upcoming Ontario Budget 2009 offers a timely opportunity to demonstrate leadership and vision by establishing this Infrastructure Fund as a legacy that will build the foundation for strong, collaborative multi-sectoral initiatives serving the needs of communities across the province.

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Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC)

AOHC provides leadership for the promotion, advocacy, education and development of Community Health Centres (CHCs), Aboriginal Health Access Centres (AHACs) and Community Family Health Teams (CFHTs). Our vision is for all Ontarians to have access to not-for-profit, community-governed, interprofessional primary health care.

Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA)

OCSA is a provincial association that supports, promotes and represents the common goal of its members, which are providers of community based not-for-profit health and social services, so that they are better able to support people to live at home in their own communities.

Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP)

OFCMHAP bring together community mental health and addiction services in the province of Ontario to help members provide effective, high-quality services through information sharing, education, advocacy and united effort.

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Three of Ontario’s leading not-for-profit provincial community organizations, the Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC), the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) have joined together to work with the Ontario Government to expand existing infrastructure initiatives through the establishment of a Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund in response to the economic challenges facing Ontario. It is important for Ontario to include Community Health and Social Service Infrastructure Initiatives in negotiating with the Federal Government about the Budget 2009 infrastructure funding that will be coming to the province.

The Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund would assist the Government to stimulate the economy in rural and urban communities throughout Ontario and create jobs for workers in small and mid-sized construction and related companies. While stimulating the economy, the Infrastructure Fund would meet community infrastructure needs. Under one roof we envision community health centres, community supports, mental health and addiction services, supportive housing, wellness centres, Aboriginal Health Access Centres – the possibilities are endless and will be determined by local communities. Not only will this better meet the needs of many Ontarians, especially those facing barriers to accessing service, it also advances the integration goals of the Government and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) by developing partnerships and reducing service provider overhead costs.

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The Community Health & Social Services Infrastructure Fund (CHSSIF) will build on current and planned upgrading of existing over-burdened buildings and establish new Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Aboriginal Health Access Centres (AHACs) with enhanced capacity to co-locate with other community partners. The goal is to bring together health providers, mental health and addiction programs and community services that support the transformation and integration of community health and social services to better serve Ontarians in their own communities, and to help meet the economic goals of the Government of Ontario.

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A priority would be made to ensure the initiatives’ construction plans are Green-friendly and energy efficient, and that the buildings meet the new standards in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

The CHSSIF would also mitigate the negative outcomes when services are not available in the right place for local populations facing barriers in accessing care including:

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The CHSSIF will draw on local health and social service providers, employment support resources, addiction and mental health programs to build sustainable partnerships which will stimulate the economy in the short- and mid-term, and support the health and social service needs of communities in the long-term.

It will offer a unique opportunity to trigger critical shifts in the way community health and social services are offered to people in communities, ensuring the relevance and sustainability of these services.

The CHSSIF will achieve positive results for our mutual clients, as we enhance linkages with each other and with our other partners in the community, across sectors.

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The Langs Farm Community Health Centre, Waterloo Wellington LHIN

This Centre is located in Cambridge and has a proven track record of being a community partnership model. The organization fulfills its strategic direction of creating “meaningful places, spaces and partnerships” by being co-located with three community partners and works with 15 community partners to provide 18 social, health, recreational, educational and vocational services on site. The decentralization of services ensures that residents have access to a wide spectrum of programs and an increased understanding of what is available in the community. In addition to the Community Health Centre, there are counseling services, public health programs, seniors fitness programs and a pharmacy.

Prince Edward County, South East LHIN

Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors office is located in a building that serves as a community hub in the town of Picton, South East LHIN. Its ideal location makes it ideal to house a number of community services which complement each other in various ways. Clients use services such as the volunteer transportation program offered by Community Care, the Learning Centre to complete Grade 12 equivalency, the Ontario Disability Support Program, (ODSP), vocational services, and the Volunteer Income Tax Program. Building space is also utilized by caregiver support programs and health clinics.

Bathurst-Finch Community Services, Toronto Central LHIN

New Heights Community Health Centres (New Heights CHC) provides primary health care, health promotion and community capacity building programs to people living in the CHCs’ catchment area. Bathurst-Finch Community Services

(BFCS) is co-located with the Bathurst- Finch satellite CHC. BFCS enables community members to get support and advice from a variety of community and social service agencies. These agencies focus their work in areas such as settlement (for newcomers to Canada), employment, mental health, and the arts, and/or on target populations such as women, youth and seniors. BFCS also enables community members to access space for their own activities and purposes. Among its partners are the Downsview Services to Seniors, Victorian Order of Nurses, Family Services Toronto, Hong Fook Mental Health Association, North York Women’s Centre, and Vietnamese Youth & Family Social Services.

The Mel Lloyd Centre, Shelburne, Dufferin County, Central West LHIN

The Mel Lloyd Centre serves the needs of seniors in the community through programs like County Community Support Services, the Adult Day Program, and the Shelburne Meals on Wheels Program as well as providing facility-based care. Many partners have contributed to make this community hub a success: a Federal/Provincial re-development grant, a Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Primary Health Care Transition fund grant for leasehold improvements, furnishings and equipment for a medical clinic for the Mel Lloyd Family Health Team.

A 22 unit apartment complex that provides supportive housing for persons with physical disabilities and frail elderly persons was a partnership between the Ontario March of Dimes, the County of Dufferin and Strong Start funding through the CMHC/Ontario New Affordable Housing Program Agreement. And, recently Ontario Early Years Centre-Dufferin relocated to the Centre.

Kawartha Lakes, Central East LHIN

Community Care Kawartha Lakes (a community support agency) is developing an integrated health/ social services model whereby it is converting into an agency which will offer both community support services as well as the primary care services through the Community Health Centre. In addition to the integration of services, dialogue is taking place with the Community Independent Living sector to explore joint tenancy as well as a private sector rehabilitation company for other tenancy in the same building – to make good use of space and co-location for improved client service.

The ability to fund positions using the Community Health Centre and Community Support Service Agency’s budgets are a perceived benefit of the integrated model, particularly related to finance, technology and human resources – all these positions will have part of their budget from CSS and the other from the CHC budget, enabling a more effective team.

There are also plans to build a Supportive Housing Project adjacent to the CHC. There is a collaborative arrangement with Community Living, Kawartha Participation Projects, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the City for rent supplements for 20 additional units.

For further information: Francois L’Ecuyer, Communications Manager, Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC), (416) 236-2539 Ext 233, francois@aohc.org