Growing Together, Working for Change
A message from CACHC’s Board of Directors
Together, in 2011, we launched a visionary plan to strengthen the role of Community Health Centres in meeting the health and healthcare needs of individuals, families and communities across Canada. We recognized that our shared vision would require a stronger, more stable national Community Health Centres association. This would require us to strike a fine balance between building the association’s infrastructure and evolving its menu of member services, research, policy and advocacy initiatives.
We also acknowledged that the lived realities of the clients served by Community Health Centres and the values of community-based primary health care are shared internationally. We knew we needed to connect, to form a network, and to provide a platform that enables us to learn from one another around the world. With that in mind, we simultaneously embarked on a journey to establish the International Federation of Community Health Centres, and in collaboration with our global partners we achieved this goal in 2013.
The intensity of our association’s work has not eased since 2011. As we present our third annual report, for the year 2014-15, we are called to consider how it is that we distinguish “busy-ness” from progress, and how we can report with confidence that we are on course in fulfilling our vision and mission.
Our financial report for 2014-15 provides our anchor. We are pleased to report that we have fulfilled our commitment to deliver a balanced budget by the end of our third year of operations. We recorded a moderate surplus for 2014-15. This surplus also sets us on our way to achieving another commitment made by the CACHC Board of Directors to our members: a $70,000 operating reserve by 2017-18.
Click to read more...What our 2014-15 financial report illustrates is that, while we remain ambitious in our goals and activities, we have found a secure and sustainable basis for our operations.
Complementing this financial consolidation in 2014-15 was a focus on strategic planning for the future. With input from our members, we developed and implemented our first multi-year strategic plan. The CACHC Strategic Plan 2015-18 was ratified by members at our 2014 Annual General Meeting and is now helping to guide our operational planning. It provides a compass to gauge our progress and report back to our members, something we look forward to doing for the first time at our 2015 Annual General Meeting.
Also in the vein of strategic planning, we implemented our formal Member Resolutions process in 2014-15, an important priority-setting mechanism that places greater power directly in the hands of our members. We were pleased to see three important member resolutions carried at our 2014 AGM. These resolutions have already helped to further shape our priority areas of work. They have also become the basis of our inaugural Agent of Change Awards to be presented at our 2015 conference, in Ottawa.
We are pleased to report progress in many other areas of activity over the course of 2014-15 as well, focused on member services, research, policy and advocacy development. We invite you to scroll through the annual report to review key highlights. A significant number of these activities have been carried forward in partnership, and CACHC secured its first project grant funds in 2014-15. This new partnership and project funding is key to optimizing CACHC’s capacity and to diversifying our resource base.
2014-15 was a busy year, yes, but more importantly, it was a year of significant progress on both organizational and operational fronts. We invite you to join in celebrating our collective accomplishments throughout the year, and we encourage you to remain an active part of our collective future success.
Yours in health and membership,
CACHC Board of Directors
Spreading Our Roots
CACHC’s evolving role across Canada means that not only is the association carrying forward a vision and concrete efforts to influence federal health and social policy, we are working at ground level to unite and support Community Health Centres at various jurisdiction levels – internationally, federally, provincially and locally. Our key focus on the federal level was complemented in 2014-15 by important activities to support and build provincial CHC associations – most notably in British Columbia and Manitoba – and to increase connections at the international level.
In April 2014, CACHC coordinated and co-hosted the inaugural West Coast Community Health Centres Summit, bringing together CHCs and their leaders from throughout British Columbia, Alberta, and Washington State. The summit is part of an emerging partnership to foster collaboration between and among CHCs in Western Canada and the United States.
The summit also served as event launch for the newly-formed British Columbia Federation of Community Health Centres (BCFCHC), a province-based CHC association that will work in close alliance with CACHC to advance the vision of and access to CHCs in BC. In December 2014, BCFCHC and CACHC jointly tabled the province’s first core recommendations around opportunities for the Government of British Columbia to leverage the unparalleled capacity of Community Health Centres.
The association also spent significant time on the ground in Manitoba, working with colleagues to renew and revitalize the Manitoba Association of Community Health (MACH) . The provincial association has initiated an inspiring plan to re-unite CHCs and community-based health and social service partners in the province to optimize the impact of their collective expertise and capacity.
As these associations join the ranks of other provincial CHC associations across Canada, the shared capacity of CACHC and its provincial counterparts to positively influence health policy and investment increases as we move into 2015-16 and beyond.
Bringing Forward Voices for Change
Hover mouse over speaker to read quotes
“As we work to improve health and quality of life for the diverse clients we serve, it is critical for our organizations to continue to integrate high-quality healthcare with services and supports that address the other factors that impact people’s lives, including access to affordable and safe housing. I am very encouraged that our national Community Health Centres association is making these connections at the policy and advocacy levels, and our organization looks forward to strengthening this movement for positive social change.”
Kathy Stinson
Executive Director,
Victoria Cool Aid Society
Victoria, British Columbia
“As a new Community Health Centre, and serving a diverse French-speaking population in Calgary, it has been invaluable to share and learn from other more established Community Health Centres here in Alberta and across Canada. The opportunity to build a strong pan-Canadian network of French-language Community Health Centres through CACHC and in partnership with our fellow members is something that holds tremendous potential to improve the health of the populations we serve.”
Esdras Ngenzi
Executive Director,
ACFA Régionale de Calgary et
Clinique francophone de Calgary,
Calgary, Alberta
“The work of many Community Health Centres across Canada is international by its very nature. Our staff, board members and the clients we serve are part of diverse trans-national communities where the factors influencing health are very often trans-national as well. I am pleased to see CACHC paying attention to these larger global connections and working to find practical ways that we can learn from and work with our CHC allies around the world, including the International Federation of Community Health Centres.”
Liben Gebremikael
Executive Director,
TAIBU Community Health Centre
Scarborough, Ontario
“As a Community Nutritionist, I see daily the broad spectrum of factors that affects the health of the individuals and families I am working to support. Access to affordable and high-quality foods is a key area of concern in my work, but it is also deeply connected to personal and systemic issues of income inequality, poverty and other social barriers to health. The Community Health Centre provides a place where we can take a holistic approach in addressing this complex web and I am encouraged that we are also doing so at a national level through the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres.”
Shelley Baccardax
Community Nutritionist,
North End Community Health Centre
Halifax, Nova Scotia
CACHC Members: Stronger, Better, Together
Consistent growth in CACHC’s membership means a stronger and more unified voice for change across the country.
Meet Our Members: Agents of Care, Agents of Change
Explore our current membership - click the image below to read the CACHC Members' List.
A Growing Voice on Social Media
CACHC’s active communications and social marketing are helping to positively advance the vision of community-oriented primary health care and the role of Community Health Centres.
Improving Resources and Knowledge
Exchange for Members
In addition to the work of our association at federal policy and partnership tables on behalf of our members, CACHC continues to serve as a hub for networking, resource-sharing and collaboration among Community Health Centres across Canada. In 2014-15, the tools and mechanisms for these connections across the country expanded. We introduced our webinar series for CHCs, something set to expand further in 2015 following CACHC’s national conference in Ottawa.
CACHC also further refined the relatively new Community Health Centre Knowledge & Networking Hub, launching KNhub 2.0 this past year. The KNhub has begun to serve as a core online meeting place and resource node for Community Health Centres looking for and wanting to share innovative practices, research and ideas about how to build our national movement.
Evolution of the National Knowledge and Networking Hub
Since its initial launch in 2013, the KNhub has evolved gradually but surely into a powerful meeting and resource-sharing hub.
Advancing our Commitment to Francophone Population Health
CACHC is committed to addressing population health issues and working through a health equity lens. In carrying forward the association’s Strategic Plan 2015-18, important priority has been given to efforts to have a positive impact on the health, including access to appropriate healthcare services, of Francophone populations across the country.
The association’s efforts are led by a pan-Canadian Working Group on French-language Health Services and, in 2014-15, our vision for concrete activities began to take root through an exciting new partnership between CACHC and Société Santé en français. The association has as its mission to work with provincial networks of French-language health services across Canada to improve access and quality of health services for Francophone and Acadian communities living in minority settings across the country.
2014-15 saw the launch of a year-long research initiative that will provide an environmental scan of French-language, community-based primary health care services across Canada and recommendations for increasing access to these services, including CHCs. The report is expected in 2015-16.
Expanding our Global Movement
In order to improve the quality and reach of the services and supports provided by Community Health Centres, we must become better attuned to the nature of working in a globalized world. Not only is there tremendous opportunity to learn from and collaborate with Community Health Centre allies in other countries, it is critical to work towards a shared approach to strategies that will improve population health across boundaries and borders.
In 2014-15, the Canadian Association of Community Health Centres continued to nurture the relationships that have been established through the International Federation of Community Health Centres This included planning for the inaugural CACHC-led international study exchange for Community Health Centres, which takes place in Melbourne, Australia in April 2015.
CACHC’s working relationships with CHCs and CHC associations around the world also means a growing commitment by all partners to join forces wherever possible. The first official joint IFCHC activity is scheduled to take place in October 2015 as CACHC joins counterparts from Australia, the United States and Europe to host an official session at the 2015 World Hospital Congress in Chicago. The session will explore the valuable role of CHCs around the world in reducing avoidable hospital admissions.
Becoming Leaders of Change
CACHC continued to make its voice heard on important policy issues throughout 2014-15, increasing the visibility of the Community Health Centre vision among the Canadian public and policy makers. In addition to voicing recommendations to the federal government around investment in key areas such as housing, poverty reduction, a renewed Health Accord, and Pharmacare, the association continued to provide formal input to federal political parties. The association remains equally ready to provide input into other health and social policy platforms if provided the opportunity.
CACHC also provided ongoing policy input as an official member of the Health Action Lobby (H.E.A.L.), a membership organization of over 40 federal health and healthcare associations. As a result of CACHC’s voice, and its collaboration with federal partners, HEAL’s three core recommendations to the federal government and provinces now include a strong call for “accelerating the implementation of evidence-based, community-based primary health care, with interprofessional delivery models at the local level.” A growing list of other federal partners, including the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, are also now calling for establishment and investment in a national Community Health Centres strategy as a central pillar of a more innovative, accessible health system for all.
Through distribution of regular e-news bulletins to thousands of followers across Canada, and with over 9800 followers on Twitter and more than 2500 followers on Facebook, CACHC has built powerful platforms to convey the Community Health Centre vision of health and wellbeing. This includes actively profiling the innovative programs and services of its member Community Health Centres for national and international audiences, and providing practical case studies of the promise and potential of the Community Health Centre model. As the association and its membership move even further forward in 2015-16, a powerful chorus of voices is now poised to carry the Community Health Centre vision to critical new heights.
Financial Summary
2014-15 was a critical year for CACHC from the perspective of financial and operational stability. Increased diversification of revenue, coupled with a growing membership and two years of operational experience, enabled the association to achieve the balanced budget promised to our members by the end of our third year of operations. This stability puts the association on an even stronger footing for 2015-16.
Staff, Contributors, and Board of Directors
Staff and Contributors
Scott A. Wolfe Executive Director swolfe@cachc.ca Twitter: @ScottAWolfe
Lorraine Hudson
Knowledge Exchange Coordinator
lhudson@cachc.ca
Twitter: @CACHC_KE
Farzana Propa Administrative Assistant info@cachc.ca
Anne Marie Viggiani Bookkeeper
Jessica Bromley Bartram Graphic Design jessicabartram.ca
2014 Board of Directors
Tim Archer (Director)
Saskatchewan Constituency Representative
Executive Director
Saskatoon Community Clinic
Saskatoon, SK
Kathy Blois (Director)
Nova Scotia Constituency Representative
Manager
Rawdon Hills Community Health Centre
Upper Rawdon, NS
Irene Clarence (Director)
British Columbia Constituency Representative
Executive Director
Mid-Main Community Health Centre
Vancouver, BC
Linda Dawson (Director)
Manitoba Constituency Representative
Director of Health Services
Klinic Community Health Centre
Winnipeg, MB
Shelley Heartwell (Director)
Alberta Constituency Representative
Chief Executive Officer
The Alex Community Health Centre
Calgary, AB
Michelle Hurtubise (Treasurer)
Ontario Constituency Representative
Executive Director
London InterCommunity Health Centre
London, ON
Jane Moloney (Chair)
Member-At-Large
Health and Social Policy Consultant
Centretown Community Health Centre
Ottawa, ON
Lynne Raskin (Director)
Member-At-Large
Chief Executive Officer
South Riverdale Community Health Centre
Toronto, ON
Simone Thibault (Director)
French-language Services Constituency Representative
Executive Director
Centretown Community Health Centre
Ottawa, ON