Dear Editor:
For community members who work and volunteer in community health, October is a meaningful month. It’s a time to celebrate community health and wellbeing with the priority populations we serve, and to remind decision-makers that our work is the foundation of the health care system.
Guelph Community Health Centre (Guelph CHC) is one of many community health organizations across Canada providing primary health care and wraparound supports to community members who face barriers to health and wellness.
What does that look like? Newcomers to Canada who face language barriers can access translation services to ensure clear communication with their health care providers. Parents can support early childhood development and socialization through Guelph CHC’s EarlyON program.
Transgender people may address acute health conditions before it becomes more serious, because they know their medical team will treat them with dignity and respect.
Someone who is struggling with loneliness can improve their sense of belonging through a social prescription that connects them with programs in the community.
Thanks to Guelph CHC programs, people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have access to primary health care and other supports such as showers, nutrition and pathways to housing. A person experiencing a mental health crisis in public spaces may be supported by an outreach worker instead of a police officer.
Community health provides the right care in the right setting. When a person has access to health and wellness programs at the community level, they are less likely to reach a crisis that requires emergency or hospital resources. Community health settings – where all clients feel welcome and valued – relieve pressure on other parts of the health care system.
Despite our critical role and the rising cost of living, community health workers face a combined wage gap of over $2 billion compared to our peers doing similar work in other publicly funded settings, including in hospitals and schools. This growing wage gap is causing staffing shortages that will continue to impact care. To continue our work in a meaningful way, wages must keep pace with comparable health care roles.
During Community Health and Wellbeing Month, we celebrate our clients’ health and wellness journeys. We acknowledge barriers and work to remove them, one by one. We celebrate and honour the collective efforts of our hardworking staff and volunteers.
And we join with our colleagues across Ontario in reminding our communities and decision-makers of the critical role we play, now and in the future.
Melissa Kwiatkowski,
CEO, Guelph CHC