Community Matters

In this episode of Community Matters we speak with Kemlin Nembhard, Executive Director at Women's Health Clinic, a Community Health Centre in Winnipeg, MB. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the USA, Kemlin sheds light on how this situation could impact Canadians and how listeners can advocate for better abortion care, women's health rights, and access to necessary services including Community Health Centres.

In this episode of Community Matters, we speak with Terrence Rodriguez, REX Pride Program and Specialized Supports Coordinator at Rexdale Community Health Centre. He has grown what was once a grassroots 2SLGBTQ+ Peer group into the REX Pride Program under Rexdale Community Health Centre's roof in a decade.

On this episode of Community Matters, we speak with Kimberley Tateson-Bennett, Director of Health Services and Elaine Wilson, Senior Director of Operations of CUPS Calgary, a community health centre in Calgary, Alberta. Through CACHC's CVP-National Project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, CUPS Calgary has expanded its COVID-19 response, encouraging vaccination among vulnerable communities through community engagement, outreach, peer-led groups. This includes a number of community partnerships.

We speak with Dawn Martin (Executive Director) and Katherine Lyseiko (Program and Communication Coordinator) of Regina Community Clinic, a Community Health Centre based in Regina, Saskatchewan. We learn about resources Regina Community Clinic has created and the impact they have had through support from CACHC's CVP-National Project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. These resources, created in multiple languages, are continuing to help diverse groups in Regina better understand their choices around vaccines and protection against COVID-19.

We speak with Olu Villasa, Manager of the Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) at Black Creek Community Health Centre, in Toronto. We learn about the vision and goals of the BEA, which provides a broad spectrum of education, mentorship and acceleration supports to Black entrepreneurs seeking to establish and grow businesses in the local community and beyond. The BEA is integrated into the broader mission and services of the Black Creek Community Health Centre connecting entrepreneurship and economic empowerment to health and wellbeing for individuals, families, and community.

We speak with Juanita Lawson, CEO of NorWest Community Health Centres headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario about the broad range of care and support services they offer throughout a vast geographical area in Northern Ontario. We touch on some of the challenges they encounter within the diverse communities they serve and how their organization works to ensure timely, appropriate care and support.

Nous discutons avec Estelle Duchon du Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto de la vaste gamme de services et de programmes offerts par ce centre de santé communautaire qui dessert la grande région de Toronto. Notre discussion touche à l'importance de l'accès aux services et aux soutiens en français pour les francophones vivant en situation minoritaire à travers le Canada.

We speak with Toby Esterby from Saskatoon Community Clinic in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan about the CHC's broad ranging care and support efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes diverse vaccine promotion and delivery activities with project funding from CACHC under the association's Community Vaccine Promotion (CVP-National) Project, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

We speak with Ayn Wilcox, Mike Payne, and Kemlin Nembhard, the Executive Directors of three Community Health Centres in Winnipeg, Manitoba: Klinic Community Health, Women's Health Clinic, and Nine Circles Community Health Centre. They describe collaboration between the city's diverse Community Health Centres to establish a same day clinic and social services offered collaboratively through partnership among the city's CHCs.

We speak with Rhiannon Thomas and Sarah Greig from South Riverdale Community Health Centre in Toronto about how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the ongoing overdose and opioid pandemic. We explore how the team at South Riverdale CHC has worked, against significant odds, to ensure continuous, accessible, and timely support for members of the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and we touch on some of the systemic and policy shifts needed to save lives and to better support community-based first responders.