About Us

What is the Community Health Workers Network of Canada?

Community Health Workers Network of Canada is an emerging Canada-wide initiative working to strengthen and support Community Health Workers (CHWs) across the country.

What is our Mission?

The Mission of the CHW Network of Canada is to provide a forum where CHWs and their allies can share knowledge, experience and resources with each other. Community Health Workers are known by many different titles, including: cultural resource facilitators, community health brokers, multicultural health navigators, community navigators, cross-cultural health promoters, community outreach workers, peer educators, multicultural health brokers, lay health educators, and more. CHWs are grounded in the communities they serve and responsive to the many challenges they face.

Principles

  • Social justice
  • Empowerment
  • Health promotion
  • Health equity
  • Anti-oppressive inclusive practice
  • Work in collaboration
  • Collective decision making
  • Asset based model
  • Community engagement

Objectives

The six main goals of this emerging pan-Canadian organization of community health workers and supporters are to:

  • Advance CHWs' practice while preserving the identity and character of CHWs' work
  • Unite CHWs to increase their visibility and voice
  • Advocate for the recognition of CHWs
  • Support CHWs in addressing the social determinants of health
  • Provide ongoing opportunities for knowledge exchange
  • Conduct research on the workforce's composition and competencies, different models, curriculum; training; cost effectiveness and return on investment

Where do CHWs work?

CHWs work in a wide range of settings, including public health units, community health centres, ethno-specific and multicultural community-based organizations, as well as other regional and provincial organizations.

What do they do?

CHWs have different roles and responsibilities depending on where they work and the specific populations they serve. But they share a common focus, including promoting health and wellbeing of communities, creating 'bridges' between socially and economically marginalized populations and mainstream health and social services, addressing the social determinants of health, engaging with communities to strengthen community capacity, advocating for equity, and catalyzing change.

CHWs may carry out activities such as health education and support, infectious and chronic disease prevention and management, support for pre-natal, labour & delivery, and post-natal help; navigation of health, social services, education and employment resources supports; mediation between families and services, such as child welfare intervention or disability services; and partnering to address common issues.

CHW Case Story from an Ottawa Multi-Cultural Health Navigator

Maria, a thirty-seven-year-old woman originally from South America, lives alone. After Maria moved to Ottawa, she experienced gynecological problems that caused her significant discomfort. Months before her relocation, she had been diagnosed with uterine fibroids. However the required medication was too expensive for her. When I met her, she was crying; she was afraid that she had cancer. I referred her to our Ottawa Newcomer Clinic. I visited Maria at home and I arranged for her to see a family doctor who spoke her language and understood her culture. Not only did the doctor reassure her about her medical problem, but also made a referral to a specialist. I accompanied her to the consultation with her new gynecologist so that I could help her to have confidence and support her during the explanation. Although she spoke good English, she was very vulnerable, and at this point she preferred to listen to her own language. Before her appointment, I had prepared her for the visit, and she had written out her questions. This time she could have her expensive medication from the doctor's cabinet for free. She is now waiting for surgery. She has developed a good rapport with her family doctor. This summer, she is in a program and is much more relaxed. She is now stable and is waiting for the day she will be better.

Networks

  • CHW Network - Alberta

  • CHW Network - British Columbia

  • CHW Network - Manitoba

  • CHW Network - Ontario

  • CHW Network - Québec

CHW Events

Quebec

Québec

Mission

Issu de la concertation, líorganisme en fait sa pierre angulaire. Il a dÈveloppÈ, plusieurs projets en partenariat avec le milieu. Cette pratique permet de conjuguer tous les efforts nÈcessaires afin díagir au quotidien pour une transformation sociale et contribuer ‡ une meilleure qualitÈ de vie des citoyens du quartier.

This organization's main cornerstone is based on the resulting consultation from the people looking for our services. We have developed several projects in partnership with the community. This practice makes it possible to combine all the necessary efforts in order to act daily for a social transformation and to contribute to a better quality of life of the citizens of the district.

Mon Resto Saint-Michel prÙne la prise en charge individuelle et mise sur le potentiel des citoyens pour quíils participent en tant quíacteurs au dÈveloppement de la communautÈ micheloise.

Mon Resto Saint-Michel advocates for individual care and trusts on the potential of citizens to participate as actors in the development of the community of Michelois.

History

Mon Resto Saint-Michel emerges from needs expressed by local residents during the general assembly of the RenÈ-Goupil Educational Center in 1993.

From this desire was born the organization in 1994, which advocates healthy eating accessible to all, in a welcoming environment and with respect for individuals. It is also a meeting place, exchange of information, training, mutual aid and solidarity.

Mon Resto Saint-Michel has thus developed three complementary axes: food security, support for families and social and professional integration as a first step in helping the needs of people in it's community. The Citizen Space was added as a fourth axis in 2005 to complement our services and to offer a safe place to meet and organize.

Mon Resto Saint-Michel advocates for individual care and trusts on the potential of citizens to participate as actors in the development of the community of Michelois.

What difference does it make?

This organization's main cornerstone is based on the resulting consultation from the people looking for our services. We have developed several projects in partnership with the community. This practice makes it possible to combine all the necessary efforts in order to act daily for a social transformation and to contribute to a better quality of life of the citizens of the district.

Mon Resto Saint-Michel emerges from needs expressed by local residents during the general assembly of the René-Goupil Educational Center in 1993.

What challenges/risks does the target population face?

Mon Resto Saint-Michel new residents face three main needs: food security, support for families and social and professional integration. Meeting these needs becomes the first step in helping achieve success for the people and their community. The Citizen Space was added as a fourth axis in 2005 to complement our services and to offer a safe place to meet and organize.

WHAT MAKES OUR WORK REWARDING?

From this desire was born the organization in 1994, which advocates healthy eating accessible to all, in a welcoming environment and with respect for individuals. It is also a meeting place, exchange of information, training, mutual aid and solidarity.

Profile of the organization: Mon Resto Saint-Michel is an organization working on food security, family support, socio-economic integration and citizen participation. He has been practicing for almost 15 years.

Through its activities, Mon Resto Saint Michel helps create a living environment where citizens can take charge and develop their potential as a key player in the development of their community.

The activities of Mon Resto mainly target the HLM Jean Rivard in order to reduce the effect of ghettoization and impoverishment experienced by this party. Nevertheless, they are spreading more and more to the entire Saint Michel district, characterized by its multiethnicity and considered as one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods on the Island of Montreal.

In all the activities of the organization are summarized as follows:

1- Kitchen section: the organization has a community restaurant that serves nutritious meals at a modest price.

2- Childhood-family component: the organization offers a Daycare service to give families a break. Individualized monitoring is done with the children and the parents to accompany them and reinforce their parental role.

The component also includes a '' bedondaine '' project, which involves following up with pregnant women.

3- Food Troubleshooting Component: the organization has a food bank whose objective is to administer urgent food aid to poor families.

4- Food Security Component: the objective is to create Alternatives to food assistance through the development of other initiatives such as: the Moisson project (families participate in food sorting, food safety) ... collective kitchens, food groups collective purchase, community gardens, cooking classes ...

5- Mobilization and participation component Citizen: the organization develops participation projects Citizen: - Citizen Space: this project gave birth to three projects The Angels of Security: a vigil consisting of volunteer parents who accompany the children on the way to the school when going back and forth.

Contact:

phone: (514)376-3218
Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Address: 8461 Allée de Saint-Léonard # 3 Montreal, Quebec
www.monrestostmichel.org

Continue reading