The importance of community health centres in BC's primary care reforms

A half-day invitational workshop**

Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been an effective but under-valued model for delivering community-governed, team-based primary health care for decades in Canada and the US. One of the unique features of the model is its strong focus on the social determinants of health and population health. 

As BC moves to support a role for CHCs within a larger agenda for reforming primary care, what can we learn from other jurisdictions where CHCs are integrated into the broader primary care system? How can we support CHCs in BC to be leaders in improving the quality of care for the entire health system? 

Join us to hear from speakers from BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Oregon state about the key role CHCs play in providing responsive, team-based primary care that is also community-led and particularly effective in addressing the unmet needs of under-serviced and vulnerable populations (in particular Indigenous, rural, low-income and newcomer communities).

Speakers include:

• Lisa Clatney - Executive Director, Saskatoon Community Clinic (Saskatoon, Canada) - Hear from a leader of the largest primary care clinic in Saskatoon. Saskatoon Community Health Centre has been providing services since the early 1960’s and played a key role in the fight to establish Medicare in Saskatchewan. 

• Gil Muñoz - Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (Hillsboro, Oregon); President Elect, Oregon Primary Care Association; Board director, Northwest Regional Primary Care Association - Learn about why Community Health Centres are recognized leaders in Oregon’s efforts to reform primary care. CHCs in Oregon and across the US provide care to some of the highest needs patient populations, and despite this their per patient per day costs are lower than other primary care delivery models. 

• Simone Thibault - Executive Director, Centretown Community Health Centre (Ottawa, Canada) - Ontario’s Community Health Centres preform better than other primary health care delivery models in supporting people with chronic conditions and those with severe mental illness, providing community outreach services, and reducing the use of emergency services despite the fact that they serve higher needs patient populations. Hear from Centretown’s Executive Director about their innovative work to support some of the most vulnerable communities in the heart of Ottawa.

Participation by video or phone will be available for those outside the Lower Mainland who cannot attend in person. If you cannot register to participate in person, but would like to participate online (by phone or video), please sign up here (and do not register below), or contact Thi Vu ([email protected])

The afternoon will also provide opportunities for networking and strategizing to ensure that a strong CHC sector plays a central role in the provincial government’s primary care reforms.

Presented by: BC Health Coalition | Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office | Health Sciences Association

Note that the registration fee for the half-day invitational workshop includes lunch. Please choose your registration amount below based on ability to pay.

** A related public event/forum is planned for the evening of Friday February 1. You are welcome to attend the public event as well—there is no additional cost, but you need to RSVP separately here: https://www.ccpabc.ca/chc_public_talk.