From October 21 to 27, the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre (CKCHC) will celebrate our work with local partners to build a healthier, more connected community in Chatham-Kent. To learn more about upcoming events, please follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/ckchc) or Twitter (twitter.com/CKCHC).
Community Health and Wellbeing Week is a province-wide initiative to raise awareness about the local programs, services and engagement initiatives that build stronger, more resilient and healthier communities across Ontario. This year’s theme is Connected Teams, Connected People, Connected Communities.
Here in Chatham-Kent, this week gives us the opportunity to spotlight the everyday heroes at the CKCHC– including staff, volunteers and community members – who strive to build a healthier, more connected community. The week also highlights the local partnerships we have built, such as with the Chatham-Kent Public Library, Employment and Social Services, Chatham- Kent Housing Division and Chatham-Kent EMS, which enable us to help more people and change more lives in seamless and integrated ways.
“Partnerships, like the one we have with Chatham-Kent EMS, allows us to offer a mobile flu clinic in Pain Court, coming Wednesday November 14th from 1:30-4:00pm. This helps to increase access to the francophone seniors who may have trouble getting transportation to their nearest town,” says Laura MacDougald, Health Promoter.
“We know that unique barriers exist in Chatham-Kent, that may limit peoples’ potential for total health and wellbeing,” says MacDougald. “That is why here at Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres we start by connecting with the people in our community – to learn about their needs, their ideas, experiences, and to get their feedback – and then connect with local partners to build a made-in-Chatham-Kent approach to a healthier community.”
Focusing on local needs and barriers such as social isolation, poverty, transportation, and mental health increases people’s capacity to stay healthy, and promotes trust between the community and health providers.
“We work together to connect teams and people who build healthier communities, and those efforts benefit us all here in Chatham- Kent says Beth Kominek, Health Promoter. “In a connected community, fewer people
get sick, more people engage with their own wellbeing, and together we can reduce pressure and costs for the health care system.”
For additional information contact: Laura MacDougald or Beth Kominek at 519-397-5455 or email info@ckchc.ca.
