The Windsor Essex Community Health Centre (weCHC) and the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres (CKCHCC) were honoured by the Alliance for Healthier Communities with its Transformative Change Award. This award recognizes and celebrates exceptional examples of the Model of Health and Wellbeing (MHWB) in action and recognizes teams, organizations, collaboratives, programs or services that champion transformative change to improve the health and wellbeing of people and communities facing barriers to health.
Dr. Ian Johnston accepted the award on behalf of weCHC and CKCHC at the Alliance for Healthier Communities Conference and Gala in Toronto last week.
“Our clinic provides community-based care to a group that has struggled to access services,” stated Dr. Johnston, in a media release.
“It’s an honour to be recognized for this work by the Alliance for Healthier Communities. The award highlights the importance of providing accessible care to our gender-diverse youth.”
In partnership the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre (weCHC) and the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres (CKCHC), the Southwestern Ontario’s Youth Gender Diversity Clinic (SOYGDC) supports transgender children and youth in the Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and surrounding areas as outlined in this brief video.
Southwestern Ontario’s Youth Gender Diversity Clinic (SOYGDC) is one example of CHC’s commitment and action in transforming care for persons facing inequities, mitigating access to care barriers as evidenced by initiating services based on identified needs.
The affirmative care clinic supports persons aged 18 years or younger and is open to the community.
Recognizing that this priority population is underserviced from an affirmative care perspective, it was apparent that expansion to the Windsor-Essex community was imperative to meet the demand for transgendered youth interested in accessing care with clinic expansion to weCHC’s Teen Health site effective March 1, 2022.
Program expansion to the Windsor-Essex community improved access to safe in-person care, mitigated transportation barriers and creates collaboration amongst the team members of CKCHC and weCHC bolstering the interprofessional team’s capacity in supporting 2SLBGTQ+ persons using evidenced-based approaches.
As learning health systems, building the team’s capacities to further enhance diversity, equity and inclusion remain key priorities and underscores our collective work as leaders, champions and advocates in living the Model of Health and Wellbeing.
Dr. Johnston, who leads the services, provides: assessment and diagnosis of gender dysphoria; manages comorbid mental health conditions; initiates hormone blockers and affirming hormone therapy; prescribes hormones or blockers; and monitors treatment.
Dr. Johnston is a general consulting paediatrician with 10 years of experience working with transgender children and youth in Chatham-Kent.
Services are offered at:
– weCHC Teen Health Site located at 1361 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor
– CKCHC Chatham site located at 150 Richmond Street, Chatham
– CKCHC Wallaceburg site located at 808 Dufferin Avenue, Wallaceburg
– CKCHC Walpole Island site located at Unit 16-785 Tecumseh Road, Walpole Island First Nation
Fax referrals to the attention of CKCHC Paediatric Affirmative Care Clinic at Fax 519-397-5497.
Referrals from physicians or nurse practitioners are required, however, we will accept referrals for persons without access to primary care.
