Alliance for Healthier Communities / Alliance pour des communautés en santé

06/12/2026

Last week, Alliance members, partners, decision-makers, and community leaders got together to celebrate the 2026 Transformative Change Award recipients and their work to advance equitable health and wellbeing across the province. During the two days of Alliance conference, we heard stories of organizations, teams and individuals breaking down walls to advance more streamlined and coordinated services, confronting barriers and addressing gaps to create programs where none existed before, and building healthier, more vibrant communities WITH and FOR people who are often underserved and marginalized.

To learn more about this year’s recipients, visit our website https://www.allianceon.org/news

Make sure to also check out videos on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/

Congratulations to this year’s Transformative Change Award recipients!

Community Health Champion Award: Association of Municipalities of Ontario - AMO for their report “Municipalities Under Pressure: The Growing Human and Financial Cost of Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis”

Jennifer Rayner Research for Health Equity Award: Research Partnership between Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre and University of Toronto

Transformative Change Awards recipients:

Waterloo Wellington Regional Coordination Centre’s Centralized Intake Services led by Langs

Gender Affirming Care Team at Community Health Centres of Northumberland

Norfolk Perinatal and Newborn Care Partners – a collaboration of Norfolk Family Health Team - Norfolkfht, Norfolk General Hospital and Grand Erie Public Health

Adrianna Tetley Legacy Award recipients:

Celeste Turner, Population Health Team Manager at Niagara Falls Community Health Centre

Racquel Hamlet, Chief Operations & Transformation Officer at TAIBU Community Health Centre

Denise Brooks Health Equity Champion Award recipient: Axelle Janczur, former ED of Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services

Joe Leonard Award recipient: Marc Bisson, former ED of Centre de santé communautaire de l'Estrie (CSCE)

04/15/2026

There's only ONE DAY left to benefit from the EARLY BIRD RATES for the Alliance's Annual Conference 2026. Rates go up by 20% on average after Thursday, April 16 at 5 PM EST. REGISTER HERE NOW-----> https://events.myconferencesuite.com/Alliance_Annual_Conference_2026/reg/landing

04/14/2026

Yesterday and today, healthcare workers, refugee advocates, and community members are taking public action in 11 cities all across Canada to demand the federal government reverse its cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) before they take effect May 1. The Alliance and its members stand in solidarity with everyone standing up to these cuts, which we know will harm refugee and newcomer health, and cost our health system.

Today, we also sent an open letter to the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, calling for the Government of Canada to immediately reverse these cuts. As Alliance CEO Sarah Hobbs writes: "Many resettled refugees have complex medical needs or have suffered trauma yet are ineligible for provincial drug coverage or social assistance for one year. The IFHP provides the necessary health coverage refugees could not otherwise afford. Therefore, these cuts are incredibly shortsighted ... and may lead to deterioration in health conditions and increased emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations."

Read and share the Alliance's open letter below, and write to your local Member of Parliament to let them know you want these cuts reversed today: https://www.allianceon.org/news/Federal-government-must-reverse-cuts-refugee-health-Alliances-Open-Letter-Minister-Immigration

03/26/2026

TODAY, March 26 is International Social Prescribing Day. We invite you to be part of this global movement recognizing the power of community connection for health and wellbeing.

To discover what's happening across our region, we've compiled a comprehensive listing of local events, resources, and ways to get involved. Whether you're new to social prescribing or a seasoned practitioner, there's something for everyone: https://www.allianceon.org/Social-Prescribing-Day-March-26-2026

The Alliance is thrilled to share that our work is resonating beyond borders. Our team will be presenting on the Ontario model of Social Prescribing at an international webinar hosted by the French Association for Social Connection. Join us as we exchange insights with colleagues in France and explore how social prescribing is transforming healthcare perspectives worldwide: https://www.nosliens.fr/d-tails-et-inscription/la-prescription-sociale-une-nouvelle-maniere-de-penser-la-sante-en-france-a-laune-des-experiences-internationales

Whatever way you choose to mark this , let's share the word on the importance of connection to health and wellbeing, and the difference we can make to health outcomes when the resources are there to link people to what they need.

Happy Social Prescribing Day to everyone in Ontario and across Canada!

03/25/2026

Ontario’s primary care system is at a critical juncture. Recruitment and retention challenges, rising operational costs & long delays in capital modernization make it challenging to sustain services and expand patient attachment. Ideas from our CEO on a path forward: https://healthydebate.ca/2026/03/topic/ontario-primary-care-goals-primary-care-act/

The Primary Care Act and the vision that positions primary care as the foundation of Ontario’s health system is the bold thinking our system has needed for many years. But now is the time to act on retention.

03/08/2026

Happy International Women's Day!

As we take time to celebrate and recognize the achievements of women on , and to reflect on the work needed to achieve gender equality, we're offering a statement focused on some of the areas for advocacy and action on , and the importance of culturally safe, accessible , including reproductive care, for women who face barriers:

This Sunday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, in Canada and around the world. As we take time to celebrate and recognize the achievements of women, and to reflect on the work needed to achieve gender equality, we want to offer some areas for focus.

02/23/2026

During Black History Month, as we celebrate Black lives, and learn from histories of oppression and its ongoing impacts, we must continue to speak out and act against anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination.

In health care and social services, ensuring health equity and culturally safe care is an issue of life and death, and a key path towards a more just and equitable future.

As we look to that future here in Ontario, one of the key drivers of actions on health equity for Black people and communities across the province is the Black Health Committee made up of Alliance for Healthier Communities members.

The Alliance spoke with Dr. Akeem Stewart, M.D., Provincial Lead Black Health and Wellness, about the work of the Black Health Committee, progress being made, and where things are headed to improve . Read our full statement and interview with Dr. Stewart here: https://www.allianceon.org/news/Black-History-Month-Alliance-Statement-and-Interview-Dr-Akeem-Stewart-Provincial-Lead-Black

02/20/2026

The Alliance for Healthier Communities represents community-governed, team-based primary health care organizations across Ontario. Among those organizations are community health centres (CHCs) providing comprehensive primary health care, including chronic disease management and community development, in rural, remote and northern communities and regions across the province.

Rural, Remote and Northern Community Health Centre (CHCs) are playing a pivotal role in ensuring every person in Ontario is attached to primary care.

To learn more, read the Alliance’s new snapshot graphic on Rural, Remote and Northern Community Health Centres of Ontario:https://www.allianceon.org/files/Alliance_RRN-Infographic-Digital.pdf

02/04/2026

Alliance members are leading partners in the Ontario government’s focus on expanding and transforming primary care and the steps being taken to grow team-based models across the province.

For Ontario's Budget 2026, we want to highlight two practical, high-impact approaches that community clinicians are using successfully to increase attachment and improve efficiency: the Neighbourhood Health Home and Link Workers. To support the work underpinning these approaches and the goal of 100% primary care attachment by 2029, the Alliance asked the Government of Ontario to consider the following priorities for Budget 2026:

-- Support the growth of the Neighbourhood Health Home approach through the IPCT expansion (no further investment required) and expand Link Worker roles across primary care teams, including embedding link workers as a mandatory part of IPCT expansion to increase capacity and attachment.

-- Expedite recruitment and retention funding by unlocking Years 2 and 3 immediately so teams can stabilize staffing and close long-standing wage gaps; this includes $430.9 million over five years for the primary care sector, with $164.5 million needed for Alliance members.

-- Invest in digital tools that improve attachment and efficiency, including interoperable systems, online appointment booking, and innovations such as AI-enabled scribing.

-- Modernize and accelerate the capital approval process for community-based primary care organizations to help expand local capacity and improve access.

-- Continue stabilization and operational funding, including a 5% base budget increase ($33.7 million) for community-governed primary health care organizations.

-- Investments in supportive housing ($60 million over two years) to create 5,000 new supportive housing units, as part of the continuum of care for mental health and addictions to support the work of HART Hubs and to help address homelessness and the toxic drug supply across Ontario.



Read the Alliance's full submission to Ontario Finance Minister Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy here: https://www.allianceon.org/news/Alliances-2026-Pre-Budget-Recommendations-Strengthening-Primary-Health-Care-and-Expanding

01/26/2026

Check out this trauma-informed training for providers being offered by Kingston Community Health Centres. Teach Resilience is an accredited program that emphasizes trauma-based and informed approaches for every single patient across primary health care.

Kingston Community Health Centres is transforming how health care is delivered!

Through its social enterprise, Teach Resilience, KCHC is now offering trauma-informed training beyond KFL&A, helping community health centres, primary care providers, schools, and social service agencies deliver more responsive, equitable, and client-centred care.

“Trauma-informed care isn’t just for certain patients—it should be a universal precaution,” says Dr. Mary Rowland, a key medical advisor and facilitator at Teach Resilience. “Understanding a person’s upbringing and life experiences is essential to addressing their current health needs.”

The one-day, in-person training is offered as a Queen’s University–accredited course and has already been attended by over 2,000 health care providers in the KFL&A region. The goal is to make trauma-informed approaches a standard practice across Ontario.

If you want to learn more or bring this training to your team visit: https://www.teachresilience.ca/

Alliance for Healthier Communities / Alliance pour des communautés en santé