St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre was pleased to participate in two major provincially-sponsored events this week, Celebrating Innovations in Health Care Expo and the Aging at Home Innovations Showcase April 22-23. Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the expo and showcase are jointly hosted by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care along with 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). St. Paul’s was one of the agencies selected from hundreds of entrants to display their current and future projects. The two-day event provided an opportunity for health care providers to share accomplishments, successful strategies, and lessons learned in Health Promotion with the social and health services sector.
St. Paul’s unique multicultural outreach project, the Scarborough Breast Health Community Action Project, was among the displays at the Innovations in Health Care Expo. The project was funded by a 2-year grant from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Ontario Region. St. Paul's achieved success in 2006 with its first breast cancer outreach project, also funded by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, which was targeted to Armenian, Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Greek, Somali and Tamil speakers. The goal of the current Scarborough Breast Health Community Action Project is to increase participation in breast cancer prevention and screening among immigrant and low income women from the Chinese, English, Somali, Tamil and Urdu speaking communities in Scarborough. Multicultural peer leaders, a critical feature of the project, are hired, trained, and mentored to conduct culturally-sensitive and language-appropriate outreach on breast cancer prevention information.
The Aging at Home Innovations Showcase is a one-day event that presents community achievements and innovations and serves as a checkpoint for the government's Aging at Home strategy. St. Paul’s participated in a speed-integration poster session to promote its nutritional awareness campaign. The Nutrition Awareness Meals on Wheels Program, funded by the Central East LHIN, enhances clients’ ability to live as independently and healthy as possible in their own homes. It is designed to improve client knowledge by offering education on the importance of nutrition, delivering healthy and delicious meals to homes, and providing support and counseling in maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
St. Paul’s Executive Director, Larry Burke, stated, "St. Paul's is truly proud of the innovative approaches our staff develop to ensure seniors receive the information and support they need to age at home in their communities. Our selection to display our approaches to these two key initiatives at the Expo confirms St. Paul's as a leader in health care innovation."
Ontario needs sustainable, cost effective and culturally sensitive programs to meet the needs of an aging, ethno-cultural population. St. Paul’s projects address the needs of a low-income, culturally-diverse community and promote the health and wellbeing of Scarborough residents. St. Paul’s L’Amoreaux Centre, and other participants at the Innovations in Health Care Expo, are responsive to seniors’ needs with the aim of enabling them to remain independent, healthy and engaged in their community.
For more information on the Scarborough Breast Health Community Action Project, contact Sarafina Hui, Community Health Promotion Programs Manager at 416-493-3333 ext 223. For information on the Nutritional Awareness/Meals on Wheels Program, contact Roberta Wong, Director of Client Care and Community Services at 416-493-3333 ext 221.
