Community Voices Collective: Shaping Better Health Care Together

The Great River Ontario Health Team (GR OHT) is inviting community members from across Akwesasne, Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Russell Township, and parts of rural Southeast Ottawa to help shape the future of health services through the launch of the Community Voices Collective.

Guided by the tagline “Shaping better health care together,” the initiative will create new opportunities for residents to share their experiences, perspectives, and ideas to help inform how services are planned and improved across the region.

The Community Voices Collective is designed to be flexible and accessible. Community members can choose to participate in ways that work for them, including:

• Short surveys
• Occasional focus groups or conversations
• Community engagement opportunities and pop-up events

Participation is entirely voluntary, with no long-term commitment required.

“Everyone has experiences with the health and social service system, and those experiences matter,” said Carilyne Hébert, Engagement and Navigation Lead with the GR OHT. “We want to ensure that the people who use these services have opportunities to help shape how they evolve and improve in the future.”

The initiative builds on the work of the GR OHT’s Lived Experience Partners Table (LEPT), a group of community members who help guide and inform health system priorities based on their lived experiences.

The GR OHT is especially hoping to hear from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, including rural residents, newcomers, youth, seniors, caregivers, and members of equity-deserving communities.

Community members who join the Community Voices Collective may occasionally be invited to participate in surveys or focus groups related to health and social services in the region. Some engagement opportunities may include small tokens of appreciation, such as gift cards or entry into prize draws.

Residents interested in joining the Community Voices Collective can register online here:
forms.office.com/r/ghgTL4780d