MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & BOARD CHAIRPERSON
Dear Friends and Supporters,
With immense pleasure and gratitude, we welcome you to our 2022-2023 Annual Report. As we reflect on the past year, it becomes evident that together, we continue to navigate through unprecedented challenges to achieve remarkable efforts in supporting and serving members of our community. Our journey is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our team, the invaluable contributions of our volunteers and community members and the steadfast support of our partners, donors, and funders.
In the year 2022-2023, we stayed committed to our mission. We worked hard to provide health and social services to help people and communities enjoy the best possible health and well-being. As you read through this report, you'll see some of the important work we did and the impact we aimed to make in the communities we serve. Our achievements are your achievements, and we hope that this report serves as an inspiring reminder of what we can do when we work together with purpose and passion.
Even with challenges from COVID, a dangerous drug supply, a housing crisis, and extreme pressures on our healthcare system, we kept our doors open to serve with care and kindness because every person we serve matters to us.
As we move through 2023-2024, our commitment remains strong. We're focused on providing mental health support that respects different cultures, creating a healthy and inclusive workplace, making sure we have the resources we need, building partnerships, and continuing our advocacy work. We're doing all of this with a strong stance against oppression and racism. We're excited about what's ahead and grateful for your ongoing support. Your trust and generosity are what drive our mission and help us make a positive difference in people's lives.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our dedicated board members, the hardworking staff, our tireless volunteers, and the broader community that stands beside us. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for our community and beyond.
Sammy Onyeama-Asonye
Interim Board Chair
Suzanne Obiorah
Executive Director
Suzanne Obiorah, Executive Director, and Sammy Onyeama-Asonye, Interim Board Chair.
WITH THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS & STUDENTS
SWCHC is grateful for the students and volunteers who helped make our programming possible this year. We were fortunate to host a total of 37 student placements across our departments in 2022. 285 volunteers contributed an amazing 6,389hours throughout the year!
WHO WE SERVED
SWCHC’s 307 full-time and part-time staff, along with our volunteers, served approximately 18,000 clients last year.
Of these clients:
57% report a household income of less than $30,000 per year
30% have income under $15,000 per year
17% experience homelessness
43% report a racialized identity, including:
17% of SWCHC clients who identify from the South East or East Asian community
13% of SWCHC clients who identify from the Black community
5% of SWCHC clients who identify from the Middle Eastern community
44% were born outside of Canada – in 148 different countries. Top 10 Countries of origin:
China
Vietnam
Afghanistan
Cambodia
Myanmar
United States
United Kingdom
Nigeria
Somalia
Burundi
We capture these stats as part of our commitments to anti-racism and anti oppression. This informs how we design our programs and how we hire members from our community to serve our community. We remain committed to breaking down barriers to wellness for everyone in our community.
By the Numbers
18,000 unique clients served
44,356 visits
9,507 clients rostered with a primary health care provider
466 group sessions held
4,501 group participants
340 clients received COVID-19 vaccines through onsite & mobile vaccine clinics
509 clients had income taxes completed by volunteers
372 overdose responses
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
96% said they were treated with courtesy and respect
90% said their provider involved them in decisions about care and treatment
90% said their health and well-being improved as a result of our services
92% were satisfied with the services they received
“My partner and I are now in our sixties and we have found quality services at SWCHC that helped us at various stages throughout our lives.”
“I am so very grateful for the care and compassion I have and continue to receive.”
“The community health center model offers the best primary health care in the city. I am so grateful to be a patient as I use the walk-in services at the SWCHC, and it's the only health centre where I have felt truly cared for, respected, listened to, and reassured. The nurses are so kind and patient. I have severe health anxiety, and when I go to other doctors' offices, I often leave feeling worse than I did coming in. At the SWCHC, I leave feeling BETTER, less stressed, more informed, and prepared with a plan to address whatever health issue I'm facing. I also really appreciate how accessible the SWCHC's services are. Virtual walk-ins, over the phone, are super convenient with my working schedule. I don't have a family doctor, so the SWCHC is an essential service for me. I have health conditions that require follow-ups, and I don't know where I'd turn if not the SWCHC. I'm so appreciative of the wonderful nurses and the welcoming atmosphere at the SWCHC and feel every neighbourhood should have such a center."
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
As in-person activities began resuming in the wake of the pandemic, SWCHC held regular COVID-19 vaccine clinics onsite as well as hosting numerous mobile clinics in the community. Additional community health outreach included a breast screening clinic, Chinese Health Fair, and rooming house pizza parties with a Community Health Worker and Nurse Practitioner.
The primary care clinic was also able to resume offering evening hours twice weekly at our Eccles location and once weekly at our Rosemount location, making care more accessible to those unable to attend appointments during the day. A new exam room on the ground floor of the Eccles enabled clients with mobility aids to receive care if the elevator was inaccessible. Finally, the launch of our new electronic appointment reminder system helped ensure more clients were able to make their appointments and receive the care they need.
By the Numbers:
The Primary Care Clinic Provided over 35,000 visits last year
We serve 9,507 Rostered Clients
340 clients of all ages received COVID-19 vaccines through onsite & mobile vaccine clinics
Illness Prevention/Chronic Disease | 2022-2023 | 2021-2022 |
Breast Cancer Screening Rate | 78% | 55% |
Cervical Cancer Screening Rate | 75% | 64% |
Colorectal Cancer Screening Rate | 68% | 57% |
CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES
The Children and Family Services team continued to use a hybrid approach. We provided both in-person services such as Headstart child care programs and play groups as well as interactive Zoom circle times and online workshops covering subjects like prenatal care, infant feeding, and seniors’ nutrition. The team also launched babysitter’s training at St. Anthony School and offered a youth leadership camp over the summer months.
By the Numbers:
1,036 children (newborn to 6 years old) attended early years programs, visiting 6,225 times
1,070 parents and caregivers participated in early years programming and visited 6,480 times
Our 3 After School Programs provided barrier free programming to 58 children in grades 1 to 10
20 summer Youth Leadership Camp participants were creative and thoughtfully developed and executed opportunities that led to the gaining of community service hours required to graduate high school
Our Headstart Child Care programs continue to offer services to 42 children ongoing, both full day and working in partnership with Crossroads Children’s Mental Health Centre
MENTAL HEALTH & COUNSELLING
The Mental Health and Counselling Team offered a hybrid of in person and virtual service, including groups and individual support focused on practical assistance, mental health and wellness, counselling, and community connection. The team specializes in culturally centered and affirming services, with a focus on Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian, and Black Communities.
Highlights from this year included:
The development of a Black-focused Social Prescribing Project, grounded in Afrocentric principles of wellbeing, that bridges the gap between clinical and social care – funded through the Alliance for Healthier Communities
The return of weekly virtual and in person wellness programming for Vietnamese Seniors
New hybrid groups offered free to the community including: DBT-skills for Overwhelming Emotions, the Writer’s Collective, Calligraphy and Singing groups for Chinese Seniors
The 2nd year of our partnership with Agricola Cooperative Farm to offer weekly fresh and local farm baskets to Newcomer families
Outreach to communities through the Chinese Community Health Fair, Parkdale Food Centre’s Coffee & Conversation, and Black Mental Health Week activities, among others.
By the Numbers:
1,279 participants in our Vietnamese Seniors Groups and Events
862 visits through the Social Services Walk-in
285 fresh produce baskets delivered
175 clients served through clinical counselling services
Over 2,500 community members reached through an outreach capacity
HARM REDUCTION
Demand for Harm Reduction services continued to grow, with a welcome extension to our exemption from Health Canada to continue the operation of SWCHC’s Consumption & Treatment Services for the next three years. Pilot funding for the Drug Overdose Prevention and Education team, Homeless Crisis Outreach team and Safe Supply programs were also renewed for another year – with the team working on a plan for more long-term sustainability of these critical services in the future. Drop-in hours for HIV testing resumed, and there was significant collaboration with community partners for ACB HIV prevention outreach efforts. The team also added the option of texting an outreach worker to set up a testing appointment, which saw successful uptake.
As xylazine has begun to impact Ottawa’s drug supply, we are seeing more frequent and complex overdoses that cannot be reversed by Naloxone. Clients are therefore taking much longer to come out of overdoses, and requiring much longer monitoring. SWCHC is seeing clients with more complex wounds along with more behavioural concerns and psychosis.
By the Numbers:
10,037 Consumption & Treatment Service (CTS) visits last year, 467 unique clients
25,388 Needle Exchange & Safer Inhalation (NESI) outreach interactions, 772 unique clients
2,286 Drug Overdose Prevention & Education (DOPE) Team outreach interactions
More than 4,000 Homeless Crisis Outreach Interactions
372 overdoses responded to
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Food security remained (and remains) a pressing issue, with the Community Engagement team implementing creative approaches like pop-up markets to support those experiencing barriers to food access. Rochester Heights Community House continued to offer a variety of supports including an after school program, and the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program saw another in-demand year. Community Development Framework funds were secured to support community initiatives in Mechanicsville, LeBreton and Rochester Heights for 2023. Each neighbourhood has an action plan, and SWCHC will be working to address neighbourhood priorities based on community strengths and needs.
Yet Keen Seniors’ Day Centre resumed in-person operations, including the first in-person Chinese New Year celebration since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Keen also partnered with the Ottawa Art Gallery for a successful workshop series called Keen & Creative: A Celebration of Chinese Canadian Art.
By the Numbers:
285 volunteers contributed 6,389 hours across the centre towards our mission, including the following:
Volunteers prepared 509 income tax returns on behalf of clients
78 peers contributed 807 hours through the Needle Exchange Safer Inhalation (NESI) Peer Program
Volunteers registered 300 clients for the Christmas Exchange Program
Community members were able to access healthy food, including the following:
Community members accessed Good Food Market programming 7,200 times
Seniors accessed Pop Up Market programming 80 times
Community members benefited from increased social connections as follows:
Seniors accessed a Bingo program 275 times
Community members were able to participate in community events 550 times
OTTAWA NEWCOMER HEALTH CENTRE
The Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre (ONHC) moved into new shared office space with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants, adding two additional patient exam rooms. These newly-renovated rooms will help the ONHC offer more Immigration Medical Assessments, immunizations, and follow-up visits to refugees. ONHC was also able to add a psychotherapist to its Integrated Mental health Services team. Along with our partners, we held several off site clinics to immunize government-assisted refugees (GARs).
ONHC was pleased to secure $400,000 of one-time funding from Ontario Health East, which will help increase capacity and address the waitlist of GARs waiting for initial assessment and immunizations.
By the Numbers:
We served over 1,000 unique clients last year
We saw a 298% increase in arrivals in 2022-23 compared to the previous year
70% from Afghanistan
25% from Syria
5% from other countries of origin
There has been a 51% increase in demand for primary care services in the past 2 years
Ottawa Language Access Program
62 in-house interpreters
26 in-house languages (covering 87% of requests)
53 languages requested for pre-scheduled interpretation
Arabic 34%
Afghan (Dari and Pashto) 12%
Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) 10%
Spanish 5%
Somali 5%
Other 20%
LUNG HEALTH PROGRAM
Ottawa Community Lung Health Program
The Ottawa Community Lung Health Program is a regional program dedicated to chronic disease self-management for those who have a diagnosis of COPD or Asthma. The objective of the program is to reduce healthcare utilization and improve the care for individuals with chronic lung conditions by providing an integrated approach of care including prevention, health promotion, early diagnosis, comprehensive assessment, education, management of treatment options and ongoing follow-up. Lung Health clinics are offered across the region including 8 Community Health Centres, 1 Indigenous Centre for Excellence, 1 Family Health Team, as well as 4 Francophone sites from Centre De Santé Communautaire.
By the Numbers:
3,134 active clients, including 681 New clients
460 Smoking Cessation visits
143 Clients participated in Pulmonary Rehabilitation (30% Virtually)
2,609 in-person encounters, 1,038 Telephone encounters, 443 Video encounters
83 % Decrease in Hospitalizations
67 % decrease in Emergency room visits
66% decrease in Primary Care Physician visits
100% of clients would recommend the program to others
92%of clients rate the care they received as Excellent/Very Good
Complex Respiratory Care Program
The Complex Respiratory Care Program continues to provide community based outreach services to clients living with complex respiratory needs. This program supports clients living within the Champlain Region to remain safely at home, or facilitate transitioning from hospital to home.
By the Numbers:
2,330 total encounters
453 unique clients served since program inception in September 2017
84 new clients served in 2022-2023
81 visits to regional hospitals for discharge training, planning, coordination
236 agency staff received training
66 group training sessions provided
0 repatriations to hospital for invasively ventilated clients
OTTAWA BLACK MENTAL HEALTH COALITION
SWCHC proudly supports the coordination of the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition (OBMHC). We were thrilled to see OBMHC recognised with the 2022 Community Builder of the Year Award from the United Way of East Ontario. The Coalition was honoured in recognition of their work to hold health system leaders accountable and ensure safe, accessible, and culturally appropriate mental health programs and services for Ottawa’s Black communities.
Black Mental Health Week 2023 took place in March, with the theme Exploring Stigma in Black Mental Health. The week featured an in-person Mental Health and Wellness Expo along with more than 10 additional virtual and in-person events hosted by Coalition partners and stakeholders.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alexa Paz
Arlo Litman
Colleen Hendrick
Dawn Potter
Derek Villis
Drew Meerveld
Elham Ghargi
Francis Nolan-Poupart
Iman Mohamed
Nimao Ali
Nhu Ngoc Vo
Sammy Onyeama-Asonye
Stacy Douglas
Yasmine Meghriche
FINANCIALS
Read our Audited Financial Statements here.