Building Awareness of Ethno- Cultural Communities’ Health Project

This program has delivered and wrapped up successfully in two hospitals: Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and William Osler Health Centre in Brampton. Two series of workshops were organized to build more understanding of five communities that has a significant representation in Peel and its health care needs including the impact of cultural values and beliefs of illness behaviour and care seeking practices. These communities are: the South Asian, Chinese, African, Caribbean and Latin American respectfully.

The program targeted-mostly-staff members of the Maternity and Children Unit, and Palliative and Oncology Unit of these two hospitals. Health service providers from other health centres and services participated in some of the workshops. Presentations were tailored to meet the needs and answer relevant questions. The participants appreciated the knowledgeable speakers who run these workshops such as Baldev Mutta from the PCHS, Gladys Wong / Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Ade Majekodunmi/HIV Network, Kwasi Kafele /CAMH, and Alexandra Hurtado / Centro Naturista Guatavita.
This program is a step forward in our journey of bridging the gap between service providers and the diverse community members. It contributes to the Ontario Community Builders program and is funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.