1
COMMUNITY
SUMMARY
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19th,
2011
Completed
by:
Laura
White,
Master
of
Public
Health
Student
(laurak.white@utoronto.ca)
Supervisor:
Bronwyn
Underhill,
Health
Promoter
at
Fairview
Community
Health
(bunderhill@fhc‐chc.com)
The
following
is
a
summary
of
the
project’s
methods,
findings,
recommendations
and
next
steps.
To
see
the
full
report,
please
visit
Fairview
Community
Health
(5
Fairview
Mall
Drive,
Suite
359)
or
contact
Bronwyn
Underhill
[bunderhill@fhc‐chc.com
(email)
or
416‐640‐5298,
ext.
202
(phone)]
and
ask
to
see
the
full
document.
Fairview
Community
Health
(FCH)
is
a
community
health
centre
located
at
Don
Mills
Avenue
and
Sheppard
Avenue
in
Toronto,
Ontario.
It
is
a
satellite
branch
of
Flemingdon
Health
Centre.
The
centre
provides
free
health
services
and
programs
related
to
the
broad
social
determinants
of
health
to
community
members
living
in
the
area
bordered
by
Lawrence
Avenue
to
the
south,
Steeles
Avenue
to
the
north,
Bayview
Avenue
to
the
west,
and
Victoria
Park
Avenue
to
the
east.
A
community
engagement
and
needs
assessment
project
was
conducted
by
FCH
from
May
to
August
2011
to:
 Engage
with
community
members
as
outreach
 Learn
further
about
the
current
health
issues
that
concern
community
members
 Discuss
ways
that
FCH
can
help
address
these
concerns
 Set
priorities
of
health
issues
to
understand
which
issues
are
of
greatest
concern
to
community
members
1.
Methods
For
the
community
needs
assessment,
six
focus
groups
were
conducted:
four
Community‐Based
Focus
Groups;
one
Focus
Group
with
current
FCH
Clients;
and
one
Focus
Group
with
Youth.
2.
Results
 In
total,
79
community
members
participated.
The
majority
of
participants
were
female;
however,
there
was
representation
from
many
age
groups
and
different
ethno‐cultural
backgrounds.
A
significant
proportion
of
participants
lived
around
the
Don
Mills
Avenue
and
Sheppard
Avenue
area.
 When
discussing
what
they
liked
about
their
community,
community
members
identified
five
main
strengths
within
the
community,
saying
that
the
community
was:
o Convenient
and
accessible
o Friendly,
helpful
and
cohesive
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
2
o Filled
with
many
great
resources
and
programs
o Safe
and
quiet
o Diverse
and
multicultural
“I
feel
lucky
to
live
here”
‐
Participant
 In
the
client
focus
group,
most
participants
spoke
about
how
they
liked
specific
FCH
programs
and
services,
finding
the
centre
to
be
very
helpful,
providing
them
with
health
information
and
ways
to
get
to
know
other
people.
 As
an
activity
to
help
encourage
participants
to
think
about
health,
and
their
health,
participants
were
divided
into
groups
and
asked
to
complete
the
sentence:
“I
know
I
am
healthy
when
…”.
Participants
were
encouraged
to
consider
all
aspects
of
health
when
responding
to
the
sentence,
and
to
draw,
write
and
brainstorm
with
others
in
their
group.
Figure
1
displays
examples
from
this
activity.
Figure
1.
Products
from
“I
know
I
am
healthy
when
…”
activity
 Community
members
discussed
health
problems
found
within
the
community,
with
the
majority
of
issues
relating
to
challenges
associated
with:
o The
health
care
system
o Time
management
and
balancing
competing
pressures
o Finances
and
employment
o Food
and
nutrition
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
3
 Community
members
also
identified
programs,
that
would
help
improve
their
personal,
families’
and
community’s
health,
and
that
they
would
like
to
see
offered
at
Fairview
Community
Health.
They
were
asked
to
select
the
top
three
programs
that
they
wanted
FCH
to
initially
focus
on,
and
start
working
on
right
away.
The
selected
programs
are
listed
below.
Priority
Programs
Identified
by
Community
Members
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
(Ordered
from
most
to
least
preferred)
Low
cost
or
free
dental
care
for
uncovered
individuals
Fitness
and
recreational
programs
• Several
fitness
and
recreational
programs
were
priority
areas
for
community
members,
including:
o Yoga,
meditation,
dancing
and
exercise
classes,
such
as
ones
focusing
on
specific
diseases
or
areas
of
the
body.
• Improving
the
quality
and
increasing
the
hours
of
operation
of
swimming
pools
o One
focus
group
discussed
the
need
for
a
women’s‐only
pool
or
swim
program.
Programming
for
children
and
youth,
including:
• Arts,
music,
sports,
tutoring
and
other
afterschool
programs
• A
program
around
health
for
teenagers
• Childcare
More
Farm
Trips
and
Family
Activities
• Both
increasing
the
number
of
farm
trips
and
holding
the
trips
on
weekends
were
emphasized.
Participants
also
asked
for
field
trips
to
other
locations.
Health
care
outside
of
the
clinic,
such
as:
• A
health
helpline,
where
community
members
could
speak
with
someone
about
their
health
concerns
and
could
get
these
addressed,
as
well
as
be
directed
to
resources
and
services
in
the
area.
• An
after‐hours,
urgent
care,
walk‐in,
or
24‐hour
clinic
Skills
Programs,
including:
• French
and
Other
Languages
Classes
• Employable
Skills
for
Women
Workshops
• Volunteer
Programs
• First
Aid
and
CPR
Certification
Courses
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
4
Priority
Programs
Continued
…
7. Mental
health
programming
• A
campaign
raising
awareness
around
mental
health,
and
stress
management
classes,
were
both
identified
as
priority
programs
in
two
different
focus
groups.
• Community
members
discussed
the
need
for
further
counseling
at
FCH,
either
through
a
psychologist
or
a
psychiatrist.
8. Other
priority
areas,
including:
• Low
cost
or
free
eye
care
for
seniors
• Programs
for
community
members
over
the
age
of
50
 Participants
were
asked
about
what
would
help
them
come
to
use
the
health
centre’s
services
and
programs.
A
variety
of
suggestions
were
given,
and
are
grouped
under
the
major
themes
below.
Supports
to
help
Community
Members
attend
FCH:
Enhance
Communicadon
and
Outreach
In
every
focus
group,
parVcipants
discussed
the
need
for
improved
communicaVon
and
outreach.
•  Community
members
suggested
using
a
variety
of
methods,
including
emails,
flyers
and
the
centre’s
website,
to
promote
the
health
centre
and
its
programs
and
services.
•  Community
members
suggested
translaVng
brochures,
posVng
flyers
and
promoVng
the
centre
at
LINC
and
ESL
classes,
as
well
as
at
schools.
•  PromoVng
FCH’s
benefits
as
a
CHC
and
an
alternaVve
to
the
tradiVonal
models
of
medical
care
was
recommended
as
a
strategy
for
FCH
to
use.
Offer
programs
and
services
in
other
languages
‐
ParVcipants
in
all
focus
groups
indicated
that
offering
services
and
programs
(parVcularly
ones
using
medical
terms)
in
the
first
languages
of
community
members
would
help
enable
them
to
use
the
services
and
programs
at
the
health
centre.
‐
AddiVonally,
translaVng
brochures
and
other
informaVon
would
help
more
people
learn
about
Fairview
Community
Health,
and
health
informaVon.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
5
More
diverse
hours
from
programs
and
services
Community
members
asked
for
programs
and
services
to
be
offered
a]er
school,
and
in
the
evenings,
on
Saturday,
and
on
holidays.
•  Offering
all
programs
and
services
on
Saturdays
was
the
client
focus
group’s
first
priority
program,
when
asked
to
indicate
the
area
that
they
wanted
FCH
to
focus
on
first.
ConVnued
connecVon
with
the
community
‐
Community
members
expressed
appreciaVon
for
the
focus
groups
and
indicated
that
Fairview
Community
Health
should
conVnue
with
their
willingness
to
serve
the
community,
accept
feedback,
and
help
the
community
members
build
community
spirit.
‐
Community
members
wanted
Fairview
Community
Health
to
act
as
an
informaVon
hub,
where
community
members
could
come
to
find
out
about
acVviVes
and
services
within
the
community.
 The
youth
focus
group
identified
programs
and
services
that
young
people
would
like
to
see
offered
within
the
community,
and
at
FCH.
The
top
three
programs
selected
by
youth
participants
were
(in
order):
Priority
Programs
for
Youth
1. Anonymous
HIV
testing,
sex,
drug
and
alcohol
clinics,
and
safe
sex
classes
2. Help
with
money
and
employment
(finding
jobs,
workshops
on
job
skills
and
workers’
rights)
3. Survival
club
for
the
wilderness
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
6
 The
participants
also
indicated
methods
for
reaching
out
to
youth,
and
informing
them
about
programs.
Youth
Outreach
Methods
included:
Connect
with
schools
Use
Social
Media
•  Make
announcements
at
schools,
and
on
the
school
websites
•  Use
schools'
email
list‐servs
•  Connect
with
the
guidance
office
at
schools
•  Visit
schools
to
discuss
programs
•  Use
Facebook,
email,
texts
and
twicer
Outreach
at
Libraries
•  Place
flyers
and
posters
at
libraries
•  Youth
indicated
that
many
community
members,
parVcularly
newcomers,
use
the
libraries
to
learn
about
volunteer
and
community
opporuniVes
and
events.
Be
creaVve
• 
The
website,
flyers
and
promoVonal
materials
should
be
visually
exciVng
and
interesVng.
Suggestions
on
Features
of
Youth
Programs:
Involve
different
Youth
Led
(Program
leader
acdvides
and
should
be
a
youth)
field
trips
Offer
volunteer
hours
(good
incenVve
for
parVcipaVon)
Have
snacks!
Elements
to
include
in
youth
programs
Consider
different
dmes
for
programs
•  A]erschool
programs
are
good,
but
should
include
homework
Vme
•  Weekends
may
be
becer
for
university
students
•  Most
youth
agreed
summer
programs
were
great,
because
there
was
more
free
Vme
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
7
3.
Recommendations
One
of
the
purposes
of
the
project
was
to
inform
FCH’s
programs,
services
and
future
actions.
The
following
section
outlines
the
recommendations
from
the
project,
arranged
into
three
areas:
Program
Planning;
Communication
and
Outreach;
and
Partnerships
and
Advocacy.
Within
each
area,
the
recommendations
are
grouped
either
under
‘establish’
(start
at
FCH),
or
‘enhance’
(continue
and
improve
at
FCH).
FCH
has
made
specific
commitments
to
working
on
these
recommendations.
Next
to
each
recommendation
are
the
corresponding
action
areas
that
have
been
discussed,
and
committed
to,
by
FCH
staff.
These
action
areas
are
categorized
according
to:
 ‘Immediate
plans’:
Plans
that
have
been
decided
upon
and
will
take
place
 ‘Explore’:
Ideas
and
options
that
will
be
considered
to
determine
what
is
feasible
 ‘Explore
Partnerships’:
Potential
partnerships
that
should
be
explored,
and
established
partnerships
that
should
be
enhanced,
to
address
specific
issues
Many
of
these
action
areas
involved
exploring
different
ideas
and
options
to
address
the
health
concerns
and
suggestions
made
by
community
members.
PROGRAM
PLANNING
Recommendation
Action
Areas
ESTABLISH
1. Diversify
hours
of
operation
at
FCH
(including
afterschool,
evenings
and
weekends).
2. Consider
walk‐in
clinic
option
or
establish
an
intake
counselor
that
can
address
community
members’
questions
and
direct
them
to
services
and
resources.
Immediate
Plans:
 Reorganize
and
update
resource
wall
within
FCH.
Explore:
 Different
methods
of
intake.
 Idea
of
posting
locations
of
24‐hour
and
walk‐in
clinics
in
Fairview
Community
Health’s
lobby,
and
including
in
voicemail
message
after
hours.
 Promoting
after‐hours
care
(on‐call
services)
provided
through
Flemingdon
Health
Centre.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
8
3. Set
up
youth
priority
programs.
Immediate
Plans:
 Include
Youth
Member
on
Advisory
Board,
or
Establish
'Youth
Task
Force'
to
advise
on
FCH's
operations,
programs
and
services.
Explore:
 Speak
with
Toronto
Public
Health
and
other
agencies
to
determine
feasibility
of
setting
up
Sexual
and
Reproductive
Health,
and
Drugs
Clinic.
 Idea
of
Interfaith
Program
(connect
with
religious
organizations
in
the
community
to
discuss
idea
and
feasibility).
ENHANCE
4. Set
up
more
children’s
programming.
Immediate
Plans:
 Currently,
there
are
parenting
programs
offered
in
partnership
with
Toronto
Public
Health,
and
Speech
and
Language
Programs
offered
on
site.
5. Provide
more
space,
and
time,
for
social
networking
and
events.
6. Enhance
family
programming.
7. Run
more
programming
around:
• Yoga
and
fitness
• Women
and
seniors
Immediate
Plans:
 Fairview
Community
Health
is
committed
to
running
a
women’s
group,
with
yoga,
on
a
weekly
basis
in
the
fall,
ensuring
more
continued
programming
for
women.
8. Run
education
and
skills
workshops
periodically.
Immediate
Plans:
 The
Local
Immigration
Project
is
currently
organizing
a
volunteer
program
for
community
members
to
develop
their
skills
in
their
‘Civic
Engagement
Working
Group’.
9. Enhance
Mental
Health
Programming.
Explore:
 Idea
of
Mental
Health
Month
10. Enhance
food
and
nutrition
programs.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
9
COMMUNICATION
AND
OUTREACH
Recommendation
Action
Areas
ESTABLISH
1. Translate
FCH
flyers
and
health
information
into
other
languages.
Immediate
Plans:
 New
outreach
materials
are
being
developed,
and
will
be
translated
into
Farsi
and
Mandarin.
2. Establish
communication
strategies
to
keep
clients
of
FCH
informed
and
involved:
• Example:
Email
Listserv,
Facebook
and
other
social
media
tools,
FCH’s
website.
3. Work
with
community
animators
or
peer
health
ambassadors
that
belong
to
the
male,
youth,
senior
and
LGBTQ
communities.
Immediate
Plans:
 FCH
is
an
established
positive
space
for
all
community
members.
There
is
a
Positive
Space
poster
displayed
in
FCH’s
lobby.
Explore
Partnerships
with:
 Access
Alliance
and
Griffin
Centre
to
assist
with
outreach
to
LGBTQ
community
members.
ENHANCE
4. Provide
programs
in
other
languages.
Enhance
interpretation
services.
Immediate
Plans:
 Peer
Health
Ambassadors
Program
at
FCH
will
enable
programs
to
be
provided
in
other
languages.
5. Continue
to
work
with
community
members
to
conduct
outreach.
Immediate
Plans:
 FCH
has
already
started
discussing
partnership
and
outreach
strategies
with
schools
and
libraries
in
the
area.
6. Continue
to
connect
with
community
Explore:
members
to
receive
their
input
on
 FCH
will
be
involved
with
Flemingdon
Health
programs
and
services,
and
to
get
their
Centre’s
next
client
feedback
survey.
This
feedback.
survey
will
be
an
important
mechanism
to
get
feedback
from
clients.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
10
PARTNERSHIPS
AND
ADVOCACY
Recommendation
Action
Areas
ESTABLISH
1. Work
with
Toronto
Public
Health’s
Dental
Program,
and
Dental
Hygienist
Schools
to
develop
strategies
for
providing
lower
cost
or
free
dental
care
for
community
members
that
are
not
covered.
Immediate
Plans:
 Speak
with
manager
of
Dental
Health
Unit
that
works
with
Fairview
Community
Health.
 Set
up
resources
on
dental
health
and
care
at
FCH
front
desk
for
community
members.
2. Work
with
community
agencies
to
establish
another
urgent
care
clinic,
particularly
for
children,
or
links
to
urgent
care
clinic.
Explore:
 Idea
of
Mobile
‘Community
Info
Sessions’:
 Idea
of
Walk‐in
Clinic
with
Fairview
Interagency
Network.
3. Work
with
City
of
Toronto’s
Parks
and
Recreation
to
develop
fitness
and
recreational
programs.
4. Work
with
CCAC
and
other
community
services
around
seniors’
supports
(home
care,
eye
care,
etc.)
ENHANCE
5. Work
with
other
community
agencies
Immediate
Plans:
and
community
health
centres
around
 The
Health
Promoter
at
FCH
is
the
current
co‐
key
structural
health
issues,
such
as
chair
of
the
Fairview
Food
Security
Network
dental
coverage
and
waiting
period
for
and
the
Community
Health
Centre
Food
OHIP.
Security
Network.
6. Collaborate
with
childcare
agencies
to
provide
more
childcare
options
and
affordable
programs.
Immediate
Plans:
 The
Local
Immigration
Project
is
currently
exploring
this
issue
in
their
‘Health
Working
Group’.
Explore
Partnerships
with:
 Seneca
College’s
Early
Childhood
Education
Program.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011
11
7. Work
with
food
banks,
Meals
on
Wheels,
and
breakfast
clubs
in
the
area
to
address
food
insecurity
issues
identified.
8. Connect
with
North
York
General
Hospital
to
discuss
issues
and
experiences
of
community
members
at
the
hospital.
4.
Conclusion
This
project
was
small
in
scale;
however,
it
managed
to
meet
the
objectives
set
out.
The
project
helped
to
engage
with
community
members
so
they
could
learn
further
about
FCH,
as
well
as
to
identify
health
issues
affecting
community
members
and
the
specific
programs
and
services
that
could
address
these
concerns.
Fairview
Community
Health
staff
members
are
committed
to
exploring
different
ideas
to
address
the
issues
identified
within
this
assessment,
and
the
recommendations
outlined
above.
Change
will
take
time,
and
will
require
the
continued
involvement
of,
and
feedback
from,
community
members,
as
well
as
sustained
commitment
from
FCH
staff.
5.
Acknowledgements
The
author
would
like
to
acknowledge
and
thank
the
community
members
that
participated
in
the
project
for
their
involvement
and
feedback,
as
well
as
the
community
animators
for
their
hard
work
and
input
in
the
project.
Special
thanks
are
also
given
to
Bronwyn
Underhill,
Suzanne
Jackson
and
Shobha
Oza
for
their
support
and
guidance,
as
well
as
the
staff
of
Fairview
Community
Health
for
their
encouragement
and
commitment
to
this
project,
engaging
with
community
members
and
responding
to
the
findings.
Thank
you
also
to
MPP
David
Caplan
and
Councillor
Shelley
Carroll
for
their
support
and
contributing
to
the
project.
Finally,
the
author
would
like
to
acknowledge
and
thank
the
following
organizations
that
provided
financial,
and
in‐kind
donations
to
the
project:
 Toronto
Public
Libraries
 Ontario
Science
Centre
 Shoppers
Drug
Mart
at
Fairview
Mall
 SilverCity
Fairview
Mall
Cinemas
 Bruno’s
Valu‐Mart
at
33
Underhill
Drive
 Food
Basics
at
1277
York
Mills
Road
 Tim
Hortons
(2501
Victoria
Park
Avenue
and
2075
Sheppard
Avenue
East
Locations)
This
project
would
not
have
been
possible
without
their
support.
Fairview
Community
Health’s
Community
Engagement
and
Needs
Assessment
Project
August
19,
2011