Membership in the Alliance for Healthier Communities is open to community-governed, interprofessional, primary health care organizations operating in Ontario. Currently, our membership includes Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations, Community Health Centres, Community Family Health teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics. These organizations serve diverse communities across Ontario, and they all share certain values and principles that guide our work towards the best possible health and wellbeing for everyone in Ontario.
- Alliance members are committed to Health Equity. This commitment is articulated in the Health Equity Charter endorsed by all Alliance member organizations. The goal of a health equity approach is to dismantle barriers, eliminate health inequities and improve access to health care, especially for those who have historically faced and continue to face discrimination and disadvantage. To achieve this goal, each Alliance member organization serves people and communities in their region who have been most excluded economically, socially and in mainstream health services.
- Alliance members deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care, embedded in the Model of Health and Wellbeing and Model of Wholistic Health and Wellbeing, and rooted in the belief that health is a state of the best possible physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. Alliance members offer primary care services in combination with health promotion and community development activities to address medical and biological issues, and to improve the circumstances in which people live, work, play and age. Comprehensive primary health care not only improves the health of individuals, it creates healthier communities – inclusive, connected and caring places where everyone feels they belong and are empowered to take control of their health and wellbeing.
- Alliance members are deeply rooted in the communities they serve. Alliance members don’t just reflect their communities, they are their communities. Alliance members’ boards of directors are made up of people elected from local communities who set the over-arching goals and priorities for programs and services. Through meaningful engagement, Alliance members aim to enable everyone, but especially those facing barriers, to lead the way in their communities. That means working with individuals and groups to identify unmet or under-served needs, then resourcing them to work towards the solutions and goals they design. Alliance members act on the belief that health and wellbeing is not a product to be dispensed, but a process in which those served are actively involved as valued partners.
Why you should join
Alliance members work at the forefront of transformative change by delivering comprehensive primary health care to people and communities facing barriers to equitable health and wellbeing. As their provincial association, we provide the support and critical resources they need to achieve their mission.
Membership in the Alliance means a wide range of benefits, from government relations and advocacy leadership, capacity building opportunities and resource management supports to performance management, research and evaluation tools and resources. Most importantly, by joining the Alliance you will become part of a strong community that delivers positive system-wide change.
Check out the Alliance membership brochure to learn more about the membership criteria, services and benefits, as well as Members’ Rights and Responsibilities.
If you don’t meet the membership criteria, you can still be part of the health equity movement by joining the Community Health Equity Builders Program.