Supporting Health in Communities during COVID-19: How Community Primary Healthcare Delivered Continuous Care and Advanced Health Equity through the Pandemic Crisis

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impacts on the health and wellbeing of people and communities in Ontario, Alliance members worked hard to ensure that people who experience barriers continued to receive high-quality care. The Alliance has 109 members that include AHACs, CHCs, CFHTs, and NPLCs and a FHO. When the information below describes a specific primary care model, this is indicated.

This report explores six key themes that reflect some of the major ways Alliance member organizations responded to the crisis to keep their clients and communities as healthy as possible and ensure that nobody was left behind. For each theme, there are several quantitative data points ("By the Numbers"), followed by a list of examples, hyperlinked to more fulsome stories where available: 

• Ensuring Continued Access to Clinical Primary Care
• Keeping Communities Connected and Preventing Isolation
• Supporting Food Security and Meeting Other Material Needs
• Advancing Digital Equity
• Advancing Health System Leadership & Collaboration
• Advancing Access to Team-Based Care