Health Care Providers
Cultural Sensitivity Training & Workshops
2018: Mental Health, Chronic Conditions and Culture
BounceBack: Crossing Cultures to Help with Depression and Anxiety
BounceBack (bouncebackontario.ca) helps adults and youth learn skills to help manage worry and anxiety, combat unhelpful thinking and become more active and assertive through telephone coaching, self-help workbooks, and videos. This presentation prepared by Hannah Matthews, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator, discusses BounceBack’s approach to providing culturally sensitive services. Download PDF.
Chronic Illness as a Cross Cultural Experience
Developed by Dr. Alison Eyre, MDCM, CCFP, FCFP, this presentation explores what is chronic illness, how culture or ethnicity can influence the experience of chronic illness, and how our assumptions influence our thinking on this subject. Download PDF.
Cross Cultural Health Care in Practice
In this presentation Antoine Roussel, RSW, MSW, draws from his twelve-year experience as a clinical social worker with the Bruyere Family Health Team, working in complex socio-economic and demographic contexts. Download PDF.
Mental Health Needs of Immigrant and Refugee Populations
Facilitated by Aamna Ashraf of the Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project (irmhp-psmir.camhx.ca) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, this interactive workshop led participants to learn and reflect on trauma-informed care when working with immigrants and refugees, and provided self-care information and strategies for health care providers. Download PDF.
2017: Ramadan, Fasting and Diabetes & What to Consider when Working with Syrian Refugees
Ramadan, Fasting and Diabetes
Developed by Racha Zarzour, RD, CDE, this presentation touches on potential risks associated with prolonged fasting, provides an example of the Ramadan Plate Method and a Ramadan nutrition plan, plus advice for people living with diabetes during Ramadan. Download PDF.
2015: Beyond the Blink: How to access specific cultural information we need for our clients
Working with Different Cultures
Produced by the SCREEN Program, this booklet is a compilation of some available resources for health care providers. Download PDF.
2014: Enhancing Cultural Competency Skills for Health Care Professionals
Culturally Influenced Barriers in Chronic Disease Management
Developed by Dr. Hasina Visram, MD, MSc, FRCPSC, this presentation highlights the impact of culture on several common barriers faced in the management of chronic diseases and reviews strategies to improve cross-cultural care.
The Role of Culture and Gender in the Provision of Care for Immigrants
Developed by Dr. Sylvia Reitmanova, MD, MSc, PhD, this presentation outlines the theoretical underpinnings of cross-cultural care and discusses the relation between culture, gender, and immigrants’ health needs, as well as institutional and personal support for cultural safety.
Additional Resources for Working with Diverse Populations
Migrant Health
Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre (ONHC)
The Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre is a community-based initiative dedicated to providing holistic services that promote the health and social well-being of refugees and immigrants. The centre encompasses three different programs, the Ottawa Newcomer Clinic, Multicultural Health Navigator and Ottawa Language Access.
www.onhc.ca
Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health (CCIRH)
The Canadian Collaboration for Immigrant and Refugee Health (CCIRH) is a ten-year-old interdisciplinary collaboration involving over 150 primary care practitioners, specialists, researchers, immigrant community leaders, and policy makers. It aims to shine an evidence-based lens on the discipline of migrant health. Its website provides:
- Practical evidence-based recommendations and high quality education resources.
- Refugees and Global Health e-Learning Program and Certification.
- e-Clinical Checklist for New Immigrants and Refugees (printable).
- Refugee Health Outreach Information.
http://ccirhken.ca
Local Organizations Serving Immigrants and Refugees
Refugee 613
Refugee 613 is a coalition of citizens, settlement agencies, sponsorship groups and community partners working to provide refugees with the building blocks of successful integration. Refugee 613 aims to build on Ottawa’s settlement services by providing their partners and the public with information, connection and inspiration.
www.refugee613.ca
Refugee Trauma and Resilience Centre
The Refugee Trauma and Resilience Centre works from a strength-based perspective and offers services through a cultural humility approach to meet the needs of all clients from diverse and ethnic backgrounds. It aims to build relationships, healthier communities and cross-cultural understanding across the city of Ottawa.
http://rtrc.ca
Local Agencies Serving Immigrants (LASI) – Members
- Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI)
The CCI promotes and facilitates the reception of newcomers to Canada, sensitizes the community to address newcomers’ needs and invites it to respond, and assists newcomers in realizing their full potential in Canadian society. www.cciottawa.ca
- Economic and Social Council of Ottawa-Carleton/Conseil économique et social d’Ottawa-Carleton (CESOC)
The CESOC is a non-profit corporate agency whose goal is to foster the diversity of the Francophone community in Eastern Ontario, specifically in the Ottawa area. The agency supports Francophone immigrants, and endeavours to promote the socioeconomic development of Francophone immigrants, as well as the creation of a pluralistic Francophonie. www.cesoc.ca
- Immigrant Women Services of Ottawa (IWSO)
IWSO is a community-based social service agency providing the highest quality of culturally appropriate services to immigrant women and their children in the City of Ottawa and surrounding areas. Its vision is the elimination of all forms of violence against women and children and achieving social and economic equality for immigrant and minority women. www.immigrantwomenservices.com
- Jewish Family Services of Ottawa (JFS)
JFS is a full service, non-sectarian agency serving residents of the greater Ottawa area. JFS offers more than 65 programs and services to children, youth, adults and seniors, be they individuals, couples, families or groups. www.jfsottawa.com
La Cité Collégiale offers a wide range of personally tailored innovative programs and services for newcomers to ensure their social and professional integration. www.collegelacite.ca
- Lebanese and Arab Social Services Agency (LASSA)
The LASSA is an organization that provides general community services with a focus on expediting and facilitating the settlement and integration of newcomers selecting Ottawa as their residential destination. www.lassa.ca
- Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre (OCCSC)
The OCCSC is a non-profit, non-partisan community based organization dedicated to the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees in the City of Ottawa. www.occsc.org
- Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO)
The OCISO supports immigrants through the journey of making Canada their home by providing creative and responsive programs that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, by building community through mutual respect and partnerships, and by fostering healthy and inclusive spaces for open dialogue and healing. www.ociso.org
- Ottawa Worldskills Employment Centre (OWEC)
The OWEC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the employment needs of newcomers and the local labour market. It helps immigrants incorporate into the workforce through job search training and support, cultural and employment competency building, language training and employer connections. http://ottawa-worldskills.org
- Somali Centre for Family Services (SCFS)
The SCFS assists newcomers such as refugees and other immigrant groups who need settlement and integration support services through settlement services, programs and partnership services that are timely, culturally appropriate and address their concern. http://www.scfsottawa.ca
- YMCA/YWCA of the National Capital Region
The YMCA/YWCA of the National Capital Region works to improve the health of individuals, promote child and youth development, facilitate individual self-reliance, and develop healthier communities and vital neighborhoods. www.ymcaywca.ca
Social Planning Council (SPC) of Ottawa
The SPC takes a holistic approach to community development by integrating research, planning, and community building. The SPC offers support to 24 ethnocultural groups through two coalitions, one meeting in English (Ottawa Ethnocultural Coalition – OEC) and one meeting in French (Projet Maison Ethnoculturelle Francophone – PMEF).
www.spcottawa.on.ca
Cultural Competency
From Cultural Awareness to Cultural Competency
Developed by the University of Ottawa as part of their Society, the Individual, and Medicine (SIM) curriculum, this online resource provides a broad introduction to the concepts of cultural awareness, sensibility, competency and safety. Visit the website.
A Cultural Competence Guide for Primary Health Care Professionals in Nova Scotia
This guide includes tools and resources to assist primary health care professionals working within the primary health care system in providing culturally competent health care. Of note — Section ll contains information and tools most relevant to primary health care providers, including self‐assessment questionnaires and useful patient/client encounter questions. Download PDF.
Better Communication, Better Care: A Toolkit for Physicians and Health Care Professionals
Background information and tools that can be reproduced and used as needed to deliver access to health care to diverse patient populations. Download PDF.
Communicating with Diverse People
Handout on communicating effectively with clients/patients from diverse backgrounds. Guidelines may be easier to remember because they have the acronym ETHNIC (Explanation, Treatment, Healers, Negotiate, Intervention, Collaboration). Download PDF.
