32nd AOHC Health Equity Awards

AOHC Awards 2014

SHERATON PARKWAY TORONTO NORTH RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO JUNE 4, 2014

Agenda Welcoming remarks Dinner Boston, baby frisee and radicchio leaf salad with lychee fruit, roasted pineapple and sweet potatoes with apple cider vinaigrette Moroccan vegetable soup with chick peas, orzo pasta, beans and harissa Supreme of chicken stuffed with wild mushrooms, herbs, and ricotta cheese Smashed sweet potato with plantain and coconut milk Roasted green and yellow beans and carrots with balsamic reduction Trio of desserts: chocolate lava cake, baked pear crumble, and crème brûlée Coffee and tea *Special meals provided for those who have previously indicated Presentation of AOHC and alPHa Awards Closing remarks Dance party

Entertainment Emcee: Julie Eng, Magicienne Julie Eng is one of the few female professional magicians in the workforce today. She is also the executive director of Magicana – a performing arts organization dedicated to the exploration, study and advancement of magic as a performing art.

Julie’s tutelage began at a very early age.

Her father was a magician and she literally grew up in a household of magic. They say she was pulled out of a hat instead of delivered by a stork. Well, while that may be the stuff of storytelling, Julie’s accomplishments are very real.

Julie’s magic is distinguished by her dexterous skill, confident presentation and professional manner. Julie has also received accolades from her fellow magicians, who have invited her to perform at many magic conventions across North America. And now, for over three decades, Julie has brought her magical expertise to thousands of private functions, festivals, conventions and special events around the globe.

DJ: Sam Jahshan DJ Sammy is president and founder of Quality Plus Entertainment. Rated as one of Canada’s top DJs, his passion for music has inspired others as well as his own DJ’s to become the best. He believes that music can break down barriers, teach culture and tolerance, and help to improve community wellbeing and people’s lives.

Community Engagement Award

Health Equity Award

The Community Engagement Award honours excellence in engaging community members in such a way that a program or service is improving health outcomes and increasing a community’s capacity to stay healthy.

The Health Equity Award celebrates excellence in advancing health equity with respect to delivery of a service or program. The award is given to recipients who have created programs and services that address the issues of health equity; or developed innovative ways to respond to the issues of health equity; or taken extraordinary measures to raise awareness of the issues regarding health equity; or developed creative advocacy campaign(s) on issues related health equity; or worked in non-traditional partnerships that have responded to the issue of health equity.

The award is given to recipients who have engaged their community in such a way that: • Community members have been empowered and involved at an equal or greater level in the decision-making and/or delivery of the program/initiative • As a result of the community engagement, the program/ initiative was successful in improving health outcomes and/or community capacity.

Recipient: Lara Mrosovsky, Access Alliance Lara is a Health Promoter at Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services. At their East satellite she played an instrumental role in establishing a successful community garden on the rooftop. Lara’s experience growing in small spaces can be credited to her time organizing a balcony garden project in St. James Town. Her years spent as an educator with Green Thumbs Growing Kids has informed her practice of using gardens as a tool for community development.

The Green Access Program: The Green Roof at AccessPoint on Danforth is coming to life with gardening groups, programs, and events. Started up in 2011, the Green Access Program uses the Green Roof as launching pad for activities that build skills around food and gardening. The program brings together community development, environmental education, and health. The rooftop garden also provides community members the opportunity to participate in gardening activities. As it flourishes, the Green Roof will be a demonstration project to inspire other health service providers.

Recipients: Dr. Chandrakant Shah & Dr. Allison Reeves, The Aboriginal Cultural Safety Initiative Dr. Shah is Staff Physician at Anishnawbe Health Toronto and provides primary healthcare to aboriginal people. He is also Professor Emeritus at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and is an advocate for improving the health and wellbeing of marginalized groups in Canadian society. He secured nearly $2 million in endowments to establish an Endowed Chair in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing at the University of Toronto in 2000, first of its kind in Canada. For his advocacy work with the Aboriginal community, he has received several awards including the Order of Ontario and Eagle Feather by First Nations House at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Reeves is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in Applied Psychology and Human Development at the University of Toronto. She recently completed her PhD in Counseling and Clinical Psychology at the University of Toronto with a focus on Indigenous healing from historic trauma. Her PhD dissertation was on “Exploring Indigenous Mental Health and Healing Concepts and Practices for Addressing Sexual Traumas”. Dr. Reeves also has an MA in Health Promotion. She is currently working in clinical and forensic psychology roles in both psychiatric hospital and community clinic settings.

The Aboriginal Cultural Safety Initiative: The Aboriginal Cultural Safety Initiative offers a three hour classroom session for all health sciences students in Ontario in the area of Aboriginal cultural safety, which is taught to students by Aboriginal instructors. Topics for the cultural safety module include Indigenous worldviews, impacts of colonization (Indian Act, Residential School System), health determinants and health outcomes, gaps in mainstream health and social services for Aboriginal service users, and concepts of health and healing in an Aboriginal context.

Joe Leonard Award

Innovator of the Year Award

Recipient: Floydeen Charles-Fridal, TAIBU Community Health Centre

The Innovator of the Year Award honours excellence in developing a new innovation with respect to primary care, illness prevention, health promotion, community capacity building and service integration.

The award is given to recipients who have: • Developed or implemented an innovative idea in the area of primary care, illness prevention, health promotion, community capacity building or service integration • As a result of the innovation, the program / initiative was successful in improving health outcomes and/or community capacity.

Recipient: Noah Wayne, Black Creek Community Health Centre Noah Wayne is a PhD candidate in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. Noah just completed coordinating a randomized controlled trial at the Black Creek CHC (BCCHC) assessing the efficacy of personal health coaching and the use of mobile technology to improve diabetes management.

During his four years at BCCHC, Noah founded the Exercise Education Program, a clinical and community health promotion service that provides exercise training and education in primary care.

The Joe Leonard Award honours individuals, either members or nonmembers of the Association of Ontario Health Centres, who have made outstanding contributions to community health.

The award is given to recipients who have shown outstanding leadership with respect to health policy, health promotion, disease prevention, or furthered the recognition of the social determinants of health on a community, provincial, national or international stage.

Floydeen is a strategic thinker who has a unique ability to lead with a focus on outcomes that benefit the overall health and wellbeing of marginalized peoples. Her lived experiences with racism influence how she works to advance the overall Black Health Agenda through a lens of health equity and social justice. Resulting from her leadership are several million dollars in funding for initiatives such as: Tampa Urban League’s Rites of Passage Program for African-American Boys; Malvern Community Coalition; Black Health Alliance’s Research Study; and TAIBU Community Health Centre, where she was a founding member and is currently the President of the Board of Directors.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners!

The Association of Ontario Health Centres would like to congratulate the winners of our 32nd anniversary awards.