Aboriginal Health

Community Engagement

What is Community Engagement?

Community Engagement includes many activities from gathering community input to community development and capacity building activities. The goal of Community Engagement is to encourage and increase community participation in health service planning and decision-making. Community input is very important in helping to raise awareness about community issues and concerns that may not otherwise be identified and/or addressed.

How does VCH engage the Aboriginal Community?

The Leader of Community Engagement for the Aboriginal Community works within VCH to ensure that the voice of the Aboriginal community is heard when decisions that may impact their health are being considered. Aboriginal community input is gathered through the Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee, and through visits to Aboriginal communities.

The CE Leader is a liaison between all stakeholders to help fulfill the overall vision of VCH, “To Provide a People Centered Approach to Healthcare”. Stakeholders, or those who have a stake in the decision being made, include the Aboriginal community, VCH planners, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers. The CE Leader’s work includes:

• Gathering input from community to help identify and address gaps
• Working on identified VCH gaps (ie: acute care, diabetes)
• Education and training on culturally sensitive ways to respond to issues
• Identifying and bringing in experts to educate and/or train stakeholders

• Attend Provincial Leads Group
• Ensuring community and stakeholder input into the Aboriginal Health Strategic Plan
• Coordinates Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee activities
• Supports the leads and leaders in the five VCH regions to develop community-based partnerships that support the implementation of the Aboriginal Health Strategic Plan.

Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee (ACHAC)

The Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee is vital in ensuring that Aboriginal community health concerns are identified, discussed, and acted upon by VCH and other health providers. The role of the ACHAC is to:

• Provide advice on the best way to engage with Aboriginal Communities
• Act as a liaison between VCH and Aboriginal Communities
• Help identify community health concerns and provide advice on how to best address them.

The Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee is advisory to the VCH Senior Executive Team and the VCH Aboriginal Coordinating Committee. Contact with the VCH Board is made through the Board Governance Committee; meeting minutes are provided to the Board Governance Committee and a member of this committee attends the bi-annual joint CHAC meetings.

Visit our Committees page to see bios of our Aboriginal Community Health Advisory Committee members.

Community Partnerships

VCH will participate, with community groups and other stakeholders, in partnerships that address factors affecting the Aboriginal Community’s health status. These partnerships may result in VCH staff membership on committees, working with partners to consult the Aboriginal Community and contributing financial and other resources to community based projects.

Community Development and Capacity Building

Each of the five regions within VCH has staff working to promote the development of community relationships and networks. Staff seeks community input to improve programs and services supporting individual communities. This integration will support the development of community capacity and the participation of the community self-help and mutual aid activities.

Read More

• Find out more about Community Engagement within VCH
• Community Engagement Consultation Reports