Resources for patients and families

List of resources

Most resources for patients and families listed on this page are provided by third parties and are for information purposes only. For more health-related resources, visit the page find services.


Health system resources


Population health



Glossary

Here are the definitions and explanations of terms and expressions commonly used in the healthcare system and adopted by our Patient, Client and Family Advisory Committee (PCFAC).


Population health approach: An approach that aims to improve the health status of an entire population and reduce health inequalities between different population groups.   


Ethical framework: Guidelines that ensure the prevention, identification, and management of ethical issues, and provide a range of benchmarks and resources to support decision making.   


Steering Committee: Committee set up in a company or organization with the aim of entrusting it with the responsibility of directing certain tasks or specific activities. For the Archipel OHT, this committee is made up of representatives from the health and social services sectors, PFAC co-chairs, as well as from the communities served, to ensure a good representation.   


Social Determinants of Health: Social and economic factors that influence people’s health. These factors include income level and social status; job security; education level; nutrition; housing; social inclusion; lifestyle, and the physical environment.   


Co-design: Co-design is an approach that enables staff and patients (or other service users) to co-design services and/or care pathways in partnership. It involves a structured process for gathering experiences from multiple and diverse perspectives.   


Patient engagement: Patients/clients, family members and other informal caregivers and health care professionals actively collaborating to improve health care quality in Ontario. The joint development of the parameters of the health system of tomorrow requires the contribution of patients/clients by sharing their lived experiences, but also their preferences and needs to be met.   


Ontario Health Team (OHT): Provides a new way to organize and deliver more interconnected care for patients in their communities. With Ontario Health Teams, health care providers (including hospitals, physicians and home and community care providers) will work as coordinated teams—no matter where they deliver care services.   


Health equity: The absence of unfair and avoidable gaps in access to health care, in terms of quality or outcomes. Achieving health equity requires reducing unnecessary and avoidable differences that are inequitable and unjust. Many of the causes of these inequities are related to social and environmental determinants of health.   


Partner: An organization who collaborates with another organization to achieve common objectives.   


Patient partner: Collaborate with patients/clients, families and caregivers in order to ensure that everyone is actively working together to improve the health care system in Ontario. This collaboration includes the many ways of working with patients/clients, patients, and families to understand and meet their needs.   


Caregiver: A family member or a person considered to be a family member who provides care or support to a person who is seriously ill, injured, unable to care for themselves, and/or needs end-of-life care.   


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Find a doctor or nurse practitioner

The province has developed a tool to help people find a family doctor or a nurse practitioner in their community. For more information, visit Find a doctor or nurse practitioner.



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Ontario Health 811 and virtual care


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Black Health

Training: How to Provide AntiRacist Mental Health Care

  • The training How to Provide AntiRacist Mental Health Care is available free online and is accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association.
  • The training program includes six modules. A certificate is awarded to those who complete the pre- and post-training forms. For more information, visit the course page.


The Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition 

  • The Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition (OBMHC) works collaboratively and collectively to improve mental health outcomes for Black communities in Ottawa. The Coalition is hosted by Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC), which provides the Coalition with administrative and supervisory support.
  • Their goal is to achieve a more equitable mental health system by improving access to culturally competent mental health support and resources, offering healthier outcomes Black residents in Ottawa.
  • The Coalition organizes multiple events and provides mental health resources. For more information, visit Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition.


ACB Wellness Centre

  • The African, Caribbean Black Wellness Resource Centre aims to empower Black, racialized, and marginalized communities by providing a supportive space for leadership and mentorship. 
  • Through resources like mental health support, youth training, a weekly food bank, housing assistance, and efforts to reduce social isolation for the elderly, the centre enables these communities to overcome discrimination based on immigration status and race. For more information, visit ACB Wellness.


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Healthcare services in French


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Indigenous health

Wabano Centre

  • The Wabano Centre is an Indigenous health and cultural centre, and an Indigenous Centre for Excellence, by and for Indigenous people. Located in Ottawa, the Wabano Centre offers programs, services, activities and support for all age groups. For more information, visit Wabano. 
  • The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition have jointly produced a report on Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in health care across the Champain region. The report highlights anti-Indigenous experiences and eye-witness accounts. It also makes several recommendations to end racism and discrimination, and to improve health equity in Ontario's healthcare system.  For more information, visit Wabano's page Share your story.


National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

  • The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is a place of learning and dialogue where the truths of the residential school experience will be honoured and kept safe for future generations. 
  • The most important service provided by the NCTR is delivering Survivors and their families a record of their own history, a sacred bundle that the NCTR will protect and preserve forever for the benefit of all Canadians. These archives are the spiritual core of the NCTR.
  • The AtoM archive database is a rich, dynamic and vast collection of documents, oral histories, photos and other important records gathered by the TRC and beyond. For more information, please visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.


Tungasuvvingat Inuit Urban Inuit Knowledge Centre

  • Tungasuvvingat Inuit provides community support services for Inuit of all ages. 
  • The centre helps Inuit find their way through the urban systems as they are building their life in the south and works to keep them connected to their culture in the north. For more information, visit Tungasuvvingat Inuit Urban Inuit Knowledge Centre.


Chiefs of Ontario

  • Chiefs of Ontario supports all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction, and their chosen expression of nationhood.
  • Link to Indian Residential School Information and Resources.
  • A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for Survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.
  • The Health Portal will help bring together all the First Nations health advocates of Ontario for networking, professional development and problem solving. Visit Chiefs of Ontario Health Portal.


Indigenous Grassroots Circle of Eastern Ontario

  • The Indigenous Grassroots Circle of Eastern Ontario (IGCEO) is a non-profit organization led by and for Indigenous people.
  • Indigenous Grassroots is a circle of connection—linking individuals, families, and communities to cultural teachings, peer support, and community-led solutions. To learn more, visit Indigenous Grassroots Circle of Eastern Ontario.


Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition

  • The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition is an alliance of urban Indigenous service delivery organizations dedicated to offering front-line programs and services to Indigenous individuals residing in Ottawa.
  • The OAC's goal is to enhance the positive and healthy choices available to community members and their families across various areas, including health, housing, education, employment, training, and access to cultural activities.
  • The OAC strengthens collaborative relationships and focuses on several key priorities: Indigenous housing and homelessness Strategy; Indigenous Mental Health Strategy, and Indigenous Women's Safety. To learn more, visit the website Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition.

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Palliative care

Palliative care is designed for people with life-threatening illnesses, usually at an advanced stage. It is also intended for their families. It is an approach to care that encompasses pain and symptom management as well as emotional and mental health, spiritual well-being and the practical needs of everyday life. For information on residential and homecare services as well as palliative care training, visit the following websites.


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Support for caregivers

As a caregiver, you provide physical and emotional support to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour. But as a caregiver, you also need support, information and respite. The following websites offer resources for caregivers.


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Support for COPD patients and caregivers

Canadian Lung Association

  • To talk to a certified respiratory educator who can answer questions and send information, call The Lung Health Helpline at 1-866-717-2673. 
  • For information on lung health, lung disease prevention and treatment as well as research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), visit the Canadian Lung Association.


COPD Canada

  • For educational materials on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as well as information on available treatments, assessment tools and practical tips on disease management, visit COPD Canada. 


Living Well with COPD


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Support for the Jewish community

People of all faiths have the right to live in safety and security, free from intimidation and violence. Archipel produced a list of emergency resources and support programs for the Jewish community and its allies as well as information about combatting antisemitism. Consult the document Supports and Resources for the Jewish Community and Allies (PDF)


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Questions about Archipel and our health system?

  • Do you have questions about Archipel Ontario Health Team and our healthcare system? Check out the page FAQ for patients and families.


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