Working Groups

Working groups address issues affecting priority populations through projects aimed at improving access to care and services. These working groups are mandated by the Archipel Ontario Health Team (OHT) Executive Committee.

Responsibilities of working groups

• Plan and facilitate service transformation to improve the continuum of care for their priority populations. 
• Identify issues, gaps and resource shortages that put the achievement of transformation objectives at risk, and propose solutions. 
• Collaborate with other Archipel working groups and committees to align initiatives. 
• Ensure alignment with quality standards and best practices of organizations such as Health Quality Ontario and the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.
• Link clinical transformation to digital health initiatives. 
• Include the elements of Ontario Health's Quintuple Aim and performance measures in the planning of initiatives.
• Meet the needs of care providers, clients and their families, and Archipel OHT member organizations. 
• Lead sub-groups required to operate the Workgroup.
  

Mandate of the COPD Working Group

The mandate of the COPD Working Group is to develop solutions to ensure the continuum of care for the population affected by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. 

Composition

The COPD Working Group includes 10 to 12 members from sectors such as palliative care programs, screening and diagnostic programs, lung health, and family health teams.

COPD Working Group activities and achievements

• Development of early detection tools in collaboration with two family health teams. These tools can be used to identify COPD patients who need spirometry, as well as additional treatment and lung health services.
• Mapping of the programs and services available for COPD treatment and education to better refer partners and patients and improve self-efficacy in disease management.

How to become a member of the COPD Working Group

COPD Working Group members are appointed for a two-year term. Vacancies, if any, are posted below. 

If you would like to get involved in patient and family advocacy, but don’t want to be a committee member, you can participate on an occasional basis by completing surveys or joining a discussion group on a particular topic. To see other opportunities, visit For Patients and Families > Get involved.

Mandate of the Mental Health and Addictions (MHA) Working Group

The mandate of this working group is to coordinate and facilitate access to mental health and addiction services while recognizing and respecting community diversity. The group must take into account Aboriginal peoples, racialized communities and Francophones in the planning, diversity and quality of services offered. 

Composition of the MHA Working Group

The group includes managers, Team Leads and technical or subject-matter experts involved in improvement initiatives, as well as representatives of priority populations.

• 1–2 family health team representatives 
• 1–2 family physician representatives
• 1–2 client partners
• Member of the Planning Team or Transformation Office
• Other champions or content experts
• One or more members of the Digital Health Committee 

The partner organizations are:

• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) 
• Plantagenet Family Health Team
• Centre Le CAP
• Montfort Renaissance
• Ottawa Salus
• Hôpital Montfort 
• Hawkesbury and District General Hospital
  

Activities and achievements of the MHA Working Group

-Implementation of the memory reconsolidation therapy project in September 2023

This project is aimed at patients in the Montfort Hospital emergency room who are at risk of, or have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reconsolidation Therapy is an innovative approach that combines five to six sessions of psychotherapy with the use of a drug, propranolol, to treat the disorder. 

The aim of the project is to match at-risk clients with mental health services before they leave the Montfort emergency department, using the Access MHA platform. 

A dozen clinicians have been trained to offer this form of psychotherapy. Reconsolidation therapy influences the reconsolidation of memories associated with the traumatic event, thereby reducing distress and the negative impact on the person’s daily life. Consultations are free of charge. Read a news story on reconsolidation therapy.

How to become a member of the MHA Working Group

Members of the MHA Working Group are appointed for a two-year term. Vacancies, if any, are posted below. 

If you’d like to get involved in patient and family advocacy, but don’t want to be a committee member, you could participate on an occasional basis by completing surveys or joining a discussion group on a particular topic. To see other opportunities, visit For Patients and Families > Get involved.

The Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) designation is awarded by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) to organizations that meet certain guidelines.

Mandate of the BPSO Working Group

Collaborate with partners to implement the RNAO’s program best practices across the continuum of care.

Composition of the BPSO Working Group

• Montfort Renaissance 
• Ottawa Public Health  
• Canadian Mental Health Association  
• Hôpital Montfort

Activities and achievements of the BPSO Working Group

-Archipel Postpartum Wellness Clinic opened in October 2022

This clinic is for patients who gave birth at Montfort and are experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety, but who do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. The clinic fills a gap by enabling these patients to obtain a quick consultation with a physician, and if necessary, a medical referral for a consultation with a psychiatrist. Read the story of a grateful mother.

Starting in the fall of 2023, the clinic will accept more patients by expanding its eligibility criteria. The partners are working on a permanent path to improve access to postpartum wellness services.

How to become a member of the BPSO Working Group

Member organizations of the BPSO Working Group are appointed for a four-year term. For more information, please contact the Project Lead, Sharlène Clarke at sharleneclarke@eso-archipel.ca.