Even Before COVID, Primary Care Was Struggling. What Happens Now?
A strong primary care sector is critical to the health of populations and to the success of the health care system overall. This system success depends substantially on a strong degree of trust from the community. The pressures of the pandemic have exacerbated the issues in primary care - and as primary care struggles, the downstream impacts are significant and costly for people and providers. As Ontario starts moving from COVID response to COVID recovery, we need to be proactively looking for ways to bolster an already overburdened sector that’s been hit by a shortage of family doctors. But how, when the same resource pressures continue to exist? Community Ambassadors can help.
Over the last two years, Health Commons has witnessed the tremendous work Community Ambassadors do and the positive impacts they have in their communities. They help create connections and navigate supports, they understand the needs of the communities they work within and speak their language - both linguistically and culturally, and they work closely with health care providers to tailor health information for their communities. They are bridging gaps in trust by creating a safer space for community members to ask questions and seek support, listening non-judgmentally, and sharing resources that are culturally relevant and appropriate. They do things health care providers don’t have time to do, like going door-to-door passing out flyers and standing at wellness booths eagerly answering questions and listening. Some specific examples of the positive impact Community Ambassadors have had during the pandemic include:
Helping Us Understand What Communities Need. For Hear To There, a campaign to host safe and welcoming community conversations to discuss experiences of the pandemic, Community Ambassadors hosted sessions to talk with community members about their needs and priorities. Community Ambassadors co-developed this campaign. They also provided feedback and strategies on how best to invite marginalized communities and host meaningful conversations to amplify and centre their voices.
Helping Us Understand Caregiver Perspectives on the COVID Vaccine. When we worked on the roll-out of COVID vaccines for children aged 0-4, Community Ambassadors made space for parents to discuss their concerns and opinions, inviting them to participate and making them feel safe and at ease. Community Ambassadors provided insight on how communities feel about COVID vaccines - including health messages that are not resonating and suggesting alternatives, what questions they have, and what information they need to make informed decisions.
Antiviral Roll-Out. When we worked on antivirals, Community Ambassadors gathered questions from the field, discussed access barriers, and shared strategies to support members in the community. They worked closely with community members to identify local and accessible assessment centres to get testing, antiviral prescriptions, and medications and worked non-stop to ensure communities received the care they needed.
Health Commons has developed a comprehensive and constantly expanding suite of supports to help Community Ambassadors succeed, including a thriving community of practice where they come together to learn, discuss current gaps, and share strategies to bring useful information and resources back to the community. They play a critical and two-way role in knowledge transfer between the health care system and communities.
As we move from COVID response to COVID recovery, Health Commons is thinking about the potential contributions Community Ambassadors can make to support an overburdened primary care system and help make it more equitable, including by providing culturally relevant primary prevention, navigating system supports, and being a sounding board for policy development.
If you are a health care provider and are interested in learning more about Community Ambassadors or providing your insights into ways they might be able to help improve care delivery and experiences for communities, please join the Community Ambassador consultation we are hosting in the new year.