On Friday April 21st, PHAC held a press conference acknowledging Black organizations that led the work of engaging community in culturally affirming ways. The work was done in the effort to stop the disproportionate spread of Covid-19 in Black communities, and increase uptake of vaccination.
The Black Health and Wellness Initiative, along with community relations and engagement efforts like the Black Health Talks, were designed to inspire and cultivate trust in communities.
PHAC discussed the impact of their contribution and recognized that community-driven initiatives are fundamental to fostering confidence in vaccination and other health promoting behaviours.
With the support of PHAC’s funding, The BPAO has:
- Provided 326 health clinics across the province and administered over 75,600 doses (and counting) across municipalities in Ontario, including Toronto, Peel, Windsor-Essex, Ottawa and Durham;
- Strengthened confidence and trust for health in the Black community, with a focus on advocacy for better care for Black patients, for the collection of race-based data in healthcare, and for the development of a Black health strategy for COVID-19; and
- Launched Black Health Talks, a patient-focused online health seminar series.
The BPAO is looking forward to continuing the work of building trust in communities, through supporting and facilitating consistent high quality community based-care.
In this photo from left to right:
Chris Thompson, Executive Director of The Federation of Black Canadians, MP Chen, Scarborough North, Dr. Neil Isaac, Member at Large, Chenai Kadungure, Executive Director, BPAO
