More and more healthcare facilities are working directly with patients to improve the quality of care and patient safety, and to plan health services which meet the real needs of patients and their families. Entité 4 believes that access to French-language health services key to improving the quality of services and ensuring patient safety for Francophones.

Entité 4 has designed a workshop that examines the role that language plays in the Francophone patient experience. This half-day session opens the dialogue between Francophones and health service providers to sensitize the latter group to the importance of providing health services in French.

After offering these workshops in Ajax in mid-November, Entité 4 went to Orillia on April 7 and at CFB Borden on April 8 to deliver sessions in North Simcoe Muskoka.  The North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSM LHIN) was represented at all these workshops.

The first session was offered at the NSM LHIN offices to LHIN staff, in order to make them aware of the importance of providing health services in French in their region.

As for the second session offered in Orillia, health service providers and members of the francophone community were present. This led to interesting and moving discussions on experiences and possible solutions to improve health services in French.

On April 8, two full sessions were offered at CFB Borden where healthcare professionals, employees and military personnel were present. This day was an opportunity to gain an understanding of the realities and particular needs of military families at CFB Borden while discussing possible solutions to improve health care delivery in French in their region.

These two days of workshops enabled Entité 4 to analyze the gaps and possible solutions which could be developed to improve health services in French in North Simcoe Muskoka.