The Canadian Red Cross is a leader in Ontario when it comes to providing community support services, and sometimes we get the chance to pass that knowledge along to other organizations to help build community capacity in the area of health and wellness. The Red Cross had that opportunity recently when the Chapleau Hospital turned to the Red Cross for advice on establishing their transportation program for seniors.
The Wawa office of the Red Cross Sault Ste. Marie branch sent a Community Support Services Coordinator to Chapleau to assist the hospital with starting its program. The Coordinator was able to recruit three volunteers and trained them on the program, arranged for their first aid training, and implemented forms, procedures and tracking tools. She then handed it over to the Chapleau Hospital to continue operation. The hospital, the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the Red Cross were pleased with the collaboration.
It’s not just external organizations that the Red Cross provides guidance to either; we also share best practices internally with other provinces. Ontario’s Red Cross transportation program was instrumental in providing Newfoundland with expertise when they were developing their
Age-Friendly Transportation Project. Guidance was provided on everything from options for service delivery models, to form templates and information on transportation legislation and insurance. It builds upon the growing role the Red Cross has in providing leadership and program expertise and support across Canada.
Stephanie Menchions is a volunteer driver with the transportation project in Newfoundland.