Green Shield Canada Announces 2017 Community Giving Program Grantees

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 13, 2017) - Today, Green Shield Canada (GSC) announces the 2017 grantees for its Community Giving Program. Currently under GSC's five-year progressive, outcomes-focused Frontline Care™ strategy, the Community Giving Program provides critical funding to community-based, not-for-profit organizations that deliver health care services and resources to improve the lives of uninsured or underinsured Canadians. This year's program will continue to open doors to dental health, vision health, prescription drugs and health care supports (including disease management and mental health counselling) for Canadians who might not otherwise receive it.

"We are pleased to announce the grantees of our 2017 Community Giving Program," stated Steve Moffatt, GSC's Chief Strategic Growth Officer. "These projects, with a special focus this year on oral health care, will connect marginalized individuals to the dental and health care services they need for improved quality of life."

GSC is funding 23 organizations that provide oral health care, disease management, and/or mental health counselling services. All grantees are organizations that deliver frontline health care, while also incorporating the role of a "navigator" or "coach", who connects individuals to complementary supports, such as jobs, education, housing, food and other social determinants of health.

This year's grantees support the five core principles of GSC's Frontline Care™ strategy, which reflects GSC's overall objectives. These principles are: 1) all Canadians should have access to health care; 2) the Canadian health care system should be affordable and sustainable; 3) Canadians should be encouraged to take personal ownership and responsibility for their health; 4) there are roles for multiple stakeholders in the provision of health care including the public sector, the private sector and the individual citizen; and 5) we need to encourage best practice, transparency and accountability in the provision of health care.

GSC's 2017 Community Giving Program grantees:

• Atlantic Wellness Community Center's (AWCC) Open Doors for Youth program offers free and timely mental health care to youth aged 12 to 21.
• Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter's (CWES) Emergency Shelter provides crisis intervention for women and their children seeking accommodation in a safe and accessible environment after leaving abusive relationships.
• Connected North, a program of TakingITGlobal's Dental Health program delivers immersive and interactive education services to remote Aboriginal and Inuit communities through high-definition, two-way video communication and collaboration technology.
• Calgary Urban Project Society's (CUPS) CUPS Dental Extraction Clinic helps low-income and homeless clients access necessary dental services, provides education to community partners about dental resources, and builds awareness in the dental community about poverty, while broadening community partnerships.
• Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry's Immigrant Oral Health Outreach Clinic operates a free dental hygiene clinic for clients of the Immigration Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS).
• Family Service Regina Inc.'s Thrive Walk-in Counselling Clinic provides free mental health counselling services that focus on mental health and addictions, violence against women and family issues.
• Gateway Community Health Centre's Gateway CHC Oral Health Program aims to improve the quality of care and health outcomes for those at high risk of severe oral health issues, while reducing the demand on acute care services.
• Grand River Community Health Centre's (GRCHC) Something to Smile About project offers micro-loans to increase access to dental care for clients who are a part of low-income households and/or without benefits.
• Heritage Skills Development Centre's (HSDC) Scarborough East Newcomer Mental Health Support (SENMHS) project aims to support new immigrants and refugees dealing with mental health issues through program activities including assessments, mental health counselling, group therapy sessions, crisis intervention, peer support and connections to other health services.
• Kennedy House Youth Services Inc.'s Emergency Care Program for Homeless Youth operates residential group homes and secure facilities for youth aged 16 to 24 who have complex needs and suffer from precarious housing.
• Neighbour to Neighbour Centre's (N2N) Middle East Outreach Program - Dental Systems Navigation hosts a dental health bus, provided weekly through Public Health. The program aims to expand its work with Hamilton's low-income community to focus on connecting individuals and families with better access to dental health care.
• North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit's Dental Clinic for Low Income Adults aims to establish an accessible dental clinic in its district for low-income adults.
• Northern Alberta Home for Women Society's (NAHWS) Aurora Home is a short-term transition shelter for women wanting to exit the street-level sex trade and/or for women at risk of being involved in the sex trade due to active addictions. During her transition, each woman receives assistance with medical, dental, and mental health needs.
• NorWest Co-op Community Health Inc.'s NorWest Youth Hub provides a new integrated youth service centre in Winnipeg. The hub offers mental health support (both direct support and system navigation), primary health care, addictions counselling, youth employment services, and recreational activities.
• Peers Victoria Resources Society's Health Support and Outreach Program is designed to increase HIV, hepatitis C and other infectious disease testing among sex workers in Victoria, B.C., while providing navigation to resources and health services for those who test positive.
• Queen West - Central Toronto Community Health Centre's (CHC) Dental Services for Vulnerable Residents of Toronto project has developed four clinics to provide affordable, frontline dental care for Toronto's vulnerable population.
• Siloam Mission's Saul Sair Health Centre is a full-service clinic for the homeless community of Winnipeg. The centre offers dental, vision, medical, physiotherapy, chiropractic, foot care and mobile counselling for those who need it most.
• SKETCH's Living Well in Toronto project aims to connect homeless and marginalized youth from across Toronto with frontline basic-needs provision and mental health counselling.
• Sunshine House Inc.'s Street Feet program focuses on foot health and provides much-needed foot care and social support navigation, among other services, to street-involved, homeless, and insecurely housed individuals, a majority of whom identify as Indigenous.
• The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver's Drop-in Dental Clinic is a free weekly dental clinic where clients are able to receive oral assessments, cleanings, oral health education and referrals for additional extensive dental services and social services.
• The Teresa Group's Mental Health Support and Counselling Program aims to advance the dignity and well-being of children and their families affected by HIV and AIDS.
• Veith House's Building Neighbourhood Resources project provides resources to prevent and manage mental illness by bringing counselling services and opportunities for self-expression, recreation and social connection together in one accessible place.
• Waasegiizhig Nanaandawe'iyewigamig's Oral health as the point of entry to overall health project will aim to refer dental patients to a navigator to facilitate access to the organization's full spectrum of primary health care services and its network of community and agency partners.

ABOUT GREEN SHIELD CANADA

GSC is a benefits specialist. As Canada's only national not-for-profit health and dental specialist, its reason for being is the enhancement of the common good. GSC seeks innovative ways to improve access to better health for Canadians. From coast to coast, GSC's service delivery includes drug, dental, extended health care, vision, hospital and travel benefits for groups and individuals, as well as administration services. Supported by cost containment strategies, advanced technology and exceptional customer service, it creates customized programs for over two million plan participants nationwide. GSC is not-for-profit organization with a purpose. At GSC, corporate social responsibility is about the way it integrates economic, social, and environmental considerations into its decision-making processes and day-to-day operations. GSC's Frontline Care program supports the health and wellness of marginalized Canadians by contributing funds annually for projects that focus on improving access to health care for uninsured and underinsured populations in Canada (the homeless, the working poor, those on social assistance). Learn more at greenshield.ca.