In 2014, Parkdale Community Health Centre (PCHC) started a strategic reflection on its leadership and future direction. It resulted in a Sustainability Plan that sought to secure PCHC’s position in the healthcare system for decades. They engaged with other healthcare leaders, like Queen West – Central Toronto Community Health Centre (QW-CTCHC), who were also exploring their future.
These discussions led to a strategic merger, leveraging shared values for a common purpose. Enhanced access to care, broader services, and a stronger advocacy voice came forth from this integration.
The integration between PCHC and QW-CTCHC is a prime example of how collaboration can lead to positive outcomes for all stakeholders. By leveraging shared values and resources, community organizations enhance access to care, offer a more comprehensive range of services, and strengthen their advocacy efforts, improving health outcomes for the communities they serve.
Initiatives engaging members, clients, staff, and community before integration:
In 2014, the PCHC board postponed hiring a new Executive Director to allow time to reflect on the organization’s future direction, define what the role required, and continue positioning Parkdale as a leader in the healthcare system.
In 2015, the PCHC Board chose to embark on a process to develop a Sustainability Plan that asked the organization, as well as clients, community partners and funders, the following questions:
- Where do we see the Parkdale Community in the next five, ten, and thirty years?
- How can we best continue to position PCHC as a leader in the health system?
- How can we ensure our longevity as a community health centre?
- How can we best improve client experience along the continuum of care?
As a result of this exercise, PCHC engaged in several conversations with other organizations at the governance level to determine interest in further strengthening strategic partnerships and/or collaborations. One of the organizations engaged in this conversation was Queen West – Central Toronto Community Health Centre (QWCTCHC).
Regarding its future, the QWCTCHC Board discussed that integration was one way to improve access to care for more people, provide a broader scope of services, and help the organization strengthen its voice in setting the regional primary care agenda. The QWCTCHC Board believed that capacity and size needed to be addressed to remain an essential delivery vehicle for primary care to marginalized populations.
Horizontal integration with PCHC could create value through back-office consolidation, enabling Queen West to participate better in healthcare planning and improving care coordination for their shared populations.
The decision to integrate followed a long period of engagement with members, client, staff, and the community.