EXTRA™ Cohort 20 (2025): Fellowship Teams

20 years running, 177 organizations have participated, 737 fellows, 306 improvement projects.

CancerCare Manitoba 

Fellowship team

  • Stephanie Lelond, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Early Palliative Care, CancerCare Manitoba 
  • Mackenzie Jansen, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adolescent and Young Adult Program, CancerCare Manitoba 
  • Allison Wiens, Education and Liaison Nurse, Health Equity, CancerCare Manitoba 
  • Tracy Thiele, Director, Quality and Patient Safety, CancerCare Manitoba 

Four CancerCare Manitoba team members standing together wearing coordinated sweaters.

Project title: Together We Build: A Culture of Person-Centered Care at CancerCare Manitoba

This project aims to strengthen oncology nurses’ understanding and application of person-centered care (PCC) approaches across CancerCare Manitoba. Led by a dedicated team of nursing professionals, the initiative seeks to advance a culture of equitable PCC, nursing leadership, and nursing-led research across the healthcare system. 

In its first phase, the team is conducting a scoping review of PCC approaches, tools, and integration strategies in oncology practice. The review examines how these approaches consider equity-denied populations, support shared decision-making, and influence patient experience. The findings will inform evidence-based strategies and identify equity-oriented actions, with results disseminated through a manuscript and a knowledge translation plan. 

In phase two, oncology nurses from across Manitoba, the province’s largest health workforce group, will be engaged to identify barriers, facilitators, and opportunities for improvement in implementing PCC. Patient partners are central to this work, ensuring that lived experience informs all stages of design and delivery. The insights gained will guide the development of a PCC framework for future implementation, with potential to scale across professional groups and embed person-centered care organization-wide. 

CHU de Québec-Université Laval  

Fellowship team

  • Laurence Robichaud, Assistant to the CEO, Office of Innovation, CHU de Québec – Université Laval 
  • David Trépanier, Associate Director, HEJ – NCH Component, CHU de Québec – Université Laval 
  • Martin Brisson, Logistics Coordinator, CHU de Québec – Université Laval 
  • Audrey St-Arnaud, Senior Advisor, Enterprise Architecture and Digital Transformation, CHU de Québec – Université Laval 
  • Isabelle Lessard, Associate Director, Innovation and Quality in Nursing Practice, CHU de Québec – Université Laval 

Five CHU de Québec – Université Laval team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Innovation and Value

Like other regions across Canada, CHU de Québec – Université Laval is facing major challenges related to limited resources and a growing imbalance between the supply of and demand for healthcare services. An aging population, a shortage of specialized staff, increasing care complexity, limited funding, and a lack of adequate tools all contribute to widening this gap. 

These pressures lead to longer wait times, lower patient satisfaction, inefficient processes, and persistent health issues that are not addressed within recommended timeframes. 

To help address these challenges, the organization is working to strengthen partnerships that respond to the real needs of patients and care teams. The potential for innovation is significant, but selecting and integrating projects requires careful alignment with organizational priorities. Once those choices are made, the key challenge is integrating clinical innovations in ways that make their value and impact clear. 

CISSS de la Montérégie-Est (CISSSME) 

Fellowship team

  • Geneviève Beaudoin, Associate Director, Directorate of Medical Services 
  • Sophie Berger, Director of Nursing 
  • Isabelle Bonneau, Assistant to the Directorate of Multidisciplinary Health and Social Services 
  • Jocelyn Dodaro, Medical and Professional Services Director 

Five CISSSME team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Establishing a Governance Structure for Clinical Excellence

As part of the 2025–2026 EXTRA-FORCES program, the project focuses on creating a cross-departmental co-management structure that unites the organization’s Directorate of Nursing, Directorate of Multidisciplinary Health and Social Services, and Directorate of Medical and Professional Services. 

It seeks to strengthen interdisciplinary clinical governance by integrating value-based care principles, fostering collaboration among directorates, and engaging patients, families, and community partners. The initiative addresses long-standing challenges related to service fragmentation and the coordination of clinical practices. 

By the end of 2026, the team aims to deliver a guidance document based on value-driven care and service indicators, ensuring the optimal use of available resources. Aligned with the strategic priorities of Santé Québec and the recommendations of Accreditation Canada, this work will help establish a sustainable, replicable, and innovative governance model that supports safe, high-quality care and services centred on people’s real needs. 

CISSS de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) 

Fellowship team

  • Frédéric Parizeau, Director, RLS Collines-de-l’Outaouais, CISSSO 
  • Nicole Boucher-Larivière, Director, RLS Pontiac, CISSSO 
  • Nency Héroux, Director, Multidisciplinary Health and Social Services, CISSSO 
  • Laurence Barraud, Director, Directorate of Education, University Relations and Research, CISSSO 
  • Geneviève Gagnon, Medical and Professional Services Director, CISSSO 

Six CISSS de l’Outaouais team members standing together for a group photo.

Project title: Advancing Collaborative, Community-Based Local Governance

The project aims to establish a more agile, transparent, and coherent model of local governance aligned with the priorities of Québec’s health and social services network and consistent with the primary care policy. It seeks to strengthen the autonomy and decision-making capacity of local managers to better meet population needs. 

The model is built on four key pillars: clarifying roles, improving communication, fostering intersectoral coordination, and using data to inform decision-making. 

By focusing action on the territories served by CLSCs, the initiative promotes interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration, community support, and local governance that better reflects on-the-ground realities. 

Grounded in continuous improvement and aligned with ministerial directions, the project aims to enhance the accessibility, quality, and integration of services available to the population. It represents a structural lever for transforming the management of local services in a sustainable way. 

CIUSSS de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec (CIUSSSMCQ) 

Fellowship team

  • Renée Proulx, Administrative Director of University Education, Research and Innovation, CIUSSSMCQ 
  • Cathy Vaillancourt, Director, CARES, CIUSSSMCQ 
  • Geneviève Boisvert, SSA Leader, CIUSSSMCQ 

Four CIUSSSMCQ team members standing together and smiling in a meeting room.

Project title: From research to impact: Advancing regional priorities within Santé Québec

This project draws on scientific advances to strengthen the capacity of regional health organizations to meet the targets laid out in Santé Québec’s Plan stratégique 2025-2028, which guides institutional plans across Quebec’s health and social services system. The work will focus particularly on the strategic direction Une santé plus accessible (more accessible health care). 

While this Strategic Plan highlights innovation and research as key drivers of a more effective health and social services system, few structural initiatives have been developed to support organizations in that role. This gap is especially pronounced in rural and remote regions, where resources to capture, adapt and apply research findings are limited despite vast territories to cover. Even though these regions account for just 10 percent of Quebec’s population, they span 90 percent of its land area. 

The project will test and evaluate knowledge-transfer activities designed to inform decision-making and support progress toward achieving the objectives of the Plan stratégique 2025-2028. 

Convenant Health 

Fellowship team

  • Amber Ruben, Indigenous Health Equity and Reconciliation Consultant, Convenant Health   
  • Natalie Houseman, Interim Site Lead Misericordia Community Hospital  
  • Charlotte Oostveen, Clinical Learning and Professional Practise Lead, Simulation 
  • Michelle SteilCorporate Director Organizational Development & Effectiveness 

Project title: Integrating and Evaluating Indigenous cultural safety training into the Covenant organization

First Nations, Inuit and Métis continue to experience inequities in health and access to healthcare as a result of the enduring impacts of colonialism and forced assimilation. These harms have spanned generations and are compounded by ongoing systemic, ideological and individual racism within healthcare systems. As a result, many First Nations, Inuit and Métis people do not feel safe accessing care. 

To address these inequities and foster culturally safe environments, there is a growing call for cultural safety education across healthcare. While this need is widely recognized, training is not yet mandated or standardized within most healthcare organizations. 

In response, Covenant Health is collaborating with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to develop cultural safety training that promotes awareness and drives meaningful behaviour change to improve safe access to care. The initial phase will pilot the training within one unit and evaluate its impact. Future plans include using a Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycle to refine both the education and its delivery, while advocating for sustainable funding to support organization-wide implementation. 

GACPEI 

Fellowship team

  • Jocelyn Adams, Executive Director, GACPEI  
  • Brenna McIntyre, Director of Operations, GACPEI  
  • Alan Scott, Men's Sexual Health Program Coordinator, GACPEI  

Project Title: Bridging the Gaps: A 2SLGBTQ+ Health Equity Project 

As community-based organizations, GACPEI and PEERS Alliance recognize the specialized health needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. These needs extend beyond culturally competent and responsive care to include transition-related supports, cancer screening, sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) testing and prevention, and adapted family planning services. Currently, there is no department, team or dedicated resource within Health PEI that provides comprehensive guidance on the unique health needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ patients. As a result, healthcare providers often lack clarity on how to navigate appropriate care pathways, creating gaps in service. Limited communication between healthcare providers, community organizations and Health PEI can also present barriers to accessing physical and mental healthcare. 

Through this initiative, GACPEI and PEERS Alliance are collaborating with Health PEI and community partners in 2SLGBTQIA+ health to develop a framework for an interdepartmental team dedicated to advancing health equity within the provincial system. The team will work to improve the continuity, quality and consistency of care across services and departments, serving as a resource for both patients and practitioners, and ultimately improving health outcomes for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Prince Edward Island. 

Health Sciences North 

Fellowship team

  • Ravinder-Jeet Singh, Stroke Neurologist, Health Sciences North; Associate Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University; Principal Investigator, MOTIVE Project; and Medical Director, Northeastern Ontario Stroke Network 
  • Venkadesan Rajendran, Advanced Practice Physiotherapist, Stroke Medicine Program, Health Sciences North; Co-Principal Investigator and Project Lead, MOTIVE Project; and Assistant Professor, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University 
  • Chantal Liddard, Administrative Director, Medicine Program, Health Sciences North; and Co-Investigator, MOTIVE Project 
  • Lisa Zeman, Clinical Manager, General Internal Medicine Unit, Acute Stroke Unit and Stroke Prevention Clinic, Health Sciences North; and Co-Investigator, MOTIVE Project 
  • Susan Bursey, Regional Director, Northeastern Ontario Stroke Network 

Four Health Sciences North Sudbury team members posing together and smiling.

Project Title: The MOTIVE (MObile TIA and Stroke with AdaptiVE Workflow) Interdisciplinary Team for Rapid Assessment and Discharge of TIA and Stroke Patients in Northeastern Ontario

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death in Canada. About one in four strokes is preceded by a transient ischemic attack (TIA), and 30 to 40 percent present as minor strokes. Currently, patients with TIA or minor stroke seen in the emergency department or on non-stroke units are typically admitted to the Stroke Unit for testing and interdisciplinary assessment. While effective, this model often leads to emergency department congestion, longer hospital stays, and poorer patient experiences. 

Alternative approaches – such as outpatient Stroke Prevention Clinics or emergency observation units – focus primarily on diagnostics, with interdisciplinary assessment still concentrated within the Stroke Unit. To bridge this gap, the MOTIVE team brings together stroke neurologists, an advanced practice physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a speech-language pathologist, and a stroke nurse to deliver coordinated care directly across emergency and inpatient settings. 

Using a phased, two-year plan guided by IHI improvement methods, this model aims to reduce admissions, shorten hospital stays, lower costs, enhance patient satisfaction, and improve the overall quality of healthcare delivery. 

Loch Lomond Villa 

Fellowship team

  • Ashley King, Chief Executive Officer, Loch Lomond Villa 
  • Christa Matheson, Director of Care, Loch Lomond Villa 
  • Danielle Kent, Director of Research, Loch Lomond Villa 

Four Loch Lomond Villa team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Creating a Centre of Excellence Implementation Model for New Brunswick Long Term Care

New Brunswick’s long term care sector is remarkably diverse, ranging from small 30-bed rural homes connected to community hospitals to 90-bed suburban facilities and large urban innovation hubs with more than 200 residents. This diversity brings strength but also complexity, especially as aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, and financial pressures make operations increasingly challenging. Recruitment and retention issues, slim budget margins, and inflation contribute to significant and sustained turnover across the province’s long-term care homes. 

Loch Lomond Villa, recognized across New Brunswick as a leader and innovator in long-term care, is collaborating with partners to develop a shared services model that supports small and mid-sized homes facing operational and staffing challenges. Through this EXTRA project, the team aims to design and test a Centre of Excellence implementation model that strengthens collaboration, enhances sustainability, and helps restore the quality of care and support that New Brunswick’s long-term care sector is known for. 

Michael Garron Hospital (Oxenham) 

Fellowship Team

  • Laura Oxenham-Murphy, Director of Quality, Patient Safety, Risk, Privacy and Operational Excellence, MGH  
  • Ifat Witz, Program Director of Mental Health and Substance Use, MGH  
  • Maxim Volin, Director of Emergency and Diagnostic Imaging, MGH  
  • Marina Brezinov, Director of Cardiology Expansion and Redevelopment, MGH  
  • Wendy Cheuk, Director, Nursing Practice & Education Academic Partnerships, and Patient Experience/Relations, MGH   
  • Cheryl Nelson, Director of Maternal, Newborn & Child (MNC), MGH  

Six Michael Garron Hospital – Oxenham team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Safety Event Classification and Learning

Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) maintains a robust incident reporting system, with staff across all clinical areas – including the Emergency Department, Diagnostic Medicine, Mental Health, Medicine, Maternal Newborn Care, and Surgery – actively submitting detailed reports. Over time, this process has generated a rich database of thousands of incident reports, capturing years of valuable safety intelligence. 

Despite its potential, much of this data remains underused for proactive, organization-wide quality improvement, primarily due to an outdated classification system and limited analytical tools. Historically, incident reporting at MGH followed the WHO safety event classification method, which is no longer considered best practice. In 2025, the hospital’s quality team began transitioning to the updated HPI safety event classification method for new incidents. 

To fully leverage this wealth of historical data, two key priorities have been identified: the retrospective reclassification of past incidents, and the systematic identification of safety trends and patterns. Together, these efforts aim to strengthen organizational learning and support continuous improvement in patient safety. 

Michael Garron Hospital (Sampson) 

Fellowship team

  • Jennifer Sampson, Director of Transitional Care, MGH  
  • Jane Harwood, Director of Surgery, Cardiology, and ICU, MGH  
  • Jessica Scott, Manager of Access and Flow, MGH  
  • Jillian Chandler, Regional Director of Integrated Client & Community Care, MGH  

Five Michael Garron Hospital – Sampson team members standing together for a group photo.

Project title: Reducing Falls with Harm in a Post-Acute Setting

The Kew Beach Unit (KBU) is an 86-bed transitional care unit operated off-site from Michael Garron Hospital (MGH), a community teaching hospital located in Toronto’s east end. The unit is staffed by VHA Home HealthCare. Currently, KBU experiences a significantly higher rate of patient falls and falls with harm compared to other MGH units. 

This quality improvement initiative aims to strengthen the partnership between MGH and VHA by identifying and addressing the root causes of the higher fall rate, while fostering a culture of patient safety and continuous quality improvement at KBU. This cross-organizational collaboration will also serve as a foundation for addressing other patient safety and quality challenges at the site, helping to ensure equitable care and safety for all patients – regardless of location within the organization. 

NL Health Services 

Fellowship team

  • Cassie (Nora) Chisholm, Vice President, Transformation (Health Systems), NL Health Services  
  • Charlene Tellenbach, Emergency Planning Coordinator, NL Health Services  
  • Nadine McEvoy, Senior Director, Transformation Health Systems, NL Health Services  

Three Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Offload Delay in Acute Care Emergency Departments in Newfoundland and Labrador

Offload delay (OLD) refers to the delay in transferring a patient’s care from paramedics to hospital staff in the emergency department (ED) due to limited ED capacity. While sudden surges in patient volumes can create immediate pressures and trigger OLD, the issue most often reflects broader hospital flow challenges – with admitted patients held in EDs while awaiting transfer to inpatient units. 

A high-performing healthcare system depends on the timely availability of ambulances to respond to emergencies and provide appropriate care. When paramedic teams experience offload delays, they are unable to respond to new calls in the community, reducing ambulance availability, increasing response times, and compromising patient safety. 

The factors contributing to OLD span the continuum of care – from access to pre-emergency care and ED operations to inpatient flow and discharge pathways. In Newfoundland and Labrador, these challenges are compounded by the realities of rural and remote healthcare delivery. This project focuses on identifying measures to mitigate OLD and developing strategies to improve system flow, ensuring care that is safe, timely, and appropriate. 

Nova Scotia Health (MacDougall) 

Fellowship team

  • Jennifer MacDougall, Director of Nursing Enhancement Strategies, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Anne Buchanan-Hastie, Director, Nursing, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Paula Hickey, Health Services Manager, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Nicole Russell, Professional Practice Leader, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Glenn Cox, Executive Director of Community and Rural Health, Nova Scotia Health  

Five Nova Scotia Health – MacDougall team members standing together in a group.

Project title: Caring with Purpose: Elevating Fundamentals to Enhance Patient and Nurse Experience

The Caring with Purpose initiative focuses on strengthening the delivery of essential nursing care – communication, dignity, comfort, hygiene, nutrition, and mobility – to ensure patients consistently receive compassionate, person-centered care. Through the EXTRA program, the team is applying evidence-informed strategies and co-design methods to close gaps in care and enhance both patient and family experiences. Three acute medicine units have been selected as initial test sites in response to observed missed care and related patient concerns. 

Supported by senior leadership and an interdisciplinary team, the initiative brings together patients, families, and frontline staff to identify priorities, test small changes, and build capacity for continuous improvement. High-quality fundamental care is recognized as the foundation of patient safety, satisfaction, and improved health outcomes. 

By embedding this work into organizational strategy and engaging those with lived experience, the project aims to develop a sustainable model to guide the delivery of nursing fundamentals across the province – starting locally and expanding system-wide. 

Nova Scotia Health (Thompson) 

Fellowship team

  • Toni Thompson, Executive Director, NZ  
  • Helen Scott-Davidson, Director of Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management and Wellness, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Tammy Parker, Director of Interprofessional Practice and Learning, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Cora Lee Joudrey, Director of Primary Health Care & Chronic Disease Management, Nova Scotia Health  
  • Whitney Lum, Department Head of Family Practice, Nova Scotia Health   

Five Nova Scotia Health – Thompson team members standing together for a group photo.

Project title: Improve patient outcomes through implementation of ERAS protocols to optimize pre, intra, and post operative surgical care

Across Nova Scotia’s rural landscapes – particularly among Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous communities – enduring barriers continue to limit access to timely, culturally safe primary healthcare. Geographic remoteness, a shortage of healthcare providers, and widening digital divides have further eroded both access and trust in the healthcare system. 

This initiative seeks to change that reality by strengthening the uptake and impact of a virtual care platform tailored to the needs and rhythms of Northern Zone’s rural and Indigenous communities. Grounded in respectful collaboration with local leaders and organizations, the project aims to enhance digital literacy, build community trust, and promote equitable access to virtual care. 

Healthcare providers will be supported to deliver culturally safe care through virtual means, blending technology and human connection in ways that honour the values, traditions, and lived experiences of the communities they serve. By September 2026, the initiative aims to increase virtual primary care visits by 15 percent, reduce pressure on emergency departments, and advance a more inclusive, responsive, and culturally grounded healthcare system. 

Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) 

Fellowship team

  • Curtis Newton, Director, Primary Health Care, SHA  
  • Desirae Neville, Director, Primary Health Care, SHA  

Two Saskatchewan Health Authority team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Virtual Therapy in SHA 

In Saskatchewan – particularly in rural and remote areas – both patients and therapists (PT, OT, SLP) face significant challenges in accessing and delivering essential therapy services. Patients encounter geographic and logistical barriers, including long travel distances and service gaps, which limit their access to therapy and affect their quality of life, independence, and overall health. 

At the same time, therapists manage high caseloads and extensive travel requirements, contributing to burnout, moral distress, and high vacancy rates. To help close these gaps in care accessibility and better support therapists across large geographical areas, this project introduces a provincial approach to expanding virtual therapy options. 

By enhancing access to care through virtual delivery, the initiative aims to improve patient outcomes, reduce strain on healthcare providers, and strengthen the overall accessibility and sustainability of therapy services across the province. 

SE Health

Fellowship team

  • Corey MacKenzie, Senior Director, SE Health  
  • Chelsea Coumoundouros, Research Fellow, SE Health  
  • Carly McPhee, Advanced Practice Leader, SE Health  
  • Kim Utley, Senior Clinical Director, SE Health  
  • Natalia Stovichek, Director of Nursing, SE Health  
  • Jennifer Little, Practice coach, SE Health  

Project title: Enhancing and Embedding Home Health Nursing Competencies at SE Health: Strengthening Confidence, Retention, and Organizational Excellence

SE Health is launching a quality improvement initiative to enhance the confidence and capabilities of home care nurses across the organization. The initiative builds on SE Health’s leadership in developing the 2024 Home Health Nursing Competencies in partnership with Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC), and aligns with the organization’s commitment to continuous improvement, person-centered care and workforce excellence. 

The work will unfold in three phases. The first phase involves a comprehensive readiness assessment to identify current strengths and gaps in applying the updated competencies. The second phase will focus on developing strategies to support workforce retention, learning and continuous quality improvement. The final phase will implement and evaluate these strategies to assess their impact on nurse confidence, client outcomes and organizational performance. 

Aligned with SE Health’s H.O.P.E. Model® and its pursuit of accreditation excellence, this initiative reinforces the organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional care in the home and community. 

Soonats’ooneh Health Society   

Fellowship team

  • Cassandra Mitchell, Clinical Engagement & Improvement Coordinator  
  • Lucille Duncan, Elder  
  • Shobha Sharma, Executive Director  

Three Soonats’ooneh Health Society team members standing together and smiling in a meeting room.

Project title: Strengthening a Culture of Safety Through a Two-Eyed Seeing Approach

This project builds on work initiated in Cohort 19 (August 2024) to develop a culturally safe and informed Patient Safety Learning System (PSLS). The initiative continues through Soonats’ooneh’s operational teams, with implementation of the PSLS supported by the Clinical Engagement and Quality Coordinator as part of an ongoing quality improvement effort focused on fostering a culture of safety and open reporting. 

Cohort 20 offers an opportunity to expand this work by integrating new knowledge and wisdom, including an Elder’s trauma-responsive perspective on creating culturally safe environments and the Executive Director’s leadership in building a sustainable safety reporting system. 

This initiative reflects Soonats’ooneh Health Society’s commitment to building a safer, more inclusive healthcare environment for all. 

Unity Health Toronto 

Fellowship team

  • Teresa Valenzano-Hacker, Manager, Clinical Practice Improvement & Scholarship  
  • Art Jerome Lopez, Senior Clinical Program Director  
  • Sarah Dimmock, Senior Director, Health Disciplines Practice & Education  
  • Alexandra Harris, Senior Director, Nursing Practice & Education and Investigator  

Three Unity Health Toronto team members standing together and smiling.

Project title: Development of an Implementation Framework for Model of Care Redesign: Piloting an Approach in an Urban Academic Centre Emergency Department

Existing model of care redesign efforts and available tools tend to focus on staffing ratios and skill mix, often within professional silos and without an interprofessional lens. This narrow focus limits the ability to create recommendations that support collaborative care and optimized scopes of practice. In addition, there is a lack of evidence and suitable tools to guide this work, particularly in ambulatory and emergency settings. 

Through the Interprofessional Models of Care initiative, Unity Health Toronto is developing a scalable and replicable framework to support the design of models of care that reflect patient needs, promote collaboration across disciplines, and optimize professional practice. The framework will be piloted in the emergency departments at St. Joseph’s Health Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital, with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, and person-centeredness of healthcare delivery. 

VON Canada  

Fellowship team

  • Kerri Milne, Director  
  • Kayla Smith, Director, Home & Community Care Annapolis Valley  
  • Thien Trang, Director of Professional Practice and Education  
  • Colin Roop, Director of Labour and Employee Relations  
  • Alison Abrera-Gibb, National Director of Strategic Growth & Partnerships  

Five team members from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada standing together and smiling in a meeting room.

Project title: VON Canada Health and Wellness Integration Pilot 

VON Canada is piloting a co-designed, integrated model of care in North Bay, Ontario, to help older adults age in place. As the first baby boomers turn 80 in 2026 – and more than 90 percent of older Ontarians express a preference to remain at home – this initiative offers a proactive alternative to fragmented, crisis-driven care. 

The pilot integrates services across VON and partner organizations, embedding a Nurse Practitioner and Navigator within a Neighbourhood Model and Community Nursing Clinic. This wraparound, client-directed approach enables early identification of unmet needs, improved access to coordinated health and social services, and stabilization of conditions before escalation. 

Co-designed with key stakeholders, the model strengthens capacity through system and process integration and by engaging community volunteers. Expected outcomes include fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations, as well as increased uptake of preventive care and social prescribing. The model aligns VON’s home care, primary care, and community supports, and will be evaluated using the Quintuple Aim. This scalable, community-based approach aims to improve outcomes and reduce system strain in rural and underserved areas.