The Community Council is a vibrant and vital part of the team. Since we began the OHT work just over a year ago, this group of dedicated individuals have donated their time, insight and experience as clients, caregivers, family members and citizens of the community we serve. The people on Community Council have been integral in the work to rebuild the health-care system. By partnering on the OHT working groups, serving as advisors, making recommendations, and sharing their experiences of what works well and what needs improvement, this group is co-designing meaningful change. Based on the four pillars of Patient and Family Centred Care, the Community Council bases their work on the core concepts of dignity and respect, information sharing, participation, and collaboration.

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Under the leadership of co-chairs Kerry Stewart and Richard Stillwell, the Community Council has established a meeting strategy to ensure that people on the Council feel informed, empowered and supported in their work and contributions to the development of the OHT. Their assistance in developing the community page of the FLA-OHT website, where community members can learn about the OHT and get involved, is an example of this leadership. The co-chairs have been critical in bringing the community’s perspective and voice to the collaborative leadership table and ensuring that everyone remembers who is at the centre of the work to transform the health-care system.

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The Community Council has also played an essential role in co-designing the community engagement process to inform the first strategic plan for the OHT. When complete, the plan will be a roadmap to a more integrated and equitable health-care system for all. The members of Community Council have helped us understand how we can best engage the community so that we achieve long-term and sustainable relationships as we pursue the outcomes that matter most to the people we serve.