A Thorncliffe Park resident says the Community Health Ambassador program has been a game-changer for understanding her own health. But now, community organizations fear it's at risk. Government funding may be drying up, spelling an end to the pandemic-era program.Health ambassadors Eshrat Meshkat, left, and Hafsa Fatima hand out flyers for a Ramadan health workshop outside of Sunny Foodmart in Flemingdon Park.
"I called them and these folks speak my own language . It's more comfortable for me to talk to them," she said. Jen Quinlan, CEO of Flemingdon Health Centre, says the ambassadors played a key role in reducing COVID-19 rates in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park by helping people get vaccinated and combating misinformation.With initial funding due to run out March 31, Quinlan says she's among multiple east end health professionals and organizations concerned for the program's future.
The ambassadors have been helpful in connecting residents to cancer screenings, says Quinlan. Their efforts resulted in a pap clinic opening in Thorncliffe Park that featured only female doctors, which speaks to the ways they can connect to communities, she said."It's difficult sometimes for higher-ups to speak to people. I'm hearing what the community needs," she said.
Quinlan said she hasn't heard from the province about the funding continuing yet and that in her most recent quarterly update with the government, they had made it clear the funding would end.
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