Community engagement is a priority for The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), including in the planning, design and development of the new campus. Advisors and stakeholders meet regularly to receive updates and provide feedback on The Ottawa Hospital’s vision to reshape the future of health care, including to provide feedback on the exciting new hospital campus project.
Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle
TOH is committed to a journey of reconciliation and to ensuring First Nation, Inuit and Métis patients and families access safe health care, free of discrimination. TOH is fortunate to pursue this journey with the guidance of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle, established in 2021.
The Circle is made up of First Nation, Inuit and Métis leaders, physicians, health experts and community members. It is co-chaired by Marion Crowe, the first Indigenous TOH board member and CEO of the First Nations Health Managers Association; Dr. Elaine Kilabuk, Inuk general internal medicine specialist at TOH and Dr. Jason McVicar, a Métis anesthesiologist at TOH and an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.
The Circle advises TOH on building a common future for Indigenous health and healing. The work of the Circle is focused on meaningful involvement and engagement by Indigenous Peoples which includes prioritizing initiatives and actions toward reconciliation and providing guidance on design and planning elements of the new campus.
Community Advisory Council
Established in early 2022, the Community Advisory Council informs project development to provide feedback about the new campus development and the project’s impact on the health and wellness of our community and region. The Council has representation from regional health partners, community health organizations who work to support our underserved or marginalized populations, and surrounding neighbourhoods to the new campus. The Council is chaired by a member of the community and meets at least three times a year on topics such as transportation, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and other areas of interest.
A subcommittee of the Community Advisory Council was established in 2022 to provide feedback on transportation to hospital from across the region, and to inform a traffic calming study, off-site parking strategy, and the transportation monitoring program. The transportation advisory subcommittee, augmented by additional stakeholders from across the region, informed the hospital’s Transportation Demand Management strategy that was submitted to the City of Ottawa in 2022.
New Campus Development Patient and Family Advisor Committee
A committee of patient and family advisors was established in 2023 to provide feedback on the planning, design and development of the new campus. Committee members are patients or family members with lived experience at The Ottawa Hospital. The Committee is co-chaired by a patient advisor and a staff member of TOH and meets at least three times a year.