WHAT ARE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES? Community Health Centres (CHCs) effectively deliver high-quality primary health care. Today, 65 Ontario communities are served by CHCs, and more than 100 communities have applied to establish one. Community health centres offer integrated and accessible primary health care delivered by teams of salaried health professionals. These expert teams include family physicians and nurse practitioners. All too frequently, however, CHCs have partially or fully closed practices, and in the recent past few new centres have been established. Community health centres offer a range of services, such as health education and promotion, and early intervention, delivered by teams of health professionals-including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, chiropodists, physiotherapists, social workers and health promoters. Community Health Centres can Reduce Hospital Admissions Suggests the Hastings Task Force Thirty years ago, the federal government's Hastings Task Force suggested that community health centres could reduce costly hospital admissions by 15 percent. The task force recommended community health centres as part of an integrated and coordinated decentralized health-care system within all provinces. Despite this recommendation, no national plan for community health centres was implemented. A recent strategic review of Ontario CHCs found they provide accountable and cost-effective primary health care that responds to the unique needs of the communities served. CHCs offer the most-appropriate health-care provider at the right time, deliver walk-in and 24/7on-call services, and collaborate with other health and social agencies to ensure continuity of care. Despite these advantages, the CHC model remains a miniscule part of Ontario's health system. The capacity of existing CHCs must be increased, and more CHCs opened across Ontario, to bring primary health-care services to communities in desperate need.     Model for Service Collaboration and Integration OUR VISION We envision a future in which all members of the community of Ottawa have the capacity to work together to develop, manage and utilize the wide range of opportunities, responsive services and resources within their communities for a safe, just and healthy life for all. OUR HISTORY ADVOCACY ISSUES