Mouvement Santé en français

The Mouvement Santé en français [French Health Movement] refers to groups across the country working to improve the health of Canada’s Francophones.

Created in 2002, the Société Santé en français (SSF) is a national umbrella organization that promotes the development of French language health services for minority Francophone communities.

The SSF is made up of 17 regional, provincial and territorial networks that bring together partners interested in improving access to French language health services in all the provinces and territories in which French is not the majority language.

The Réseau is a SSF member and has been receiving technical and financial support from the SSF since 2003.

• SSF 2009-2010 Annual Report (French only)

The Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) is made up of eleven university and college postsecondary institutions across Canada that offer French language programs of study in various health disciplines. The CNFS and its partners are working to increase the number of Francophone health professionals and researchers in order to help fully meet, in French, the needs of minority Francophone communities.

In Ontario

Six French-language Health Planning Entities have been mandated by the province in 2010 to advise the LHINs on all matters impacting the health of the Francophone Community in their region.

These organizations are:

East     The French Language Health Services Network of Eastern Ontario (le Réseau)

North   The Réseau du Mieux-être francophone du Nord de l’Ontario

South   Erie St.Clair / South East

            Waterloo, Wellington, Hamilton, Niagara

            Reflet Salvéo (Toronto Central, Central West and Mississauga Halton)

            Central West

To reach the entities, please contact us by e-mail or by phone for coordinates: 1 877 528-7565, ext. 200.

Each entity offers expertise in the planning of French language health services and in Francophone community engagement in regards to health. Their responsibilities have been prescribed by way of regulation on January 1^st, 2010. They advise LHINs on:

(a) methods of engaging the Francophone community in the area;

(b) the health needs and priorities of the Francophone community in the area, including the needs and priorities of diverse groups within that community;

(c) the health services available to the Francophone community in the area;

(d) the identification and designation of health service providers for the provision of French language health services in the area;

(e) strategies to improve access to, accessibility of and integration of French language health services in the local health system; and

(f) the planning for and integration of health services in the area.

Locally, management and boards have overseen an Entity-LHIN liaison committee in each region to facilitate collaboration. A joint action plan guides the partners and establishes annual priorities for French language health services.

At the provincial level, other organizations contribute to the Mouvement Santé en français, such as :

• Regroupement des intervenantes et intervenants francophones en santé et en services sociaux de l'Ontario (RIFSSSO)

• Réseau franco-santé du Sud de l’Ontario