Parkdale Community Health Centre - News

Have you accessed medical care or participated in programs or services at Parkdale CHC in the last year? If so, we would like to hear from you!

To complete a 2013 Client Satisfaction Survey, you can:

• Drop by the Centre in person and request a copy from Reception.
• Fill out the survey online by clicking on this link: Parkdale CHC Client Satisfaction Survey
• Print off a PDF version of the survey, available in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Hungarian and bring the completed copy to reception. PDF copies are available here.

Thank you for your feedback!

We are currently accepting applications for a student position for our annual Income Tax Clinic for March and April 2013. This Clinic is run in partnership with St. Christopher House and Parkdale Intercultural Association. St. Christopher Houses’s financial literacy program organizes income tax clinics for low income residents of Parkdale.

Skills required:

• Administrative skills, planning, community relations
• Comfort with booking appointments, returning phone calls, tracking appointments, and doing reminder calls
• Maintaining records
• Organizing the tax clinics each Tuesday all day (welcoming volunteer tax return specialists
• Ensuring room is set up with computers and printers (liase with our Data Management Coordinator)
• Other languages in addition to English an asset (including Hungarian, Portuguese, Tamil, Tibetan, French)

When not working on the tax clinic preparation during the Tuesday clinic, there may be other opportunities to assist with program activities.

How to apply for a student placement:

• Prepare a cover letter that includes the name of your school and the year of schooling you are entering with this placement
• Prepare a resume highlighting any past placements, current studies, work and volunteer experience.
• Please address your cover letter to Susan Clancy, Director of Population Health and Community Engagement, and send both your cover letter and resume via email to s.clancy@pchc.on.ca. 
  

Next steps:

• Susan Clancy, Director of Population Health and Community Engagement, will contact students selected for interviews. Interviews will be held with the staff member(s) related to the program.
• Please come to your interview with a draft of your learning objectives.
• The interview is mutual in that both parties are assessing whether the placement is acceptable.

The Language of Parenting course is an interactive program for soon-to be first time parents and their transition to parenting as a couple.

The program combines traditional prenatal classes, that help you prepare for pregnancy, labour and birth, with a component that will assist your transition to a “family focused” parenting style. This 8 week course is designed to help first time parents and their baby to ease into the family process and build a strong foundation for attachment and positive support for both parents and their newborn family member – now and in your family’s future.

What is included in the sessions?

The weekly program, which runs for 8 Saturday mornings from 10:20 – 12:40  beginning Saturday February 2nd until Saturday March 23rd, provides you with:

• Prenatal health information
• Stress-reducing ways to co-parent effectively
• Problem solving techniques
• Knowledge of infant brain development/reading baby’s cues
• Strategies to create positive social and emotional development together as a family

Refreshments, TTC and childcare for any older children is available.

Progam location, Registration or for more information:

All 8 sessions of the program will be located at Parkdale Community Health Centre – 1229 Queen Street West, corner of Dufferin and Queen, in the large group room.

There are still spaces available. Please call 416-537-8222 ext 505 or email 5ps@pchc.on.ca

The hours for our Needle Exchange have changed. We are now open during the following times:

Monday: 10:00AM – 12:00PM and 2:00PM – 6:00PM

Tuesday:10:00AM – 12:00PM and 2:00PM – 5:00PM

Wednesday: 10:00AM – 11:30AM and 3:00PM – 5:00PM

Thursday:10:00AM – 12:00PM and 2:00PM – 5:00PM

Friday: 10:00AM – 12:00PM and 2:30PM – 4:30PM

The Harm Reduction Exchange Program is open to anyone in the Parkdale community, specifically for substance users and sex workers.  The goal of the program is to reduce the harm associated with substance use by distributing clean supplies (syringes, crack pipes, etc) and provide health promotion concerning HIV/AIDS, Hep C, and other sexual health issues.  We also provide health information and referrals to community resources, food (on Mondays from Second Harvest), and facilitate community outreach.

The Exchange is located on the first floor of Parkdale CHC. If you have any questions concerning the Exchange Program, please call 416.537.0275, extension 271.

For more information about our Street Health and Harm Reduction programming, please click here. 

Parkdale CHC is pleased to offer a new drop-in for men dealing with past or current substance use, homelessness, or mental health issues. Please join us for a weekly drop-in featuring discussions, workshops, group activities and a safe space to hang out! Food and tokens will be provided.

This group takes place on Thursdays from 2:30pm – 4:30pm in the Parkdale Community Health Centre Board Room.

For more information please contact: Sri: 416-537-2455 ext. 308, sriram.ananth@pchc.on.ca.

Are you experiencing stress or anxiety?
Are you having difficulties managing your highs and lows?
Are you struggling with substance abuse or addiction?

You may benefit from acupuncture.

Parkdale CHC is pleased to offer a FREE eight week drop-in acupuncture program led by a Nurse Practitioner and Social Worker/Therapist. A variety of therapeutic techniques will be used including mindfulness, music, and guided meditation in a small group setting.

This program will run for eight weeks on Wednesdays from January 16th to March 6th.
Sessions will take place from 10AM until 11:30AM. Please note that participants need to arrive 15 minutes prior to the session to gain entry.

WHERE: Second floor, Parkdale Community Health Centre, 1229 Queen St W (at Dufferin). For more information, please call Norma Hannant: 416.537.8222, x.306.

Parkdale CHC is launching a program for women aged 19-29 who are struggling with some combination of mental health issues, street involvement or homelessness, CAS involvement, chaotic substance use and post-traumatic stress.

The series will take place from January 25^th to March 29^th at Parkdale Community Health Centre from 1:00 to 4:00PM. Topics covered may include self-defense, safety planning, practical skills for coping with trauma, self-care, healthy relationships, myths and realities of gender-based violence, communication skills, tips on addressing violence in your community, and so on.

We will be running two information sessions/focus groups on Friday January 11^th and Friday January 18^th from 1-2:30PM. Interested participants may attend one or both sessions.

For more information, please call Audrey at 416.537.8222, ext 309.

What’s on this month:

• The Gentle Exercise Class will resume on Friday January 18th at 10:45AM.
• The Living Well Lunch Club will take place on Monday January 14th at 11:30AM.
• Healthy Eating on a Budget, an eight week program run by the Diabetes Management team, will start on Thursday January 31st. To register, please call Mel at 416.537.0275 ext. 236.
• As Parkdale CHC will be closed on Tuesday January 1st, ordered placed for the Good Food Box on Tuesday December 18th will be available for pickup on Tuesday January 8th.
• Seniors programming will cease for the holidays until the end of  January 2013. Programs will resume in February.

For more information, please visit our Program Calendar and filter by program under the drop down menu.

Happy holidays everyone!

Parkdale CHC will be closed on Tuesday January 1st for New Year’s Day.

Have a great holiday!

Here’s what’s new for December:

• Parkdale CHC will be closed at 12PM on Monday December 24th, all day on Tuesday December 25th and Wednesday December 26th, and at 12PM on Monday December 31st.
• The Gentle Exercise Class will be cancelled throughout the month of December and will resume on Friday January 18th.
• The Living Well Lunch Club will take place on Monday December 10th at 12:30PM.
• The Healthy Smiles Ontario Dental Clinic will be closed on Monday December 24th, Tuesday December 25th, Wednesday December 26th, and Monday December 31st.
• As Parkdale CHC will be closed on Tuesday December 25th and January 1st, ordered placed for the Good Food Box on Tuesday December 18th will be available for pickup on Tuesday January 8th.
• Seniors programming will cease for the holidays from Wednesday December 12th until the end of  January 2013. Programs will resume in February.
• There will be no Hungarian and Roma Drop-In on Monday December 24th or Monday December 31st.

For more information, please visit our Program Calendar and filter by program under the drop down menu.

Happy holidays everyone!