Guided by a new Strategic Plan, the Board of Directors undertook a major self-assessment and continuous improvement exercise last year.

By adopting exemplary and standardized practices, recruiting experts and enhancing collaborative ties with our community and partners, we have sought to solidify our organization’s foundations.

We believe that sound governance is based on a strong and committed membership. With 73 corporate members and more than 700 individual members, our organization is strengthening its links with the Francophone community and gaining credibility in order to improve access to French-language health services.

This is why we need you – we are looking for voices that reflect the diversity of our communities. Your involvement – whether on boards, committees or in consultations – is essential to the achievement of our mission.

At the end of 2016-2017, the members of the Board of Directors are ready to work with their counterparts in the health system to foster collective accountability with regards to French-language services. This is the collaborative approach we promote to develop quality health services adapted to the linguistic and cultural realities of Francophones in Eastern and South Eastern Ontario.

Alain-Michel Sékula
MBA, CMC, LColonel (Honorary) FAC-CAF

If there is a word that best characterizes the year 2016-2017, it is “transformation”. This refers, of course, to the transformation of the health system, but also to the transformation of our Réseau. Indeed, our organization has begun a major shift which will allow it to consolidate its achievements and strengthen its capacities for analysis and action.

At the end of this first year of our 2016-2021 Strategic Plan, we have been able to rethink our organizational structure to optimize our resources – human, technological and financial. We also have recruited new professional expertise, particularly in the area of software and information system development.

These measures allow us to position ourselves favourably in order to achieve our targeted results, especially those related to the production and analysis of evidence-based data on the health of Francophones. In addition to supporting planning of French-language services, these data allow us to exercise thought leadership among decision makers and key players.

2016-2017 was also marked by the adoption of the Patients First Act, 2016, which lays the foundation for the health care system transformation. This major reform has been at the centre of our thoughts and actions. Together with our community partners, we are continuing our work with the health system so that the voices of Francophones are taken into account in this transformation. Our participation in the Patients First French-language Services Workstream also allows us to work directly with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to find sensible solutions for Francophone patients.

Therefore, it is with renewed determination that we are fulfilling our mandate: the Réseau is now working within the health system transformation to seize opportunities to improve access to French-language health services for the members of our community.

Jacinthe Desaulniers