Choice got involved with the Winning Strategies after receiving a newsletter. “We already were trying to expand access to French-language homecare services for our patients, but having a third party come in and check what we were doing made us feel much more confident in our ability to succeed.”
Kelly mentions that partnering with Winning Strategies helped them develop improvement initiatives to strengthen care delivery. By tracking each referral and matching French-speaking patients with bilingual staff, they can ensure not only quality of care, but also trust, comfort, and cultural respect for patients and their families.
As for the impacts on patients of implementing the Winning Strategies, Kelly says: “Absolutely positive! Language plays such a vital role in delivering safe and compassionate care. We know that geriatric patients tend to lose their second language, so by strengthening our bilingual services, we’re ensuring that more patients feel understood and supported in their own homes.”
To meet this need, Choice has built a strong bilingual workforce. Currently, 27% of its field staff are French-speaking, and 36% of office staff are fluent in French, enabling smooth communication from the very first point of contact through ongoing care management.
Choice has an office in Ottawa but serves patients from Carleton Place to Hawkesbury and as far south as Morrisburg. They are members of the Archipel Ontario Health Team.
