Gatineau – Canada’s healthcare system is heavily dependent on its healthcare workers, who are increasingly affected by heavier workloads and responsibilities. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, announced nearly $750,000 in federal funding for Clinique Mauve.
Clinique Mauve was created in 2020 in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on migrant and racialized LGBTQIA+ communities. It offers intersectoral, community-based and integrated care, particularly for Spanish- and Arabic-speaking newcomers who face language barriers and have complex physical and mental health care needs. Many of these people are trans and non-binary, and require trans-affirmative care. The clinic also provides training for healthcare professionals, community workers and students. The clinic’s innovative model of care, designed jointly by researchers, students, practitioners, community workers and people from the communities involved, includes pair navigation, a type of peer intervention.
Supported by the Université de Montréal’s Vice-rectorat aux partenariats communautaires et internationaux, the Centre de recherche en santé publique, the Institut universitaire SHERPA and AGIR Montréal, Clinique Mauve has become a social and research laboratory that fosters cross-sector collaborations in practice, training and research.
The new grant, awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), will enable Clinique Mauve to expand its research on access to care for populations marginalized by sexual orientation, gender identity, migratory status and/or ethnoracial identity, by fostering capacity building and collaboration with allied research teams and key stakeholders across Canada and abroad.
Minister Randy Boissonnault also announced that 15 projects, including the Clinique Mauve and a centre for evidence and knowledge mobilization, have been funded with a total investment of more than $11.5 million from the CIHR and partners. This funding is the CIHR’s largest investment in health workforce research, a field focused on generating evidence on how best to organize, manage, train and support an equitable and resilient health workforce.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories and other key partners to address health workforce challenges. In Budgets 2023 and 2024, the government outlined its plan to invest close to $200 billion to improve health care for Canadians, including supporting the health workforce through retention, recruitment and planning.
“Working together to support health workers is crucial to people in Canada receiving the care they need, when they need it. Through these initiatives to strengthen and support our health workforce, the Government of Canada is working to improve access to timely and equitable care and better health outcomes for people in Canada.” – Mark Holland, Minister of Health
“This investment in Clinique Mauve illustrates the commitment to supporting the health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ migrant and racialized communities. Improving integrated care and addressing the unique challenges these communities face fosters a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system for everyone in Canada.” – Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change