Catholic Health Association of Manitoba

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Welcome to Catholic Health Association of Manitoba

The Catholic Health Association of Manitoba (CHAM) is a voluntary, provincial association dedicated to the healing Ministry of the Catholic Church. Through its Ministries of education health care ethics, spiritual care, social justice and Catholic ownership, CHAM fulfills its mission CHAM fulfills its mission of compassionate concern and respect for all persons.

Our members span the continuum of social services, long term and continuing care, acute care, and seniors’ services across Manitoba.  Each year, we strive to foster relationships between our members through regular correspondence and newsletters, formation offerings, advocacy support, and special events.

 

COVID-19 Support for Managers, staff and their families

The coronavirus pandemic is taking it's toll on many management teams, staff, residents, patients and families.  CHAM, in partnership with Réseau Compassion Network, Aulneau Renewal Centre, Sara Riel Inc., St.Amant and the Interfaith Healthcare Association of Manitoba, have put together a series of workshops, tools and resources to help and support those who are feeling compassion fatigue, anxiety, burnout, fear, and stressed.  Please refer to the Ministry of Care section of this website for a full list of offerings. 

 

Join the Journey - Body, Mind & Spirit 

Spiritual Care Training Series - starting January 12, 2021

CHAM is offering a new program to expand the ability of CHAM member facilities and parishes to help people understand the aging journey and the role of spirituality in an older person's life.  Participants will develop a holistic understanding of an older person and be able to offer quality spiritual care. 

Participants would then have the tools to support people who may be frail, alone and lonely either in their homes, long-term care home, supportive housing complex or even hospital.

The training in this program is excellent for staff who work in a care home or hospital, for individuals caring for loved ones in their home or for people who visit with seniors in their homes or care homes.  

The training program consists of the following eight segments:

  • Understanding the ageing process
  • Spirituality in ageing
  • Good Communication
  • The Power of Storytelling
  • Dementia
  • A New Home and a New Way of Life
  • Grief, Loss, Death and Dying
  • Roles, Boundaries and Self-Care

To view the poster click HERE.  

“This course was like...God handed it to me on a silver platter, so that I can listen, love and serve people much more deeply, wisely. Look at the timing! In our need, God provided. As before, indebted to you for offering the course.” 

Ruth, Participant

Recent News

Winnipeg Free Press promotes National Catholic Healthcare Week
October 6, 2020

John Longhurst helps celebrate and promote National Catholic Healthcare week.  

Winnipeg Free Press Article_NCHCW 2020

Faith Helps Fuel Canada's GDP
October 6, 2020
New research, "Faith Helps Fuel Canada's GDP" is a first ever study of Canada's Hidden Economy. This new research suggests religion produces measurable economic contributions to the common good: a 67.5 billion annual investment in Canadian society.  
 
"Amid pandemic-related job loss and economic worries, new research done by Brian and Melissa Grimm suggests there is a sector of Canadian society that plays an important, but often unrecognized, economic role: religion. The Hidden Economy: How Faith Helps Fuel Canada’s GDP, a new report from think tank Cardus, finds that religion’s annual contribution to Canadian society is worth an estimated $67.5 billion. That’s large enough to be the ninth biggest enterprise in the country – ahead of the Bank of Montreal. (See Cardus for full study or RFBF for overview.)" Brian Grim, RFBF President
National Catholic Healthcare Week
October 1, 2020

Awaken

National Catholic Health Care Week from Sunday, October 4 to Saturday, October 10, 2020

At the heart of Catholic health care is a deep respect for the intrinsic value and dignity of every human being and an unwavering commitment to serving all people, from all backgrounds and faiths – especially society’s most vulnerable.

Awaken: Revealing the Courageous Gift of Catholic Health Care National Catholic Health Care Week is part of a broader Catholic Health Alliance of Canada (CHAC) initiative called Awaken: Revealing the Courageous Gift of Catholic Health Care, an invitation to unite our voices and create a movement to boldly, confidently express the role, value, and impact of Catholic health care in Canada. Awaken cultivates ambassadors and advocates to be vocal, informed supporters of Catholic health care in Canada. Each of us contributes to this campaign through conversations we have with influencers and decisionmakers in our communities, provincially, and nationally.

Nationally, Catholic health care serves over 5 million Canadians each year and employs over 88,000 people. Our footprint is big. Our hearts are even bigger. And our belief that we are part of each other’s journey, there to support and transform one another, is the foundation it’s all built on.

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 4TH AT 7 PM:  Compassionate Healers' Mass via You Tube:
Compassionate Healers Mass from Holy Family Home 

MONDAY - OCTOBER 7TH:  Celebrating the Courageous Gift of Health Care

TUESDAY - OCTOBER 8TH: Healing Body, Mind and Spirit

WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 9TH: We honour peoples stories; illness is only one of those stories

THURSDAY - OCTOBER 10TH:  We believe in social justice; we are advocates in our communities

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 11TH:  We are leaders in Catholic Health Care, serving communities for over 400 years

 

Sept 24 2020 Rapid Recap: Speech from the Throne The Government's commitment to long-term
September 24, 2020

 

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

This afternoon, the second session of Canada’s 43rd Parliament opened with a Speech from the Throne delivered by Governor General, Julie Payette. The Speech marks the beginning of the government’s recovery phase response to COVID-19 after a summer of unprecedented interim spending measures intended to keep Canadians safe.

This Speech, longer than previous Throne Speeches and more serious in tone, comes as COVID-19 cases across the country continue to rise. It also comes after Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault called for an increase to federal health transfers, and after Canadian Association for Long Term Care (CALTC) members themselves called for dedicated funding for long-term care ahead of any second wave. 

This afternoon’s Speech was focused on protecting vulnerable Canadians and outlined the government’s plan moving forward including four foundations:

  1. Fight the pandemic and save lives.
  2. Support people and businesses through this crisis. 
  3. Create a stronger, more resilient Canada.
  4. Stand up for who we are as Canadians.


The government's commitment to long-term care:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did promise to include long-term care in the government’s priorities and today’s Speech from the Throne gives us a preview into what that ongoing commitment will look like. 

The Trudeau Government made five commitments to seniors’ care including:

  • Working with the provinces and territories to set new, national standards for the sector. While no mention of funding was made, the Speech did reinforce that long-term care “falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction” and that the federal government will “take any action it can to support seniors while working alongside the provinces and territories”. 
  • A plan to bring forward new Criminal Code amendments to hold people accountable for the neglect of seniors. No further information was provided in terms of the possible scope or severity of these amendments.
  • Take additional action to help people stay in their homes longer indicating further investments in home and community care are to come.
  • Further targeted measures for personal support workers. The Speech acknowledged that personal support workers do an essential service, they help the most vulnerable in our communities, and that “the Government will continue to have their backs”.
  • Increases to the Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan survivor’s benefit to keep seniors at home longer. 


The government's other commitments to health care:
Additional health care related priorities in the Throne Speech include:

  • Supporting people with disabilities.
  • A commitment to create a national, universal pharmacare program, including a rare disease strategy and a national formulary.
  • Increased access to primary care services in rural and remote areas.
  • Expanding capacity to deliver virtual health care.
  • Further increasing access to mental health resources. 


What does this mean for long-term care?
While it is disappointing that dedicated funding was not mentioned specifically in the Throne Speech, the commitment to respect provincial and territorial jurisdiction, and work closely with provincial and territorial governments on additional supports, hints at additional collaboration and more measures to come. CALTC looks forward to working closely with the federal government on the development of national standards, as well as other areas of critical financial support for the sector. 


Stay tuned for more details on this plan and path to recovery as Canadians will hear directly from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his national address at 6:30 p.m. EST this evening. 
 


Virtual Lobby Week
CALTC will continue its 2020 advocacy efforts next week during our first ever "virtual" Lobby Week. From September 28 to October 2, members will be meeting virtually with MPs from all parties to discuss what the long-term care sector needs moving forward to keep seniors living in long-term care safe.

If you have any questions about our upcoming Lobby Week or would like to participate, please contact Liz Thompson at Liz@caltc.ca.
Managing Stress during COVID-19 pandemic
March 23, 2020

•It is normal to feel sad, distressed, worried, confused, fearful and angry during a time of crisis.

•Draw on any helpful skills that you may have used in the past during difficult times to manage your emotions during this outbreak.

•Talk to people you trust, perhaps friends and family.

•If you feel overwhelmed, talk to a health worker, social worker, spiritual health provider, religious leader, community elder, or any other trust person in your community.

•Get the facts about your risk and how you can take precautions. Use credible sources to get information.

If necessary call Health links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257. You can also source information about covid-19 at https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/coronavirus/index.html

 

•Employees have counselling services available through EAP. Contact 204-786-8880,or 1-800-590-5553. 

•If you must stay at home, maintain a happy lifestyle, (including a proper diet, sleep, exercise if possible, and social contact at home). Keep in touch with family and friends through, email, phone, facetime etc.

•Limit your use of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs to cope with your emotions.

•Limit the amount of time you spend watching, listening, and reading upsetting media coverage.

 

Practice relaxation exercises (e.g. breathing, meditation, mindfulness, prayer)

 

•Remember you are not alone. Together we will work together to support one another.

Source: Some material adapted from Source: WHO. Coping with stress during the 2019-nCOV outbreak: Geneva. 2020, page 17, https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/briefing-note-covid-and-mental-health.pdf

 

Mindfulness:

Our lives unfold in moments; fully experiencing the moments of our lives helps us find more peace and experience much less worry, anxiety, and depression. Mindfulness involves paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. Let us decide to become aware of our own thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and behaviors. … being aware of the sights, sounds, and smells in our environment, irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen in the future. The present moment is where we always are.

 

Gratitude:

The practice of gratitude may actually reduce or deter “negative” feelings such as anger, bitterness, and worry. Gratitude helps to dissolve negative f

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Upcoming Events

Join the Journey - Spiritual Care Series

Jan 11, 2021 - VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM

Join the Journey - Spiritual Care Series

Jan 11, 2021 - VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM

Caritas Award Dinner

Apr 21, 2021 - Victoria Inn Hotel & Conference Centre - 1808, Wellington Avenue

View Calendar

Resources for you during this pandemic

Over the past several months, we have faced unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been forced to change many aspects of our personal and professional lives and know that this constant change can be exhausting and difficult on our mental health.

We are pleased to share a compilation of mental health resources here.

If there are other tools or resources that would be beneficial to you and your team at this time, please do not hesitate to let us know how we can further assist you.

 

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