The Scarborough Ontario Health Team (SOHT) is pleased to announce the appointment of four key staff members to support the collaborative in achieving its goal to implement
a one-team approach to help keep clients, patients and families in Scarborough healthy and well.
SOHT was announced as an Ontario Health Team in late 2020 and was established with a vision that “People will have optimal health and positive experiences through an accessible, equitable and integrated team, system of care, services and supports.” Its values for access to health services are outlined as ‘EPIC CARE’ which stands for Equity, Person-centered, Innovation, Compassion, Collaboration, Accountability and Respect.
SOHT’s vision has been met with recognition from the Government of Ontario. On April 1, 2021, the Honourable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, informed SOHT that it is the recipient of one-time funding of $937,500 for the 2021-22 funding year and one-time funding of $187,500 for the 2022-23 funding year. These funds will support the implementation of SOHT’s model of integrated, coordinated and accountable care delivery.
With start-up funds in place, SOHT is excited to announce the appointment of an experienced Director to help guide our efforts. James Schembri brings a deep understanding of Ontario Health Teams, having held the position of Project Manager for North York Toronto Health Partners Ontario Health Team since 2019. He is also well-versed in digital health and senior care. A graduate of Waterloo’s Master of Health Sciences in Health Administration and a Certified Health Executive, James has led multiple initiatives in the health care sector, with proven experience in stakeholder engagement, implementation and change management activities in both public and private health settings. As Director of SOHT, James will help to operationalize and implement our strategy and will provide leadership and operational and project management support for SOHT initiatives.
James will be working closely with Tiffany Wu who has joined SOHT as Manager. Following her tenure at Providence Healthcare and the North York Toronto Health Partners vaccination table, Tiffany, in collaboration with James, will engage a wide range of stakeholders to help deliver integrated and seamless care to patients across Scarborough. Her clinical background as a registered Occupational Therapist serving both rural and urban settings in Ontario, and her Master of Health Science in Health Administration and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy will be assets in this position.
Joining the team in a supportive role is Henry Bui. Henry joins SOHT after four years at North York General Hospital as a Unit Clerk and Administrative Assistant. His background as Psychometrist working with traumatic brain injury patients, and his stakeholder relations experience from North York’s Emergency Operations Table and North York’s Ontario Health Team will be beneficial in ensuring the smooth operations of SOHT.
SOHT also successfully secured an OHT Impact Fellow for one year. Charlotte Anderson has been appointed to this role and will be responsible for outlining the “current state” map of mental health and addictions services for seniors and caregivers in Scarborough, identifying the gaps within the map, recommending and analyzing “best practice” models for the target community, and implementing and summarizing rapid tests of change and evaluation. Charlotte is a Physiotherapist registered in Ontario and the Yukon Territory with a PhD and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Rehabilitation Sciences. She is an award-winning clinician, educator, researcher and entrepreneur and has received many research grants.
Naomi Abegunde has also joined the SOHT team as Manager of Scarborough Family Physicians Network. Naomi brings a wealth of experience from her prior role as Coordinator of Strategy and Information at West Park Healthcare Centre and from her work with the West Toronto Ontario Health Team. As an integral member of the vaccination team at West Toronto, she provided leadership, project management and operations support to two vaccination clinics. Naomi holds a Master of Health Informatics degree from the University of Toronto and is a certified Project Management Professional with experience managing multiple projects, supporting implementations and collaborating with stakeholders.
Finally, Sienna Nanji has just joined SOHT in the role of Healthcare Navigation Service (HCNS)-OHT Project Coordinator. Sienna comes to the role with diverse experience across health care sectors, most recently having worked in Home and Community Care. A Kinesiology graduate, Sienna is currently pursuing her Master of Health Administration and is passionate about supporting the development of a seamless health care system and increasing access to services to promote independence. In her role as Project Coordinator, she will be collaborating with various stakeholders to support the Health Care Navigation Service project.
“Our team is gifted with the opportunity to work with a collaborative network that is passionate about improving the quality of, and access to, health care services in Scarborough. These values will be the cornerstones of the work ahead of us,” said James Schembri, Director of SOHT.
These staff members will work closely with SOHT’s Collaboration Council, formed earlier this year with membership including primary care physicians, client family advisors and representatives from across Scarborough’s health care sector. With these key positions in place, SOHT will continue to focus on our ongoing collaborative response to COVID-19 and implementing our strategy to improve outcomes for our Year 1 population of frail elderly with multiple co-morbidities and a mental health and/or addictions
issue.
“Our partners have effectively worked together throughout the pandemic to provide education, testing,isolation supports, vaccines and community engagement for the people of Scarborough and are continuing to do so,” said Elizabeth Buller, Lead of SOHT. “These efforts demonstrate the benefits and importance of our integrated care approach. SOHT wishes to acknowledge and thank the Ministry of Health for its financial support and recognition of the importance of the mandate of SOHT,” said Elizabeth Buller, Lead of SOHT.