Who We Are
What is a CHC?
Community Health Centres (CHCs) are not-for-profit community government organizations with a primary focus on improving the health and well-being of populations who have traditionally faced barriers accessing health services including:
- Those living on low income
- Newcomers
- Those with complex medical and social issues
- Individuals who do not have health insurance
Community Health Centres:
- Promote equity in accessing health care services
- Strengthen the role of the individual and the community in health and health care delivery
- Encourage partnerships among health care services and social care and other community agencies
- Develop coordinated primary health care services which make the most efficient use of health care providers and health resources
- Promote health and prevent illness to enhance the health status of the communities served.
Vaughan CHC is the only CHC in York Region
We provide interprofessional primary health care, chronic disease prevention and management, community programs, and health promotion services with an emphasis on priority populations who face barriers accessing health care.
For more information on the impact of Community Health Centres, please visit the links below.
Our History
2003
In January 2003, a task force of community and civic leaders was struck to assess how best to bring additional healthcare resources to the City of Vaughan. The Task Force developed a vision for a comprehensive, innovative, and integrated healthcare model to serve Vaughan’s residents: The Vaughan Health Campus of Care. The Campus of Care model would offer a variety of services and help integrate healthcare programs and facilities within Vaughan to ensure seamless service delivery, support service efficiency and effectiveness with a focus on wellness, prevention and health promotion.
2006
Recognizing that Community Health Centres are one of the most effective tools to address health issues and contribute to healthy lives and communities, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced in 2006, that it would expand the Community Health Centre model, adding 22 new and 17 satellite centres to the province’s health care system.
Acknowledging the need in Vaughan, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced that one of these new CHCs would be awarded to Vaughan and named the Vaughan Health Care Foundation (VHCF) as the sponsoring organization. In keeping with the work and vision of the Task Force, the VHCF worked to realize the Vaughan Community Health Centre as the first step in the Vaughan Health Campus of Care.
2009
In March 2009, VCHC hired a research company to complete a community profile of Vaughan and its five main neighbourhoods—Concord, Kleinburg, Maple, Thornhill and Woodbridge. This profile helps us better understand the similarities and differences among these neighbourhoods and the people who live in them. Please see the Community Profile (PDF) for more information.
Strategic Directions
Our 2023–2028 Strategic Plan reflects six months of listening and learning with our clients, staff, board, and partners. The process included surveys, focus groups, and workshops to build a shared vision for the future. This plan is the foundation for how we will continue to deliver high-quality care and strengthen our role in building a healthier Vaughan.
Board Of Directors
The Vaughan Community Health Centre (VCHC) is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of 9 local residents. The board of directors has the ultimate responsibility for the VCHC and is fully accountable for the delivery of programs and services. With the board’s leadership, experience, and expertise, the Centre continues to move forward towards achieving its vision of a healthy community in Western and Northern York Region.
Meet the Vaughan Community Health Centre’s Board of Directors:
- Carin is a native Quebecer and has been living in Ontario for many decades. She is retired and formerly worked for the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Eli Lilly Inc. and Janssen Inc, (a division of Johnson & Johnson). Her most recent positions included: Director of Data Management and Submissions and lastly, Director of Medical Affairs (Janssen Inc).
- Carin has volunteered for several organizations in the past and is currently a member of the Research Ethics Board of Southlake Regional Health Centre, Newmarket Economic Development Committee and now, VCHC
- Dennis Bailey has been a lawyer for over 35 years, with a practice focused on helping Ontario’s poor in civil matters and advising non-profit and charitable boards of directors. For the last 26 years he’s been the Executive Director of the Community Legal Clinic of York Region (formerly Georgina Community Legal Services), overseeing its growth to become the largest community legal clinic in Ontario.
- He has incorporated and advised a large number of non-profits and charities and has been a volunteer director of several, has acted as a volunteer trainer with local United Ways in York Region and in Barrie/South Simcoe, has appeared in a TVO series on non-profit governance and contributed to “Board Basics”, United Way Canada’s training guide for non-profit boards. Dennis was a founding member of the Ontario Legal Aid Plan’s Community Clinic Quality Assurance Programme Steering Committee and a past executive member of the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario. He also served as co-chair of the Research subcommittee of the Voluntary Sector Forum – Insurance Bureau of Canada joint working group on liability insurance for non-profits. He has pursued precedent-setting litigation in many courts including the Federal and Ontario Courts of Appeal and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. He has provided advice to government departments and commissions on a range of justice-related matters such as revisions to Ontario’s social assistance legislation and regulatory protection for mobile home owners.
- Dennis has been active in the scouting movement, his church and in politics, having run for the Ontario legislature in 1990. Mr. Bailey enjoys travel, music, reading and a multitude of outdoor activities including tennis, sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, snorkeling and skiing.
- Gino is the SVP and Head of TD Auto Finance Canada, a leading full-spectrum auto lender. With centers across Canada, TD Auto Finance offers comprehensive dealer support and financing in the automotive and recreational space and was named #1 in the J.D. Power Dealer Satisfaction Study among Non-Captive Lenders with Retail Credit for the last four years.
- Gino brings +26 years of diverse leadership experience at TD having worked in several different roles including commercial banking, finance, risk management, product management, business strategy and transformation, business architecture, data governance & analysis, client & employee experience, and retail banking.
- Gino regularly finds time to support TD’s Ready Commitment focused on working together for a more inclusive tomorrow with a focus on financial security, the environment, connected communities and health care. For example, Gino has supported financial literacy with the junior achievement program and supported the bank’s diversity and inclusion initiatives by actively participating in individual and group mentoring for visible minorities, black colleagues and entrepreneurs and women in leadership & entrepreneurs. On the environment front, Gino sat on the GTA advisory board for the Friends of the Environment Foundation, a national charity that funds environmental projects across Canada focused primarily on revitalizing, animating, and stewarding public green spaces. In the business community Gino is involved with the OG 100, a business mentorship organization that supports the next generation of Ontario’s global leaders. And finally, Gino is a Senior Ambassador for TD’s annual United Way charitable drive, leading his team to encourage maximum participation by all colleagues to support the United Way &/or a charity of their choice. Gino has an BA degree, major in economics from York University, Chartered Finance Analysts (CFA) and the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designations. Gino also has executive development certificates from Columbia University in Globalization (Strategies For Your Enterprise) and Value Investing (Making Intelligent Investment Decisions).
- Malcolm is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and Canada and of the Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan Chinese Business Association.
- His work entails audit, finance and accounting services; business, entrepreneurial and tax advisory services; and succession planning in a variety of industries including not-for-profits, and medical and dental professional services.
- Dr. Emmanuel Abara has been practicing as a Director of Richmond Hill Urology & Prostate Institute and a Consultant Urologist.
- His current interests are, Rural Health and enhancing urologic care through Telemedicine and Community Engagement in Education, Arts and Medicine. Dr Emmanuel has published peer reviewed journals and is an experienced reviewer editor of periodical journals. His work is presented locally and internationally. Dr Emmanuel have been a past recipient of many awards such as Canadian Urological Association, Volunteer Award in Arts and Community Engagement in Richmond Hill and many others.
- Poonam Sehgal is a Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in long-term care, retirement, and community health. As a member of the Vaughan Community Health Centre Board of Directors, she is committed to supporting the Centre’s mission of advancing equitable and accessible care for seniors and vulnerable populations. Her professional focus includes preventative care, chronic disease management, and promoting aging in place through interdisciplinary collaboration. Poonam also brings a strong interest in the role of technology and innovation in enhancing healthcare delivery and improving outcomes across diverse communities.
- Louisa is an active participant in any role she is in. She believes “knowledge like a pyramid needs to be concrete in board and in height”. Currently, she is a financial consultant at Cardinal Health. She is a key player in the Transition Sales Agreement (TSA) in operation and policies. Previously, as a corporate accountant, controller, financial manager, and system implementation consultant, Louisa worked in accounting, auditing, reporting, information technology in financial systems, and beyond in related function areas in diversified industries.
- She holds a BBMA from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), CMA Ontario and CPA under unification. She is a member of the Audit Committee of Vaughan Community Health Centers since 2018, volunteers in the Canadian Volunteering Income Tax Program since 2019, and board member of Community Living South York since 2022. She is always driven from the heart to make the change in her career and her life.
- Carmela has been in the field of developmental services, specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder, for 20 years. She has supported and worked with children, youth and adults with complex needs in achieving skill building and employment goals. She has consulted to group homes, and has collaborated with families, teachers and professionals in the development of support plans for individuals with changing needs. She has developed clinical trainings and presentations for a variety of partnerships and conferences.
- She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Psychology from York University, a Masters degree in Psychology (specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis) from the University of Nevada, became a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst in 2007 and a Registered Behaviour Analyst in 2024. She also has a background as a Certified Pharmacy Technician.
- Patrick Clifford is recently retired as the Director of Research and Innovation, at the Research Institute of Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket Ontario and CreateIT Now the Southlake owned and operated on campus health innovation center. During his tenure in that role, Patrick’s responsibilities included 1/oversight of research operations and infrastructure (including the REB) and 2/ advancing innovation and commercialization activities along with culture building, through strategic collaborations with industry, academia, funders, and other key partners.
- Patrick was also charged with leading the development and implementation of Southlake’s research agenda and advancing the innovation and commercialization strategy which included growing partnerships and collaborations with private sector ventures wishing to evaluate and/or validate wide ranging health focused technologies with Southlake clinicians in an acute care, large community hospital environment.
- Patrick was also engaged in Southlake’s health sector leadership role in innovative, value/outcome based, procurement practices. Patrick retired after 34 years of health care experience in acute care, including a concurrent 22 years as a practicing clinician in emergency mental health at Oak Valley Health (formerly Markham Stouffville Hospital).
- Patrick continues to practice as a clinician, performs occasional work for Southlake post-retirement serves on several boards including HELIX through Seneca Polytechnic and Clinical Trials Ontario, and maintains a variety of voluntary sector leadership roles at the local, provincial and national level. He holds a BA, BSW, BEd, MSW and his RSW designation.
