When we speak with practitioners about the reality of working on the frontlines of health, we often hear them say, "I’m flying by the seat of my pants." or "I’m working without a safety net." They feel disconnected from their peers and isolated from the traditional networks that connect health professionals in the mainstream healthcare system. How can barriers like limited access to information, lack of capacity, lack of tools and resources, and lack of connectivity be addressed?
The Frontline Health Forums: sharing, learning, understanding
The Frontline Health Forums are virtual communities made available through the Frontline Health program. The Forums allow frontline health and social service professionals, as well as students, to connect and communicate in a secure, virtual environment.
The Frontline Health Forums aim to:• Expand frontline practitioners' professional networks;
• Encourage sharing of knowledge and best practices;
• Facilitate collaboration; and,
• Support mentoring.
Frontline Health Forums… building communities of practice focused on frontline issues. When a social worker from St. John’s, Newfoundland seeks advice on how he can set up a youth health clinic in his city, the network can connect him with a successful initiative in Victoria, British Columbia. Or a frontline practitioner from Winnipeg can learn about best practices for treating transgender patients that are being applied in Toronto.
Providing frontline health practitioners with a way to connect to one another to exchange information and best practices will help improve the provision of healthcare to marginalized populations across Canada.
Joining the Frontline Health Forums
If you are a frontline health practitioner looking to connect with others who face similar challenges and to share best practices, or are interested in joining the Frontline Health Forums and starting your own virtual community, please click here to find out more information.
Learn more:
Who is using the Frontline Health Forums?e-Learning modules
Innovative Solutions
Research being done on the frontlines
About Frontline Health