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Closed: 12pm - 1pm

 

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About Co-operatives "Our Roots"

The Regina Community Clinic is unique.

The Regina Community Clinic is the only healthcare co-operative in southern Saskatchewan - one of four co-operative community clinics in Saskatchewan.

We not only provide wholistic primary healthcare to meet the needs of all our patients but also have the capacity and flexibility to highlight specific healthcare needs and tailor our services to meet the needs of specific populations within our  locality. 

The populations and health needs vary. These include Indigenous health, rural health, and refugee health.

Co-operative community clinics are capable of offering care and services to the most vulnerable populations which are often over-looked in the mainstream healthcare system.

Our Cooperative Principles

Our clinic operates as a health care cooperative. This means we follow the cooperative principles recognized internationally by the International Co-operative Alliance and widely used by health and community cooperatives across Canada. These principles guide how we deliver care and how our organization is governed.

Open and Inclusive Membership
Our cooperative welcomes members from the community who support our mission and wish to participate in strengthening local health care.

Democratic Participation
Members have a voice in how the cooperative operates. Through member meetings and voting, members help shape priorities, policies, and the future direction of the clinic.

Shared Responsibility and Sustainability
Members support the cooperative through participation and stewardship. Any surplus resources are reinvested into improving services, strengthening the clinic, and supporting the health needs of the community.

Independence and Integrity
Our cooperative is an independent, community-based organization. Decisions are made in the best interests of our members, patients, and community.

Education and Health Awareness
We believe informed patients and communities are healthier communities. Our clinic supports education, preventive care, and access to reliable health information.

Working Together
We collaborate with other health professionals, organizations, and cooperatives to strengthen health services and improve access to care.

Commitment to Community Well-Being
Our cooperative exists to serve the health of our community. We focus not only on treating illness, but also on promoting prevention, wellness, and long-term community health.

Healthcare Co-operative Information

 

 

The goal of a healthcare co-operative is not only to provide care for the patients’ physical and mental health but also services to provide social services and the well-being of their communities. Co-operative community clinics offer social and education services and programs to their members, patients, and members of the community in which they are located.

Co-operative community clinics offer multidisciplinary team-based approach to healthcare. Most community clinics have the resources to offer professional services on-site such as counselling, exercise therapy, social work, nutrition, and laboratory and x-ray services and more

The co-operative model is:

  • Based on the independence of individuals and communities
  • An effective tool to strengthen local economies
  • A proven way to improve the quality of life
  • Focuses on sustainable development
  • A model that encourages participation
  • Resilient in times of crisis

The 7 principles of co-operation:

  • Voluntary and open membership
  • Democratic member control
  • Member economic participation
  • Autonomy and independence
  • Education, training and information
  • Co-operation among co-operative
  • Concern for community

Co-operatives in Canada:

  • 9,000
  • 18 million members
  • 155,000 employees
  • More than $50 billion in annual revenues

The team-based approach supports healthcare providers and lessens the possibility of burnout and enables providers to provide timely and quality care to their patients. High quality and timely care helps to reduce the stress on an already strained healthcare system, particularly as the population ages and health issues become more complex.

Co-operative community clinics offer a fiscally efficient, integrated approach to healthcare. They have demonstrated savings within the healthcare system by curbing demands on the larger system, and providing more patient-focused care.

Physicians and Nurse Practitioners are salaried and not fee-for-service.  As a result, patients receive longer appointment times along with a shorter wait time to receive a scheduled appointment and have access to different healthcare providers in the clinic. Patients have consistent healthcare which supports and increases the probability of positive outcomes.

As a result, patients receive longer appointment times along with a shorter wait time to receive a scheduled appointment and have access to different healthcare providers in the clinic. Patients have consistent healthcare which supports and increases the probability of positive outcomes.

As a co-operative, members have input into the direction of the clinic via an elected Board of Directors.  All members have a vote at annual general meetings and can become board members.  There is a balanced approach to governance of these clinics: patients also have input and are partners in their healthcare.  

Saskatchewan health care co-operatives were created during the crisis brought about by the provincial government’s implementation of a universal health care system and the doctor’s strike in 1962.  It was at this time of turmoil that communities took matters in their own hands.

To meet their own health care needs, concerned citizens formed health care co-operatives and before the end of the strike, community clinics were formed around the province. 

The Regina Community clinic (RCC) is operated governed by Community Health Services (Regina) Association Ltd., a not for profit charitable health care co-operative founded in 1962 by pro-medicare doctors and citizens. There are four similar associations in Saskatchewan united under the Community Health Co-operative Federation. 

More Resources About Cooperatives