We are pleased to announce the Regina Community Clinic will be actively involved in this important initiative which is being launched across Saskatchewan. The Clinic is represented on the Steering Committee along with other local organizations.
This two-year initiative is headed by the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism and is funded by an anonymous group of donors with a generous donation of $4,000,000. Regina is one of the communities to be part of this program. Currently, Candle Lake, Moose Jaw, and Yorkton are involved with more communities to join soon.
While social prescribing is not limited to only one age group, this initiative specifically focusses on improving the lives of seniors (55 years plus) with reduced medical and hospital visits along with improved overall well-being of participants. The process begins with a Health Care Provider who will refer patients, with their permission, to local, non-clinical services, including community and social services. Link Workers (also known as community connectors, navigators, coordinators and other titles) are a crucial component of social prescribing. The Link Worker receives the referral and will follow-up with the patient to acquire more details from the patient in order to link the patient to a service or organization that best suits the patient's needs. Community Partners are cross-sectoral partners or agencies that could be volunteer and community based. The partner agencies seek to improve an individual's physical and mental health. The providers will receive updates from the agencies to which the patient has been referred.
A Healthier Canada: An Analysis of the Potential Economic and Social Impacts of Social Prescribing can be found here:
https://www.socialprescribing.ca/a-healthier-canada This reports provides detailed findings and analyses.
We are grateful and delighted to be working with the Saskatchewan's Seniors Mechanism, Age-Friendly Regina, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Metis Nation-Sask Western Region III, and the Health Quality Council of Saskatchewan along with other agencies and organizations.
Social Prescribing in Saskatchewan Summary Guide: https://reginacommunityclinic.ca/pub/social-prescribing-in-sask-jan-2025-document.pdf
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism on Social Prescribing (video): https://youtu.be/Uv3qmkk_rgk?si=WNS7JdM2z0iP4N3j
**Calgary United Way: Healthy Aging Alberta: Social Prescribing for Older Adults Program (General Info and FAQs)
Canada Newswire: Social prescribing: Your doctor's office is a new gateway to community wellbeing
Gov't of Canada: Editorial – Social prescribing in Canada: health promotion in action, 50 years after the Lalonde report
CISP: Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing
Canadian Centre of Caregiving Excellence - Centre canadien d'excellence pour les aidants: "A Social Prescription for Care: New Pan-Canadian Social Prescribing Initiative Aims to Improve the Well-being of Caregivers Across the Country"
National Library of Medicine: Social Prescribing in Canada: A Tool for Integrating Health and Social Care for Underserved Communities
Canadian Family Physician: Social prescribing A call to action Dominik Alex Nowak and Kate Mulligan Canadian Family Physician February 2021; 67 (2) 88-91; DOI: https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.670288
Canadian Red Cross: Connecting health and social care systems with Social Prescribing Posted November 07, 2022 by Red Cross Talks - Red Cross blogger By Kathryn Dunmore, Canadian Red Cross
Ontario Hospital Association: POPULATION HEALTH SERIES Social Prescribing
Canadian Alliance for Social Connection and Health:
What is Social Prescribing? (Video)
How do you identify clients? (Video)
How do we link clients to community care? (Video)
What outcomes should we measure? (Video)
What are the barriers and facilitators to social prescribing? (Video)
How can social prescribing be adapted for the local context? (Video)
How do you identify community assets and build intersectoral partnerships? (Video)
Healthy Aging: CORE (Collaborative Online Resources and Education) Alberta. "Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy, and Practice" (includes various articles) Special issue: Social prescribing in Canada: an emerging approach to health and well-being
CORE Alberta: Social Prescribing: A holistic approach to improving the health and well-being of Canadians
Social Prescribing Pathway (Diagram) Current State of Social Prescribing in Canada
British Columbia Medical Journal: Social prescribing for the loneliness epidemic Issue: BCMJ, vol. 66, No. 7, September 2024, Pages 237-238 Premise By: A. Hoverman, DO, MPH, CCFP K. Schuld, MSN H. Baillie, MD, FRCPC
EE-NET: How social prescribing is aiming to connect vulnerable Canadians to their communities
Centre de sante communitaire Hamilton/Niagra: Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health Project Posted on April 6, 2023
Country Roads Community Health Centre (Ontario): How it works Programs and Services → Social Prescribing
