Horizon Health Network – Official Languages Strategic Plan

OUR VISION:

Leading for a Healthy Tomorrow /

OUR MISSION:

Care for People, Educate, Innovate, and Foster Research /

OUR VALUES:

Compassion, Respect, Integrity,
Collaboration, Excellence,
Sustainability, Innovation

Our Goal: Quality of Health Services in Both Official Languages

Our Motto: “We offer quality health services in both official languages because it’s the right thing to do for our patients and the public.”

Strategic Theme / Desired Outcomes by 2014 / Strategic Initiatives/Major Projects
1. Cultural Awareness and Understanding /
  • Significant and continuous improvement in active offers being extended by Horizon employees
  • Employees feel comfortable making active offers
  • Patients and the public are aware of their right to service in the language of their choice and feel comfortable accessing such services
  • The organization and its employees have embraced the right of patients and the public to receive services in both official languages because of an increased appreciation and understanding that it’s the right thing for the patient
/ Public
  • Increase the visibility and awareness of the public to their right to access quality health services in the official language of their choice
Staff
  • Enhance the comfort level among staff to extend active offers
  • Work with employees to foster greater understanding of: (a) the requirements and implications of the Official Languages Act, and (b) benefits to the patient of receiving care in the official language of his/her choice
  • Develop Official Languages “champions” throughout the organization
Partnerships
  • Establish a francophone liaison committee for the region to exchange ideas about needs and enhanced access to French health services
  • Develop partnership with Vitalité
  • Develop and maintain effective partnerships with funding and/or research partners
Accountability
  • See Continuous Improvement and Accountability section below

Strategic Theme / Desired Outcomes by 2014 / Strategic Initiatives/Major Projects
2. Quality Health Services in Both Official Languages /
  • Clear and current operational linguistic profiles are in place within all units/departments
  • Employees are supported and provided with tools or opportunities to achieve or improve linguistic capacity
  • All employees see enhanced linguistic capacity as an opportunity
  • Our recruitment and language assessment systems better support our ability to meet our operational linguistic needs
/ Organizational Development / Human Resources
  • Incorporate Official Languages “lens” into key Organizational Development and human resources policies/practices
Official Languages Profiles
  • Standardize the organization’s approach to the development and updating of linguistic profiles in the various programs and services
  • Study and implement easy-to-use tools for managers to enhance their unit’s linguistic capacity
Official Languages Supports for Employees
  • Collaborate with Organizational Development to develop accessible Official Languages tools, resources and ongoing language development/advancement opportunities for employees

3. Continuous Improvement and Accountability /
  • We have the ability to: (a) evaluate our Official Languages performance, (b) proactively identify trends and needs, (c) continuously improve our Official Languages practices and policies and (d) report on our progress against our Official Language goals
/ Process
  • Develop and implement a clear and ongoing process to (a) evaluate our Official Languages performance, (b) proactively identify our needs, (c) continuously improve our Official Languages practices and policies, and (d) report our progress against our Official Languages goals

Final – October 21, 2010