Date and Time: May 28, 2025 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern Time
Webinar Description:
This webinar introduces the Refugee OT Access advocacy group (ROTA) and its mission to improve occupational therapy access for refugee populations in home and community care settings. The presentation will showcase ROTA's collaboration with GPS Health Navigators, a non-profit organization serving refugees requiring palliative home care, with implications for service delivery to all refugee populations. Attendees will receive an overview of the unique health service needs of the growing refugee population and the barriers they face accessing home and community care. The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) will be presented as a funding source for occupational therapy services for refugee clients without OHIP coverage. Representatives from both ROTA and GPS Health Navigators will share their experiences improving access through collective advocacy, peer support, partnership building, and raising awareness about navigating federal funding for services and equipment.
By the end of this webinar you will:
- Understand ROTA's advocacy strategies for improving occupational therapy access for refugee populations.
- Examine the ROTA-GPS Health Navigators partnership model for enhancing palliative home care services for refugees.
- Identify specific barriers preventing refugees from accessing occupational therapy and other essential home/community care services.
- Learn practical methods to navigate the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) as a funding mechanism for occupational therapy services.
- Discover concrete opportunities for collaboration with ROTA and GPS Health Navigators to expand occupational therapy access for refugee populations.
Presenters:
Vilma Oliveros, BA Counselling Psychology, Logotherapist, SPEC Social Determinants on Health, is a healthcare professional specializing in palliative care and community engagement, currently managing the GPS Health Navigators Project in partnership with The Dorothy Ley Hospice. With extensive experience spanning hospice care, bereavement support, and advocacy, she has developed expertise in serving marginalized populations through program development, education, and client-centered approaches. Her bilingual capabilities, dual bachelor's degrees in counseling and family sciences, and international presentations reflect her commitment to advancing equitable healthcare access, particularly for refugees and individuals facing life-threatening illnesses.
Barry Trentham, PhD, MES, BSc (OT) is a retired occupational therapist, researcher, and educator. Prior to his academic career at the University of Toronto’s, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, he practiced in a variety of clinical settings including long-term care, geriatric rehabilitation and mental health culminating in a community practice structured around community development and social determinants of health principles. He is a former OSOT Board of Directors member and past recipient of CAOT’s Muriel Driver Memorial Lectureship Award. He currently coordinates the Refugee OT Access Working Group and is an active volunteer with GPS Health Navigators advocating for the palliative home care needs of refugees and their families including improved access to occupational therapy services.
Chantal D'Souza, OT Reg. (Ont.) is the Occupational Therapy Team Lead at Brampton Civic Hospital and a former Access and Flow Leader for the emergency department at William Osler Health System. She has spent the last eight years as a clinician throughout the healthcare continuum and helped implement a rehab service expansion project within the emergency room. Outside of work, Chantal is a passionate advocate for food justice, anti-racism, and equity initiatives, and the social determinants of health. She was a previous member of the Occupational Therapists for Equity Advancement (OTFA) and a current member of the Refugee OT Access working group (ROTA).
Fees: (All fees are plus HST)
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The presentation will be recorded and will be available to watch on OSOT's Archived Webinars page shortly after the event.