Community & Patient Partnerships
The PCFC Community & Patient Partnerships Department works alongside patients, clients, and families to gather and amplify their voices. Using a range of tools and approaches, we listen to lived experiences and bring that collective insight forward to local, regional and provincial committees to help influence meaningful change at both the community and system level. We partner with clients every step of the way to ensure their voices are not only heard, but respected, valued, and acted upon.
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Our team represents PCFC on numerous committees across Simcoe County and beyond, contributing the patient, client and family perspective to planning, policy, and service improvement work.
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To gather feedback and experiences, we use a variety of methods, including focus groups, one-to-one interviews, surveys, Experience Based Co-Design, and other engagement approaches based on what is needed. We also collaborate with local and regional partners to collect and understand client feedback, and to support the co-design of new initiatives so that client voices help shape projects from the very beginning.
Our Partnerships
Waypoint Research Institute (WRI)
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PCFC is proud to partner with the WRI on patient-oriented research that is done with patients, not on patients. Together, we work to bring the patient and family voice into research design, planning, and evaluation, helping to ensure projects are meaningful, ethical, and grounded in lived experience. This partnership also supports ongoing efforts to acknowledge and reconcile Waypoint’s past history with research on patients, while building a future where research is collaborative, respectful, and recovery-focused.
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Through this work, PCFC has contributed to several impactful research projects, been nominated for Core Value Awards, and have been invited to co present with WRI at conferences and knowledge sharing events. Our partnership continues to strengthen opportunities for co creation, learning, and leadership, demonstrating the value of lived experience in shaping mental health research and innovation.
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North Simcoe Muskoka Specialized Geriatric Services (SGS)
PCFC works collaboratively with the SGS team to ensure that the voices of older adults and their caregivers are meaningfully represented in health system planning and delivery. Our role includes contributing to strategic planning and co-design efforts, consulting with project leads and community organizations, and connecting with OHT PFACs to share insights and best practices. Our focus is on keeping the patient and caregiver experience at the center, bringing forward real-world barriers and concerns, particularly for those caring for people with Dementia and frailty. Through engagement and relationship-building, we help shape programs and systems that are both responsive and inclusive.
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North Simcoe Youth Wellness Hub
PCFC is a proud partner of the North Simcoe Youth Wellness Hub (NSYWH), where peer support has been built into the model of care since day one. The Youth Wellness Hub Ontario (YWHO) approach recognizes that young people are experts in their own lives, and that meaningful support includes working alongside youth through lived experience, connection, and shared understanding. Peer support at the Hub helps create a welcoming, youth-friendly space where young people feel seen, heard, and supported.
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Over the years, PCFC has worked closely with the Hub team to offer a wide range of supports, including individual and group peer support, workshops, events, and collaborative programming shaped by youth needs and feedback. This ongoing partnership continues to foster belonging, resilience, and leadership, helping ensure that youth voices remain at the centre of services in our community.
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