The Ontario government announced yesterday that it is investing $25 million to create the Peel Black Health & Social Services Hub, a full-service location for Black individuals and families to conveniently access health care and social services in one place, close to home.

According to a news release from the Ontario ministry of health, the Hub is expected to open as early as Summer 2024 and ” will connect people to a team of primary care, mental health, and social service professionals.”

“For Black clients in Peel, this means they can receive care for their health concerns, while also connecting to other social and community supports that can help improve their overall health and well-being,” the release noted.

“Our government is building a better connected health care system centred on the needs of all patients and families, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

“Our investment in a new Black health hub is an important step in ensuring we have a health care system that makes it easier for diverse communities to connect to the care they need close to home,” she added.

The news release said the Hub was co-designed by residents of Peel, where 20 per cent of Ontario’s Black communities live.

It pointed out that “with guidance from A Black Health Plan for Ontario, the province is funding more initiatives that make it easier to connect people to health care services and supports that meet their unique needs.

“The Ontario government is also investing in better ways to work with Black communities to increase access to screening for prevalent illnesses, including breast cancer, diabetes and hypertension. This includes creating more clinics for Black communities across Ontario that will help improve health care experiences for Black people and improve their health

outcomes,” it said.

Commenting on the creation of the Hub, Charmaine Williams MPP for Brampton Centre said “this significant commitment to the health and well-being of Ontario’s Black community underscores the Ontario government’s unwavering dedication to achieving healthcare accessibility and equity for every resident of the province.

“This commitment will reduce disparities, improve fair healthcare access for all, and address long-standing healthcare challenges within the Black, African and Caribbean communities, she added.”

  Brampton