If we had only had three minutes, we would have been ready to limit our comments, but thank you for granting us a little extra time.
The Community Health and Social Services Network is a network made up of community organizations, public institutions and other components of the Quebec health and social services system. The network promotes partnership projects to improve access to English-language health and social services.
I am making this presentation especially to comply with the directive that the results of the federal government's investment in the area of health in Quebec be made public. I will be talking about a number of challenges and perhaps also some courses of action, or future policies that the federal government could follow up on.
I wish to thank committee members for the invitation to report to you on the results of federal investments of $26.7 million in Quebec to improve access to health services in English for Quebec's English-speaking communities. A total of $4.7 million has supported the creation of formal networks bringing English-speaking communities and service providers together. Some $10 million has led to improvement of the conditions of access to primary-level health care and social services in English. Another $12 million is building the human resources capacity of Quebec's health and social services system so serve English speakers and extend services to remote English-speaking communities through technology.
What are the specific results of the $4.7 million investment and the challenges for the future of community networks and partnerships? Ten local and regional networks have been created, as well as a provincial network of 65 organizations. I represent that network. These formal networks have brought together English-speaking communities and health and social services providers in the Gaspé, Magdalen Islands, Lower North Shore, Megantic Region, the Eastern Townships, the eastern part of Montreal and the Outaouais.
The networks have built a very sizable knowledge base leading to better identification of needs and priorities. When we talk about the networks, we also talk about the public institutions that are part of those networks. Partnerships always include the community, the public health and social services network, health and social services centres and the other public institutions that provide communities with services.
The principal challenge is sustaining these partnerships in the context of a major reorganization of the health and social services system. The health system is constantly being reorganized in Quebec, just like in other provinces, I imagine, and this poses a significant challenge for communities to fully participate in this multi-year reorganization. Quebec's new approach to service delivery has created 95 services networks to meet local needs. The current 10 local and regional partnership networks operate in about 25 per cent of the new territories.
Quebec's horizon for implementing reform extends well beyond the current Action Plan, which will end in a few months. We foresee that a federal commitment is required beyond 2007-2008 to support the current 11 networks in meeting reorganization objectives, as well as to create new networks in many vulnerable communities, which do not benefit from the current partnership investments.
The second measure deals with initiatives for improving access to primary level health care. This represents a $10 million-investment. A total of 37 public institutions upgraded their capacity to serve English-speaking people in their own language. These projects were carried out over a 15-month period, ending in March 2006. Seven projects coordinated efforts to improve the rate of use of Info-Santé, a telephone health line for English speakers. A new centralized telephone system was created in four regions thanks to the investment. It will guarantee availability of such telephone services in English across Quebec, thanks to extensive language training and translation of nursing protocols and social intervention guides.
As for other projects in this area, 25 other institutions upgraded front-line health and social services and 5 long-term care centres adapted programs to better serve the public. For instance, the institution recruited new personnel to serve English speakers, as well as volunteers from English-speaking communities. Specialized language training was given to staff members and a significant number of documents were translated for health system users.
The principal challenge will be to sustain the results of investments when the next stages of reorganization unfold. The 37 projects were completed in March 2006. There are 26 of these projects awaiting an additional investment of $3.4 million for activities to be completed by March 2007. We are about to reach agreements to ensure that Quebec receive the $3.4 million budget envelope.
Now what about the service delivery commitments? We believe that a commitment is required beyond 2006-2007 and we want to ensure that our main partner, the Quebec Ministry of Health, continues to receive a financial contribution from the Government of Canada to support its measures to improve access to services in English.
This is recurrent funding that is consistent with its multi-year reorganization plan. We do not want a project that only allows us to engage in a reorganization over a few months, and we cannot continue to reorganize if we do not have the means to adapt the public network.
Some $12 million were invested in the third measure, i.e., human resources development and distance service delivery. Last year, 1,400 French-speaking professionals working in 81 public institutions in 15 Quebec administrative regions received language training. The language training allows them to improve their capacity to serve English speakers. In 2006, another 2,000 professionals are expected to receive training courses.
Next year, some 4,000 francophone professionals in Quebec, in all administrative regions, will have received the training.
In addition, 22 innovative pilot partnerships have been struck in 14 regions to create internships to increase the number of English-language students in nursing, social work and other health-related disciplines that receive professional training in the regions.
The partnerships bring together—and this is the innovative part—English-speaking communities, French-language institutions in the regions and English-language professional degree programs. In fact, these are three-way partnerships. They are a first step to increase the number of English-speaking professionals that stay in the regions to serve communities.
Let us now look at the challenges.
I have two minutes left?