The Bridge ModelTM: Comprehensive compassionate community-based healthcare model

Smita Pakhale is a pulmonologist (respirologist) and a senior-scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, leading The Bridge Engagement Centre (The Bridge), a research centre conducting community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) projects under the auspices of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Her primary research focus and collaborations includes research on health inequities, lung diseases, tobacco and cannabis dependence, and Sickle Cell Disease, both locally and globally. She is also the Founder and Principal Investigator of the Canadian Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Registry in collaboration with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada and CanHeam. The Bridge projects employ intersectoral approaches supported by interdisciplinary collaboration of health care practitioners, allied health professionals, community practitioners, community peer researchers (People with lived/living experience of marginalization and poverty), and academics. The aim of the centre is to co-develop and co-implement sustainable solutions to persistent health inequities with marginalized populations and the health system alike, as realized through the Bridge ModelTM, an innovative comprehensive compassionate community-based health care model.

Johnathon Brizard is a proud half-Inuk/half-Oji-Cree man. Johnathon participated in the COVID Impact Study at The Bridge Engagement Centre 2 years ago and was impressed with their work. He inquired about job openings and started as their Community Peer Researcher. He now fulfills the role of Clinical Research Assistant. These roles required the incumbent to have lived experience. At 14, Johnathon lost the biggest part of his life - his mother. This resulted in alcohol and drug addictions that accompanied him off and on for the next 20 years. Holding on too much of the pain from losing his mother, he self-reflected, and attended treatment. In 2021, he got clean from his addictions. The Bridge helped him to see his worth. Peers and staff were incredibly supportive and understanding, and he felt that they truly cared about him. He now feels that when his peers look at him, they see his life experiences as an asset, not a setback. He is grateful that he found The Bridge, or maybe The Bridge found him.

Adar Shire is a passionate advocate for social justice and harm reduction. She is a peer researcher with the Bridge Engagement Centre, where she actively supports the development and implementation of research projects. Formally a graduate of Algonquin College with a diploma in Community Justice Services, Adar is currently pursuing a degree in Social Work at Carleton University. She is a person who identifies as a woman with lived experience, bringing a unique perspective to discussions around community support. As a mother and harm reductionist, Adar is dedicated to promoting compassionate, evidence-based approaches to substance use and advocating for the rights and dignity of marginalized individuals.