Community Health Education Program (CHEP)
Health Matters is the adeptly named event where together in partnership with Avante Womens’ Centre, Townshippers’ Association hosts a viewing of a CHEP dvd. CHEP is an acronym meaning Community Health Education Program. This valuable program is funded by Health Canada through the CHSSN (Community Health and Social Services Network), of which Townshippers’ Association is a member. Together, Avante and Townshippers’ host an event every third Friday in Cowansville and a revisited or rerun every second Monday of the month in Knowlton.
Townshippers’ Association has teamed up with Yamaska Literacy Council to offer these DVD viewing sessions in their lovely new space on main street in Waterloo making this program, a part of their Lifelong Learning chapter, more accessible to our Haute-yamaska neighbors. Yamaska Literacy Council has other dynamic and important programming for the community. Check out YLC and Townshippers’ Association on social media for scheduled CHEP sessions.
The CHEP programs have been running for many years, however, from October 2019 to March 2020, we are happy to report that we had a participation of over 250 people at these events. The topics vary between physical and mental health, the conversations are educational, and the company is lively; CHEP sessions provide an educational experience in a low key, non-threatening setting. After attending a CHEP dvd viewing, our hope is that participants will tell their neighbors about what they have learned.
Our March 20th Health Matters session in Cowansville was canceled due to measures in place for COVID-19, the scheduled dvd for that morning was Women’s Heart Health which is an important and popular health topic and surely seats would have been filled. Be assured that the Health Matters session presenting important information will be rescheduled as soon as we are able.
We are very fortunate that the individuals who create and deliver the content recorded through CHEP are outstanding in their fields. For example, the presenter for Women’s Heart Health is Wendy Wray. Wendy Wray, RN, BSCN, MSC.N., is the Director of the Mcgill
University Health Center Women’s Healthy Heart Initiative (WHHI), which opened in 2009, a unique nurse-led clinic and the only one of its kind in Canada. In 2000, she developed a model of collaborative care in Cardiovascular Risk Management Prevention. Wendy is a Fellow and was the founder and past co-chair of the Montreal Chapter of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. A member of the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance Advocacy Working Group, she is the recipient of numerous awards.
The conundrum of the season is to keep CHEP sessions alive and ongoing during times of self-isolation. Avante, YLC and Townshippers’ have been collaborating to find a solution, and a solution we have found! The next CHEP session will be offered through an online platform called ZOOM! No major technological experience required; a device with internet access are all it will take for you to participate. The format will be the same: a brief welcoming period followed by the showing of the CHEP dvd, we’ll take a break, and have slides to click on to find some online resources! We appreciate your patience while we try something new! Please stay tuned and check out Townshippers’ Association social media, Yamaska Literacy Council’s Facebook page and Avante’s notifications for a date, time and topic. See you online! BYOS (Bring Your Own Snacks!)
This monthly column keeps you in touch with Townshippers’ Association’s activities and news. Other ways to keep in touch:
www.townshippers.org Facebook.com/townshippers Twitter @Townshippers 450-242-4421 819-566-5717
3-584 Knowlton Rd., Lac-brome 3355 College St., Sherbrooke