Caring Community provides a bridge between health and community through the integration of peers into primary care teams. Peers are individuals with significant life experience who engage as allies in a listening, connecting, and accompanying role in attainment of the life goals set by the individual, at their own pace. The role of peers is distinct from and complementary to those of health care professionals and community workers.
Caring Community is built on the experience of peer support initiatives (e.g., in mental health, addiction, homelessness, for women, seniors, and Indigenous peoples) and distinguishes itself by its holistic health approach, regardless of the person’s age or health conditions.
Piloted since 2017, Caring Community has been the object of a publication in the British Medical Journal, identified as an “emblematic model” of integrated community care by the international consortium TRANSFORM, and recognized as a leading practice by Accreditation Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
What is Caring Community ? (in French)
Discovering to Care with Peers
Working with peers in a healthcare team (in French)
Publications (by date)
Isabel M, Turgeon D, Lessard É, Panaite A-C, Ballu G, Desroches O-A, Rouly G, Boivin A. 2025. From Disruption to Reconstruction: Implementing Peer Support in Homelessness During Times of Crisis for Health and Social Care Services. International Journal of Integrated Care, 25(1), 1–12. doi:10.5334/ijic.8594
Bouchard M, Chreim S, Langley A, Boivin A. 2025. Vulnerability Practices Among Caregivers: Creating Spaces and Rituals for Social Support in High-Status Work Roles. Academy of Management Journal. Accepted for publication.
Ishimaru M, Kodate N, Murai S, Rouly G, Boivin A. 2024. Unlocking the Paradox of International Collaboration in Integrated Community Care: An Interpersonal Dialogue, International Journal of Integrated Care. Accepted for publication
Lessard E, O’Brien N, Panaite A-C, Leclaire M, Castonguay G, Rouly G, Boivin A. 2024. Can you be a peer if you don’t share the same health or social conditions? A qualitative study on peer integration in a primary care setting, BMC Primary Care, 25: 298. doi:10.1186/s12875-024-02548-5
Rouly G, Boivin A. 2024. Nurturing Resilient Health Ecosystems: What can we learn from patient and professional experience? Healthcare Papers, 22(SP), 64-70. doi:10.12927/hcpap.2024.27365
Panaite A-C, Desroches O-A, Warren E, Rouly G, Castonguay G, Boivin A. Engaging with peers to integrate community care: Knowledge synthesis and conceptual map. Health Expect. 2024; 27:e14034. doi:10.1111/hex.14034
Boivin A, Rouly G. 28 février 2020. Community Initiative Co-led with Patients Could Improve Care for People with Complex Health and Social Needs. British Medical Journal (Partnership in Practice). Available at : https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/02/28/community-initiative-co-led-with-patients-could-improve-care-for-people-with-complex-health-and-social-needs/
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