Learn more about the OurCare Standard

Did you know that 6.5 million people in Canada don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner? This is one of the reasons we are currently in a primary care crisis in this country.

Where did that date come from? Well, in 2022 I founded the OurCare research initiative. Over 16 months, OurCare engaged nearly 10,000 people in Canada about their experiences with primary care and their values, ideas, and recommendations for a better system.

The conversation placed special emphasis on engaging people who have the greatest needs of care, face the greatest barriers to accessing care, and are most likely to be excluded from policy-making decisions about primary care.

OurCare had three phases: a National Survey, five Provincial Priorities Panels and ten Community Roundtables. We took the information gathered during those three phases and created The OurCare Standard.

Here are some ways you can learn more about the OurCare Standard:

• Read the final report (available in French or English)

• Understand the OurCare Standard by reviewing the 6 key elements we heard from people about what they expect from a high-quality primary care system.

• Dive into the data using the OurCare Data Explorer to see visual representations of the data we collected.

• Watch the following video for a summary of the current crisis in primary care:

Want to help advocate for a better system? Send a letter to you MP and MPP urging them to adopt the OurCare Standard’s six elements. We’ve made it easy for you to do that - just click the button below to send a pre-written letter to your Member of Parliament.