First On the Continent

Newspapers of the day heralded Group Health Centre's (GHC) opening day on September 3rd, 1963!  The Sault Daily Star headline read: "First on the Continent," and that was the beginning of media interest that continues today.  For over four decades, GHC has generated local, provincial, national and international media interest.

GHC has been featured by the ABC News, The Medical Post, CTV News, TV Ontario, Global News, The Toronto Star, CBC News, Labour News, Globe & Mail, Maclean's Magazine - to name only a few. GHC has also been featured on several national radio programs.

Here are some highlights:

First and Foremost
GHC is featured in several published books. In 1985: "First and Foremost in Community Health Centres" was written by Jonathan Lomas and documented the Centre's development in the early years.

The Sault's Best Kept Secret!
Roy Romanow, Canada's Commissioner On the Future Of Health Care in Canada visited GHC while preparing his report - which refers to the Centre by name. 
Mr. Romanow said, "The Centre's integrated health care system is the most advanced he had seen to date" and called GHC - "the Sault's best-kept secret."
The media flurry that followed was phenomenal! Mr. Romanow's report shone a national media spotlight on GHC in 2002.

Granddaddy of Canadian Health Centres
The centre has been touted as the "future face of universal health care" and has received kudos from well-known national health care authors and lecturers. In 2004, in his book titled: "Prescription for Excellence: How Innovation is Saving Canada's Health Care System,"  Dr. Michael Rachlis made several references and devotes several pages to GHC, calling it the "granddaddy of Canadian health centres."

One-Stop Shopping for Medical Care
GHC was featured as one of 10 models of Canadian health care in a special report published titled: Health Care That Works published by Maclean's Magazine in 2004. The article titled: "One-stop Shopping for Medical Care" noted, "Opened in 1963, the Group Health Centre today is considered one of Canada's most successful primary care facilities - Health czar Roy Romanow has cited the Sault model as the way of the future. Prevention, Romanow argued, is key, and Group Health was breaking new ground."

Model for the World!
According to the Federal Liberal Party of Canada, "Health care once again prevailed as the number one priority for Prime Minister Paul Martin as he visited the GHC in 2004 - where its service delivery is considered a model for Canada and the world."
The Prime Minister's visit naturally attracted national media attention.

New Delivery Models
Group Health Centre is featured in the first report launched by the National Health Council of Canada (NHCC). GHC primary health care providers and allied health professionals were interviewed and in 2005, the NHCC released the report to the nation and includes GHC mentions throughout.
Here's a glimpse from a section titled: Accelerate new delivery models: "Governments have been slow to support new delivery models even when they have proven successful. There are numerous innovations with positive evaluations, for example, organizations such as the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie!"