Who are we?
Care Bridges is a team of medical students sharing the common goal of diminishing healthcare gaps experienced by asylum seekers in Montréal.
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Through health promotion workshops and health navigation consultations held at Community Centres and virtually, Care Bridges seeks to promote the health and wellness of these vulnerable populations by trying to improve access to health care and community services.
Why Care Bridges?
Despite the coverage ostensibly provided by the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), asylum seekers in Montréal face a number of barriers to accessing care.
From language barriers to a lack of knowledge about health care services, this population faces a multitude of difficulties in terms of accessing health care services. Furthermore, despite new legislation and the current medical curriculum, there continues to be a knowledge gap regarding IFHP use amongst health care professionals. This has resulted in asylum seekers being refused treatment or being unfairly billed for services at Groupe de médecins familiales (GMF) walk-in clinics.
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The overarching goal of Care Bridges is to address this need for improved access to services for asylum seekers within our current healthcare system.​
Our roots
Established in 2018, Care Bridges, formerly known as CIME, originally began as a project to create Quebec’s first Student-Run Clinic (SRC). While CIME and Creative Bridges' services have changed over time, the overall objective has remained the same; to promote and improve health and wellness for vulnerable or marginalized populations in Montréal.
Care Bridges provides an excellent educational experience for participating students, by providing them with exposure and experience working alongside asylum seekers.