Social work team

Jennifer Christopherson, Kirstin Kapach, Kimberly Mateo, Joyce Soans, Scott Stewart, Ceira Golberg

The social work team at the Edmonton General Continuing Care Centre works creatively to help marginalized individuals participate more fully in their own care and society. During the recent federal and municipal elections, the team advocated vigorously to both Elections Canada and Elections Edmonton to create voting station solutions that emphasized safety during the pandemic while maximizing resident and patient participation.

The team is also heavily involved in activities related to diversity and inclusion. One member has helped spearhead EGCCC staff and resident participation in the AHS Pride Drive-by. One social worker has advocated tirelessly for increased understanding of Southeast Asian cultures and for culturally appropriate services for residents and families in Ming Ai – one of the EGCCC’s cultural units. And another social worker identified that a new patient’s demographics label was not congruent with their gender identity and worked with Covenant’s health information management team to quickly align the patient’s identifiers with their gender identity.

In addition to providing essential social services, the social work team actively participated in the pandemic efforts by volunteering in staff screening, contact tracing, COVID-19 data collection, and resident meal assistance. The social work team has maintained its focus on social justice for residents, patients, clients and families, advocating for change and a better present and future for all.