ASPIRE aims to provide health promotion, illness prevention, and social support services to underserved and marginalized population who may otherwise experience barriers in accessing timely care.
Populations considered a priority in London include youth at risk for mental health issues and individuals experiencing homelessness, stigma, and social exclusion, as well as new immigrants and refugees. Under the guidance of professional preceptors and in collaboration with clients, agencies, and community organizations, an interprofessional team of student volunteers will establish therapeutic relationships with individuals in the London community to conduct clinical and outreach activities, including health promotion workshops, hospital visiting programs, and additional projects as needed.
This initiative provides a number of benefits: clients receive attention and advocacy for their self-identified health care needs, students reinforce competencies and skills within an interprofessional care model, and students and healthcare professionals strengthen alliances with the community.
Core Values
We strive to maintain student leadership in our governance and operations. We believe that it is of the highest importance that the students have control of the direction of the clinic and its operations. This will ensure that students have a meaningful connection to the organization and will continue to have a role in shaping the impact they will have on the London community through the clinic.
As an organization committed to an interprofessional model of healthcare delivery, we believe that our governance must fundamentally be shaped by representatives from all health professions involved. We aim to have a diverse set of voices, experiences, and opinions in shaping the direction of our organization.
The community that we aim to serve is at the core of our organization. We are committed to providing an excellent service to the community and strive to live up to their expectations of quality care. This includes building meaningful relationships with the community, ensuring that we have a strong organizational structure in place to enhance continuity of services, and being guided in our actions by the needs and wishes of the community that we aim to serve.
As an organization that works with underserved and marginalized populations, we acknowledge that this group has a history of exploitation and trauma that continues today, even by the organizations that aim to help them. We commit to adhering to the highest level of ethical standards in providing services to these populations and to have a robust internal review process for ensuring that ethical practices are being followed.