Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council
In December 2020, East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP) initiated a study of the Taylor-Massey neighbourhood. The purpose of the study was to develop a framework to strengthen engagement and collaboration, support building a healthier community in Taylor-Massey and identify steps to improve the way people get healthcare and social supports. One of the recommendations of the resulting report was the creation of the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council (TMRWC).
Residents from the diverse Taylor-Massey neighbourhood are part of the council. The purpose of the council is to support the work of improving health and social outcomes for residents of the Taylor-Massey neighbourhood. Some of the key objectives of the council’s work are to reduce health inequities, achieve more equitable health outcomes, increase community engagement and improve access to coordinated supports.
The council meets once every two weeks. It offers a forum for members to have direct input and influence on the planning and delivery of health and social services in the Taylor-Massey neighbourhood.
Help us improve care in Taylor-Massey!
Do you live in Taylor-Massey or Crescent Town? Do you get care in the neighbourhood or look after a friend or family member who lives there? If so, we want to hear from you!
Amira Shoaibi
Are you a client, family member/caregiver or community member? I am a community leader and a longtime resident of Flemingdon Park. My professional background is in banking. I held senior management positions with four international banks in three countries and retired with more than four decades of corporate credit experience.
With a passion to serve the community, I have been volunteering with a number of non-profit organizations and have facilitated festivals and workshops focusing on enhancing equity and inclusion, reducing isolation, promoting health and wellness, building capacity and civic engagement, supporting individuals experiencing domestic violence and celebrating diverse cultures.
What motivated you to join ETHP’s Community Advisory Council? I joined ETHP’s CAC in order to amplify voices in the community relating to their health and well-being. I also want to provide my input with the objective of improving the healthcare system to make it more inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of the community.
What’s something you love? I am a health enthusiast and love reading about food and nutrition and going out for long walks. I love spending time enjoying the serenity of our beautiful parks and green spaces.
Farjana Yesmin
Are you a client, family member/caregiver or community member? I'm a community ambassador with TNO – The Neighbourhood Organization and I have been a resident of the Taylor-Massey area in East Toronto for over eight years.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I joined the TMRWC because I am interested in helping improve access to health and social services for the residents of Taylor-Massey. As a community ambassador with TNO, I saw firsthand how the pandemic has affected our neighbourhood and wanted to do more to help.
What’s something you love about your community? Everything! Once it’s safer, I would love to do more active work with local residents and community engagement programs.
Katharine Berardinetti
Are you a patient, family member/caregiver or community member? I would primarily identify as a community member, although I have experienced each of the listed roles. This has allowed me to view the strengths and weaknesses of healthcare in our community from various perspectives.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I believe it’s essential for programs and services to be designed in collaboration with the people that will ultimately use – and hopefully benefit from – them. Consequently, I was intrigued by the opportunity to advocate for improved health and wellness in my community. I was motivated by my sense of social responsibility to actively and collaboratively contribute to health promotion, disease prevention and healthcare optimization in my community.
What’s something you love about your community? I love the diversity within my community. I find it very enriching to learn from others with different lived experiences, backgrounds and cultures. It broadens my perspectives, allowing me to think about concepts in new ways. This diversity is reflected among the members of this council. Our varied lived experiences and social identities enable us to critically analyze health-related challenges and solutions from multiple different angles. I am very excited to continue learning from each other and collaborating to improve health equity in our community.
Are you a client, family member/caregiver or community member? I live in Taylor-Massey and am a patient at Michael Garron Hospital. My passion is assisting newcomers and members of the community. As a licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant and an immigrant, I understand the difficulties that newcomers encounter in obtaining healthcare.
I believe that we need to raise more awareness in our community about the necessity of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. To make our communities more inclusive, we need to provide guidance and support to decrease such barriers.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I joined the TMRWC because I want to support the Taylor-Massey neighbourhood. I am a firm believer in equity, diversity, and inclusion, and I appreciate how the TMRWC is elevating the voices of their community.
It gives me great pleasure to be part of such a diverse community. Throughout my life, I have tried my hardest to engage and volunteer with numerous humanitarian causes. As a member of the TMRWC I get to see how the council helps its community members to feel empowered, included and recognized.
What’s something you love about your community? I love the diversity in this community and the welcoming attitudes that distinguish Taylor-Massey from other places. As a resident of this dynamic and family-friendly community, I see a mix of newcomers and established Canadians working together for the development of the community. This community shares and celebrates many key events throughout the year, providing opportunities to network and interact.
Mohammad Shabani
Are you a client, family member/caregiver or community member? I have been a patient and a caregiver. I have also been a community club sport organizer for many years. Every corner of this community has a place in my memory.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I joined the TMRWC because I faced many challenges dealing with healthcare and social services. Hopefully, we can work together to close the gaps and help create a better life and better future for our children.
What’s something you love about your community? I love my community because it is diverse, family-oriented and located near the beautiful Taylor Creek Park.
Nizar Hooda
Are you a patient, family member/caregiver or community member? I am a community member – I have been a resident of Crescent Town since 1973. I was a caregiver for my mom and other family members who all are now deceased.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I was encouraged to join by Razia Rashed, a community ambassador in the neighbourhood and chair of the council.
I have been a member of the community advisory committee at True Davidson Acres, a retirement home in the area, for many years. I’ve also been a part of other groups in Crescent Town, like the neighbourhood watch, TV and Communications Committee and the Crescent Town Club. Many years ago, I was also on the Board of Directors and served as treasurer at YCC76, a condo in Crescent Town that’s one of the largest in Canada.
Through these experiences, I have been able to help many others, especially seniors, living in the community. As a member of the TMRWC, I wish to offer my input with the objective of improving the healthcare system to make it more inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of the community.
What’s something you love about your community? I have grown and aged in this community, and have watched its very diverse demographic evolve over 40 years. Crescent Town has excellent facilities like the Crescent Town Club, Crescent Town Health Centre, shopping, easy access to public transport and Victoria Park sub way station, Taylor Creek parks system and most important the community that resides here.
Are you a client, family member/caregiver or community member? I am caregiver and also a community member. I’ve lived in Taylor-Massey since 1984.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? I joined the TMRWC to help serve the community as a trusted care provider and to help people navigate the healthcare system. As a caregiver I believe it is important to be compassionate and for healthcare to be inclusive.
What’s something you love about your community? The reason to serve this community is to help reach new goals. I am privileged to serve a community that is diverse. There are people from different backgrounds and people that speak a variety of languages.
Razia Rashed
Are you a patient, family member/caregiver or community member? I am a mother of two children and an active member of the East Toronto community, particularly Taylor-Massey and Oakridge. I volunteer on the local parent council and am a community ambassador with TNO – The Neighbourhood Organization. I am also co-chair of the ETHP inter-agency steering committee for improving integrated care in Taylor-Massey.
What motivated you to join the Taylor-Massey Residents Wellness Council? Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been involved in the steering committee for East Effort, a community COVID-19 response project led by Flemingdon Health Centre.
I enjoy being a connector between the community and the high-priority communities teams to support the funding and rollout of grassroots initiatives. I am proud of my work to support the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and share important information about the pandemic with the people who live in East Toronto's diverse communities. My involvement in the TMWRC allows me to continue this work.
What’s something you love about your community? I am dedicated to my work in the community, which helps people overcome the impacts of COVID-19 and return to some sense of normal again.