Vision Care Pilot Clinic for Ottawa Indigenous People and Communities
By Essilor Canada
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vision Care Pilot Clinic for Ottawa Indigenous People and Communities
Ottawa, October 22nd, 2021 – Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, Essilor Vision Foundation Canada, and Collège La Cité successfully launched last week a vision care pilot clinic to build access to vision care services for members of Ottawa’s indigenous community.
The clinic which opened on October 14, World Sight Day, provided eye care services to some 50 patients of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, including comprehensive eye examinations performed by Dr. Joshua Smith, Optometrist, with the assistance of students from Collège La Cité and state-of-the-art optical equipment as well as corrective lenses provided by Essilor Canada. Ten students in the Opticianry program at Collège La Cité took turns for a week providing ophthalmic diagnostic tests and fitting glasses with the team from Lumiris, the College’s Eye Care Centre.
“Wabano wants to thank the partners for making this pilot eye care clinic possible. The centre provides holistic health services to the Ottawa First Nations, Inuit, and Metis population. Building access to good vision is fundamental in moving towards health equity in the lives of Indigenous people”, said Joanne Soucie, Director of Health Services at Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
“At Essilor, we believe that good vision is a human right common to all Canadians. Yet First Nations and Indigenous people disproportionately face barriers to accessing vision care in a manner that we too often take for granted. That’s
why our company is striving to create better access to vision care for aboriginal communities across Canada through valuable partnerships and the support of the Essilor Vision Foundation. Today, we are proud to see the projects we have been working on for several months come to life”, added Christophe Perreault, President of Essilor Canada.
“The Opticianry program at Collège La Cité is the only one of its kind offered in French in Ontario. Students in this program benefit from authentic learning experiences like in this clinic, right in the community. Their participation in this initiative has allowed them to further develop their skills and adds to the experiences they have had at Lumiris, the College’s Eye Care Centre to prepare them to work in their field upon graduation”, said Lise Bourgeois, President and CEO of Collège La Cité.
The team from Lumiris, the Eye Care Centre at Collège La Cité will soon be delivering all prescription eyeglasses to the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health patients served by the clinic.
About Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health is a national centre of excellence that creates and delivers services in a culturally sensitive way for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.
About Essilor Vision Foundation Canada
The Essilor Vision Foundation Canada (EVFC) was inaugurated in 2015 as the charitable arm of Essilor Canada, the world leader in the ophthalmic industry. The Foundation’s goal is to help create access to vision care for the most vulnerable and underserved populations in Canada. Working with partners throughout the optical and vision care industry, EVFC engages in projects that aim to eliminate barriers to accessing comprehensive eye care and vision correction in underserved communities to fulfill Essilor’s corporate mission to help Canadians see more, be more, and live life to its fullest. seemorebemore.ca
About La Cité
As the largest French-language College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario and outside of Quebec, La Cité puts the success of its students first and foremost, offering them more than 140 programs in facilities with leading-edge technology and a learning environment focused on practical, modern, forward-looking experiential learning practices. In addition to having its main campus in Ottawa, La Cité also has a Skilled Trades Institute in Orléans, a satellite campus in Hawkesbury and in Toronto. collegelacite.ca
For more information:
Pascale Montminy, Director, Communications, Public and Government Relations
La Cité
Cell.: 613 316-1377 - pmontm@lacitec.on.ca
Chantal Iturria, Chief Communications and media relations
Essilor Canada
Cell.: 514 709-4619 - citurria@essilor.ca