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Presenter – Jack McCarthy
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Jack McCarthy; Executive Director, Sommerset West Community Health Centre Jack speaks in “Preparing for 2030” at 2:15pm on October 25thJack McCarthy has been the Executive Director of the Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC) since 1989. During his tenure he has guided the centre through a major capital project resulting in the centre’s relocation to a new building at 55 Eccles in 1993. At the same time the Centre has significantly expanded its program base, providing a vast range of health and social services targeted to the needs of the residents in west central down town Ottawa. In recognition of his many years of community service, Jack was honored with a community builder of the year award in 2009, by the United Way of Ottawa. From 2004 to 2011, Jack was the Chairperson of the Canadian Alliance of Community Health Centre Associations (CACHCA), a pan-Canadian advocacy body for CHCs. He was a member of the steering committee which organized a very successful international conference “CHCs: Acting today; shaping tomorrow” held in Toronto in June 2011. The conference was a collective effort involving CACHCA, the Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC) and the National Association of CHCs (NACHC) in the United States. At the conference Jack received the Joe Leonard Award honouring individuals “who have made outstanding contributions to community health, shown outstanding leadership with respect to health policy, health promotion and disease prevention, or furthered the recognition of the social determinants of health on a community, provincial, national or international stage”. In 2011, Jack received the Joan Gullen award from Family Services Ottawa in recognition of his contribution “to the process of Social Justice in the communities of Ottawa”. Jack is a past chairperson of both the Ottawa Hospital Community Advisory Committee and the Central Ottawa Community of Care Advisory Forum for the Champlain Local Health Integration Network. As well, he is involved in several research projects pertaining to primary health care and the link between primary health care and public health. In 2000, Jack left SWCHC on a 15 month secondment to Health Canada serving as a senior policy analyst developing funding criteria for the Primary Health Care Transition Fund (PHCTF). Jack has been the past Co-chair of the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres in Ottawa (2002-2004), past board member of the Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC) (1995-1998), and past board member of the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) (1997). Prior to being at Somerset West CHC, he was the founding Executive Director of Carlington Community Health Centre in Ottawa and worked previously with the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa and the Social Services Department of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton. Jack obtained a Masters Degree in Social Work (MSW) from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1977. The major focus of his studies was in community development and social planning. Jack is married to Sharon D’Arcy, a practicing social worker in the mental health field in Ottawa. They have two daughters, Kate and Kaeli. |
