Stories that inspire
Les Petits Renards : A community social pediatrics centre in Verdun
Les Petits Renards is a community social pediatrics centre operating in Verdun. It assists vulnerable families with the aim of helping every child develop their full potential. The center was founded in 2011, and is a certified member of the Fondation Dr Julien network. It pursues its mission using a systemic approach, working in concert with all the actors who care for children. It integrates health services, social services and educational activities in a warm and welcoming environment. In turn, this enables intervenors to act effectively on the stressors that can be toxic to children’s health.
“Whatever their origin or their culture, wherever they live, our ambition is the same: to give all children the same chance to develop their full potential and receive the care they need,” explained Dr. Suzanne Pelletier, a social pediatrician.
Through its solid grounding in the community, and thanks to the remarkable partnerships it has forged, the Petits Renards team is able to detect early on which children and families are in a vulnerable situation that could affect the children’s health, development and integration at school. The centre offers its services to the Verdun community and to Greater Southwest Montréal.
Answering current and urgent needs
Supported by the Foundation of Greater Montréal through a contribution of $18,000 via the Emergency Community Support Fund, a new project will create a mobile community clinic for migrant children who do not have provincial medical coverage. In Quebec, many youths with precarious immigration status, or whose parents have precarious status, do not have access to healthcare. They therefore cannot get the quality care they need, lacking the resources to pay for it.
The COVID-19 crisis has greatly exacerbated the physical and mental health needs of all children. It has also had an isolating effect on the most vulnerable families. In particular, those families whose immigration status is characterized by an interruption in healthcare coverage were deeply hit. The clinic’s goal will therefore be to offer primary proximate care to all children with precarious immigration status, and without access to healthcare, in Greater Southwest Montréal. All services will be free for the families of these children.