Since 2001, the CHAP Working Group has been responsible for the overall development, implementation and planning of CHAP. The Working Group includes representatives from government and non-government bodies, academia and research institutions, and other health focused foundations and organizations.

The CHAP Working Group communicates program changes, and provides advice to local CHAP programs. The CHAP Advisory Group co-chairs are: Larry W. Chambers, PhD, FACE, FPHM(UK), President, Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute; and Janusz Kaczorowski, PhD, Professor and Research Director, Family Practice and Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, and Lisa Dolovich, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc Research Director & Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University Scientist & Associate Director, Centre for Evaluation of Medicines.

Regional Manager

The CHAP Regional Manager is a member of the CHAP Working Group and liases with all local CHAP programs. The Regional Manager works closely with the Local Lead Organization and all Local CHAP Coordinators on all matters concerning CHAP to foster the success of the program.

Responsibilities of the Regional Manager:

• Communicate directly with all the Local CHAP Coordinators and Local Lead Organizations
• Responsible for the overall planning, and management of the Program
• Advise and guide the Local CHAP Coordinators on the implementation and operation of CHAP within their community
• Advise and guide the Local CHAP Coordinators in the recruitment of physicians, pharmacies, and volunteer peer health educators
• Create formal and informal networking opportunities for all Local CHAP Coordinators and other local agencies
• Responsible for preparing reports on activities across all CHAP communities for program management and evaluation

The local lead organization could be a community organization such as a health-oriented agency, a public health unit, or a local group whose mandate or interest in cardiovascular health promotion coincides well with the CHAP mandate.

The local lead organization supports CHAP’s mandate of raising the awareness of the benefits of cardiovascular health and agrees to implement CHAP within the community.

The actual lead organization will vary across communities depending on the organizations located within the community.

There is also the opportunity for a Family Health Team to be a local lead organization. A Family Health Teams (FHT) is an approach to primary health care that brings together different health care providers to co-ordinate the highest possible quality of care for patients. Family Health Teams are designed to give doctors support from other complementary professionals. Most Family Health Teams will consist of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals who work collaboratively, each utilizing their experience and skills.

The local lead organization will provide guidance and support to the Local CHAP Coordinator throughout the implementation and on-going operation of CHAP in the community. The resources required to operate CHAP at the local level are normally channelled into the local lead organization.

Responsibilities of the Local Lead Organization

• Communicate with the local team to ensure that it has the required paper work and funding necessary to manage the Program, and to report on CHAP’s progress
• Manage program files, databases, and information required for the ongoing evaluation of CHAP in the community
• Mobilize the community to actively participate in CHAP
• Undertake an environmental scan of the community to determine potential partner organizations, key contacts, opinion leaders, existing programs and resources, local branches of health-oriented foundations, media channels, etc.
• Develop and implement a communications plan tailored to the community’s needs
• Recruitment of a community health nurse
• Assist in the preparation of CHAP reports as required

The local lead organization may have an individual, or know of an individual, who has a vested interest in health issues, feels passionate about the community and understands the importance of mobilizing a community. This individual may be interested in playing a lead role in championing the implementation of CHAP. Known as the Local CHAP Champion(s), this individual can be extremely helpful in identifying methods and mediums that are appropriate to recruit community partners and to raise community awareness of CHAP. Past champions have been physicians, pharmacists, volunteers, and other leaders in the community.

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4.3 Local CHAP Coordinator

Once the lead local organization is established from the community, the search begins immediately for a Local CHAP Coordinator. This recruitment process can take approximately 4-6 weeks.

Responsibilities of the Local CHAP Coordinator

• Work with the Local Lead Organization and the Regional Manager to facilitate the successful operation of CHAP
• Assist in the day-to-day operation of CHAP within the community
• Assist in mobilizing the community to actively participate in CHAP
• Assist in the development of a Communications Plan tailored to the community’s needs
• Aware of local resources for healthy living; smoke-free living, healthy eating and physical activity and actively promote them to CHAP participants
• Understand the gaps that may exist in local resources for healthy living
• Recruit, retain and coordinate the participation of all local physicians and pharmacists and volunteer peer health educators
• Assist in the development and delivery of information sessions and learning sessions for physicians, pharmacists, volunteer peer health educators and other key partners
• Recruit community members to participate in the CHAP sessions
• Advise and guide the community health nurse on training and monitoring of volunteer peer health educators
• Initiate, plan and develop a quality volunteer program
• Recruit, select, and oversee training of volunteer peer health educators
• Deliver on-going volunteer appreciation to volunteer peer health educators
• Provide support to volunteer peer health educators to run the CHAP sessions
• Schedule and coordinate the CHAP sessions
• Oversee the data management of CHAP sessions through the forwarding of the Risk Profile Recording Forms to identified physicians and pharmacists
• Prepare CHAP reports as required

The most important partner in the implementation of CHAP is the community CHAP is a community-wide effort. It is the base for the resources required to conduct CHAP sessions and the audience for raising the awareness of cardiovascular health and CHAP.

CHAP has the ability to empower community members to prevent heart disease and stroke. Community resources are redirected to run CHAP sessions and build capacity in the community to promote cardiovascular health. The character of each community determines the specifics of the CHAP sessions.

Within the community, certain organizations, businesses, residents and local media will be identified as those which would benefit from a heightened awareness of CHAP and who may choose to play a lead role in participating in CHAP. Many of these groups and individuals will be identified during weeks 1 to 3 when efforts are being made to “mobilize the community.” This “breakdown” of the community into smaller components is well documented in the community profile that is developed during the environmental scan.

Communications and marketing efforts should be targeted towards both the identified groups within the community profile, and the larger community as a whole.

Each community’s Communications Plan will identify appropriate mediums or channels through which information can be broadcast to the larger community. The Plan will also call for posters, press releases, newspaper ads and speaking engagements all of which work towards this goal of an increased community awareness of CHAP. (See Appendix 2.1 for a Sample Communications Plan)

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4.5 Primary Care Providers, Pharmacists, Volunteer Peer Health Educators, Community Health Nurse

Detailed information on the role that these key partners play in CHAP is found in weeks 4 to 8 when recruitment efforts get underway.

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4.6 Information Management

The blood pressure readings and cardiovascular risk factor information on the Risk Profile Recording Form (See Risk Profile in Appendix 7.3) is collected and sent to a computerized database with each participant’s permission or consent. This information is used for the appropriate follow-up of participants by family physicians and the management of the CHAP program. This health information is kept secure and private. The blood pressure readings and the cardiovascular risk information data is anonymized so that individual participants are not identified. When all of the data is examined, the CHAP Working Group looks only at large amounts of information; specifically, all seniors who have participated in a CHAP session across Ontario. No single person’s records or personal information is reported.

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