SDG 3 - Strategic Initiatives

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Health Collaborations
Health Outreach Programs
Sports Facilities
Reproductive Healthcare
Mental Health Support
Smoke-free Campus

Western is committed to collaborations with health institutions locally, nationally, and globally.

Local

National

Global

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Health Outreach Programs

Western delivers outreach programs and projects in the local community to improve and promote health and wellbeing. These include but are not limited to hygiene, nutrition, family planning, sports, exercise, aging well, and other health and wellbeing related topics for local, disadvantaged, and refugee or immigrant communities.

  • MedLINCs Summer Elective Program: Summer elective program through Schulich Medicine Distributed Education that places medical students with the Chippewas of Nawash community in the Grey-Bruce region followed by a summer clinical opportunity in the region.
  • Community Service Learning Program: CSL provides dental service through placements in community sites and low-cost primary clinics in Southwestern Ontario to address the high unmet acute dental treatment needs of equity-seeking community members such as those living with HIV, high-risk youth with housing and addition crises, refugees and newcomers to Canada, Indigenous community members, 2SLBGTQIA+, and others.
  • Health Education Media Library: Community-sourced open access repository of medical, dental, and health education media representative of a diverse population of both patients and healthcare providers and inclusive of stigmatized healthcare topics.
  • FRESH: Food Resources and Education for Student Health is a peer nutrition education program created by and for university students, using multiple strategies designed to increase awareness, improve knowledge, build skills, and influence the campus food environment.
  • OServes: Each orientation week, our students collaborate with local non-for-profit organizations in the London community to immerse themselves in a day of volunteering and service.
  • Western Serves Network: Connects local non-profit organizations with dedicated and talented students to support community initiatives; opportunities include working with children with serious illnesses.
  • Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging: Promotes physical activity and well-being for older adults through a combination of basic and applied research, education, and community-based exercise programs.
  • Black youth mental health community-based research project: Engaging students in Grades 7, 8, 11, and 12 for their input, and partnering with two schools in Windsor, the project conducts focus groups, provides mental health workshops, and leads knowledge mobilization activities.
  • Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic: This cost-neutral clinic offers a sliding fee scale to our community and families based on financial need, psychological consultation, assessment, and treatment services to children and youth aged 3 to 18 years.
  • Rural Medicine Outreach Club: This club aims to increase the awareness and experience of rural medicine for students, working closely with stakeholders in local rural communities to increase the reach of the existing healthcare career exploration programs.
  • Sleep hygiene: Infographics with best practices for healthy living, such as sleep hygiene, are free and publicly available.
  • Newcomer Health Hub: Resource for community members and frontline healthcare workers looking to treat, advocate for, and empower newcomers to Canada, including refugees.
  • Pathways to Prosperity Partnership: An alliance of university, community and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Canada, providing resources such as Access to Suitable Health Care.

Sports Facilities

Western University Students who are currently enrolled in courses full-time are eligible for a Campus Recreation membership, which gives them access to the Western Student Recreation Centre. Students who have paid ancillary fees are eligible for a membership at no additional cost. Students have access to the fitness centre, drop-in recreational programs, and all facility amenities including an indoor walking/jogging track, gymnasium, and aquatics. Membership for the general public is also available. 

The university offers a number of paid and free programs for children and youth, including:   

  • Sport Western day camps for March Break, and summer camps include archery, badminton, swimming, hockey, soccer, and more. 
  • Wild Western Days is a school outreach program providing children and youth in the community access to the sports facilities on campus to play and watch sports and receive coaching and leadership skills.  
  • Ontario Summer Games community event hosted 3,500 athletes and 6,000 spectators free and open to the public. 
  • Learn to Swim offers the Lifesaving Society Swim for Life Program teaching children in both group and private lessons. 
  • Indigenous Track and Field Day is an annual event for elementary students across Southwestern Ontario.

Indigenous Track and Field Day photos

Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Western provides students with access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services free of charge.  

  • Health & Wellness: This is an appointment-based medical clinic for all registered part-time and full-time students at Western and affiliated colleges. 
  • Birth Control Information: Book an appointment to review information on types of birth control available and how to make an informed decision. 
  • Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing: Screen for all common sexually transmitted infections. STI testing is done with the utmost sensitivity and understanding. 
  • On-Campus HIV Testing: Members of the Western community can access anonymous HIV testing through monthly clinics. No appointment is necessary. 
  • HPV Vaccine: Free for a limited time. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world. 
  • Trans Care Team: It provides specialized psychological counselling and medical care to students in a 2SLGBTQIA+ affirmative environment. 

In Ontario, physicians are required to provide reproductive healthcare that is safe, inclusive, and respectful of patients’ rights and autonomy. The physician may make a conscientious objection but must refer to another provider who can offer the required care. Physicians must not discriminate against patients based on protected grounds such as sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion. This means they cannot refuse to provide reproductive healthcare based on these characteristics. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario conducts regular assessments to ensure that physicians are complying with standards of practice. 

mental health support services available at Western

Mental Health Support

Western actively promotes mental health and provides students and staff with access to free mental health supports.

Students

  • Mental Health Support: Health & Wellness Services provides professional and confidential services, free of charge, to students needing assistance to meet their personal, social, and academic goals. Services include consultation, referral, groups, and workshops, as well as brief mental health counselling. 
  • Mental Health Guide: A guide for students to explain the process of finding and accessing the right mental health supports needed. 
  • Group Care and Workshops: These activities provide a supportive environment where students can explore new skills, enhance self-awareness, and share experiences with their peers. 
  • Individual Counselling: this is a safe space with professionally trained mental health counsellors. 
  • Black and Racialized Student Supports: students experiencing race-related stress can request to speak with counsellors who are themselves persons of these communities with lived experience. 
  • International Student Wellness: Western International offers a full range of programs and services to support international students during their stay at Western.  
  • 2SLGBTQIA+: Mental Health Support has several counsellors with expertise in the provision of services to 2SLGBTQIA+ students. 
  • Residence Counselling: This service provides professional and confidential mental health and counselling services, free of charge, to students living in a Main Campus residence. 
  • Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Counselling: Our experienced counselling staff is available for impartial and supportive personal counselling appointments. 
  • Engineering Student Wellness Counselling: Supports engineering students to resolve personal, social, and family difficulties that may affect their academic success. 
  • Western Law Mental Health and Wellness Services: These services address the complex experience of law school including impostor syndrome and perfectionism counselling.  
  • PurpleCARE: Undergraduate students have mental healthcare included in their ancillary fees. Mental health and wellness support is available for all students. 
  • I.M. WELL: The Society of Graduate Students includes a tele-virtual mental health support system available to members. 

Staff

  • Employee Assistance Program: TELUS Health is confidential, voluntary, and free of charge. The resources are available to all employees and their immediate family members. 
  • Mental Health Module on OWL: This module explores the signs of mental illness and outlines the steps you can take to support someone experiencing it. It is available to all Western students, faculty, and staff. 
  • Employee Well-being: Provides assistance for various aspects of an individual’s life, such as assisting employees impacted by illness, injury, or disability, and Wellness Information and programs to help employees achieve balance and well-being in their work lives. 
  • Living Well @ Western: This service provides free wellness activities that span the seven domains of wellness, intended to maintain and improve employee well-being. 
  • Health Benefits: The majority of our employee groups have mental health coverage included in their medical benefits coverage. 

Smoke-free Campus

Western has been a smoke-free campus since 2019, and has had policies regarding smoking on campus since 2003. POLICY 1.16 – Policy on Smoking, Vaping & Tobacco Use prohibits smoking, vaping, and tobacco use anywhere on campus. See here for resources about quitting smoking.  

Western is smoke-free