Updates and Information for VHA’s Valued Clients and Families
Issue 83, April 2026
Nominate a VHA Care Provider for the
2026 Client Choice Awards
In every role, VHA team members lead with purpose, build bonds that matter, and are passionate about providing high quality care, with great heart, to vulnerable populations in the communities we serve.
Until Sunday, May 31st, 2026, nominations are open for this year's selection process. Each year we receive hundreds of nominations which are all carefully reviewed by our selection committee, including a client partner. Nominated care providers receive recognition of their nomination and up to 10 winners and 10 honourable mentions are selected.
If a VHA care provider has had a meaningful impact on you and your family, we encourage you to nominate them for a Client Choice Award.
New Evha AI Assistant Answers Client Questions in myVHA Client Portal
VHA has made our myVHA Client Portal even easier to navigate for clients and their families with a new feature launched this month: The Evha AI Assistant. Thanks to Evha, myVHA Client Portal users can now access information and support quickly and easily 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Evha is part of VHA’s ongoing commitment to co-design with clients and caregivers, using their lived experiences to inform upgrades to myVHA to deliver the best possible service to our clients. The myVHA Client Portal is a secure online platform that provides clients with direct access to their schedules and information about their care.
What Caregivers Wish You Knew:
Voices From VHA Families
Across Canada, nearly eight million people, or roughly one in four, provide informal care to a family member or friend who is aging, living with a disability or managing a chronic illness. Their efforts help loved ones remain safely at home and reduce pressure on hospitals and long-term care.
In recognition of National Caregiver Day this month, we spoke with two caregivers whose loved ones have received support through VHA. They shared what they wish others understood about caregiving, the supports that made a difference and the realities of caring for someone day in and day out. Here’s what they had to say.
Two Different Environments, Same Great Care: Occupational Therapy in Rural and Urban Settings
Whether it’s down a country road in Caledon or up an elevator in downtown Toronto, occupational therapists (OTs) play a vital role in helping clients live safely and independently at home. The settings may look very different, but the commitment to providing exceptional, client-centred care remains the same.
At VHA, OTs like Jennifer and Jeremy meet clients where they are, both literally and figuratively, to assess needs, problem-solve barriers and create personalized plans that make daily life easier.
When Zahra and Arthur Met Mary Jane – Their Connected Families: Parenting Support Experience
Zahra is a single mother to a beautiful 11-month-old boy named Arthur. She loves watching him grow and explore the ever-expanding world around him. Even at less than a year old, his fascination with books shows the bright young man budding inside of him. But raising a child alone is exhausting, and sometimes Arthur’s excitement with the world around him can make a proper sleep routine hard to nail down.
Thanks to the Connected Families: Parenting Support program, Zahra received the compassionate support she needed. With VHA's help, she reclaimed time for self-care knowing that Arthur was in loving and nurturing hands.
Leading the Future of Health and Independence at Home: Sharing VHA's 2025 Annual Impact Reports
Each year, VHA shares how we're leading the future of health and independence at home through the release of four very special reports:
- VHA's Annual Impact Report
- Research and Innovation Annual Report
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report
- Client Voice Impact Report
Through these reports, we invite you to learn more about how we're providing home care excellence, delivered with heart and led by science.
Coming Together to Celebrate Diversity, Inclusion and Love for a Good Book
For the second year in a row, employees from both Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto East Health Network, and VHA came together to take part in an engaging and insightful book club as part of Black History Month in February. For this year’s meetings, the novel “Black Man in a White Coat” by Dr. Damon Tweedy was selected.
Throughout the course of three lunchtime meetings, a group consisting of personnel gathering both in person and online come together to discuss Dr. Tweedy’s observations on how both Black doctors and patients often need to navigate the difficult and sometimes contradictory world of medicine. Group members shared their own experiences and reflected on how even though the book takes place in the American South, it isn’t necessarily as different from the reality in Canada that some might expect.
