Organizations are asked to choose up to three program areas that describe their charitable activities and to estimate the percentage of total time and resources (human and financial) allocated to each area. These program areas are pre-defined by CRA and readers can see the full list in Appendix E. Limitations of this data are that 265 organizations did not complete the form and the percentage allocated to resources is subject to some degree of guesswork. Nevertheless, it affords a witness box perspective of how organizations view themselves, their work and their community.
These important data deliver insights to the interconnectivity of patient-focused charities with other charities in social services, community benefits such as human rights, culture, education, research, housing, transportation, or other support for the physically challenged. While our next report will explore in greater detail the intersections these organizations share between them, these data offer a useful starting point from the perspective of the patient-focused charities themselves.
The program area codes for charitable purposes are listed below for Health only.
F1 – Hospitals
F2 – Nursing homes
F3 – Clinics
F4 – Services for the sick
F5 – Mental-health services and support groups
F6 – Addiction services and support groups
F7 – Other mutual-support groups (for example, cancer patients)
F8 – Promotion and protection of health, including first-aid and information services
F9 – Specialized health organizations, focusing on specific diseases/conditions
As a reminder to readers, the selection criteria for patient-focused organizations excluded F1 – Hospitals, F2 – Nursing homes, and F3 – Clinics from the groups under review in this report. While not included in the current cohort of patient-focused organizations, F5- Mental-health services and F6 – Addiction services will be part of the ecosystem of patient support that will be analyzed in the next report. Nevertheless 27 patient-focused organizations selected F5 – Mental-health services with an average commitment of 48% of resources to this program area.
Table 27 illustrates the wide range of charitable activity these organizations engage in while still maintaining clear focus on the patient population they serve. From this overview, the relationships between health and the social determinants of health begin to emerge. Organizations can select multiple area codes and assign a percentage of the mission to each area.
Field code prefixes for each category relate to program groups – Social services, Education and Research, Culture, Health, Other Community Benefits. They range from a strictly health focus, such as F4 – Services for the sick, to the top of mind A1 – Housing (seniors, low-income persons, and those with disabilities) and to the more advocacy oriented H12 – Human rights.
Services for the physically or mentally challenged…is the strongest indicator of the interconnection between disease specific conditions and the social determinants of health.
Expectedly, 309 organizations identified as F9 – Specialized health organizations, focusing on specific diseases / conditions. At the same time less than half (147) of them dedicated 100% of their energy to this one area. The remaining 156 groups that are 100% dedicated to a single program area are spread among 15 areas, only 5 of which are in the Health category. The areas outside of Health include research, scholarships, family and crisis counselling, literacy programs, senior’s services, and Children and youth services/housing. Two Alzheimer groups selected A6 – Seniors’ services as their sole program area.
A7 – Services for the physically or mentally challenged has the third highest number of selections with an average resource allocation of 70%. This is the strongest indicator of the interconnection between disease specific conditions and the social determinants of health. Services can include supportive housing, transportation, and food security.
F5 – Mental-health services and support groups is in the top ten bringing a strong highlight on the need for greater appreciation of the impact chronic illness can have on mental health. With population mental health getting so much exposure lately, patient-focused charities providing peer support programs are aligned in shared purpose with organizations whose exclusive focus is mental health.
Finally, H8 – Summer camps remind us that even patients can have fun and that the pursuit of joy in life is a valid charitable activity.
In summary, it seems that patient-focused charities view themselves through a prismatic lens, one that addresses the needs of the individual, their local community, and the wider national society within which we all live. This lens spans a universe of needs including disease awareness, research, social determinants of health, advocacy, health literacy and psychosocial support among many others, all of which highlights how non-linear the actual patient journey is. With a preponderance of patient-focused charities describing themselves as involved in multiple program areas, the opportunity and challenge to potential stakeholders is to see these charities from the same multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional perspective when it comes to establishing authentic partnerships with them.
Table 27: Top 20 program areas for patient-focused charities
| Category | Total Respondents | Average Resource allocation % | Reported Area at 100% |
|---|---|---|---|
| F9 – Specialized health organizations, focusing on specific diseases/conditions | 309 | 73% | 147 |
| F7 – Other mutual-support groups (for example, cancer patients) | 201 | 55% | 60 |
| A7 – Services for the physically or mentally challenged | 125 | 70% | 51 |
| F8 – Promotion and protection of health, including first-aid and information services | 113 | 38% | 12 |
| C10 – Public education, other study programs | 97 | 31% | 0 |
| C11 – Research (scientific, social science, medical, environmental, etc.) | 69 | 38% | 6 |
| F4 – Services for the sick | 27 | 64% | 9 |
| F5 – Mental-health services and support groups | 27 | 48% | 4 |
| A11 – Family and crisis counselling, financial counselling | 25 | 31% | 1 |
| C1 – Scholarships, bursaries, awards | 16 | 27% | 2 |
| H12 – Human rights | 15 | 18% | 0 |
| A1 – Housing (seniors, low-income persons, and those with disabilities) | 10 | 36% | 0 |
| H15 – Support and services for charitable sector | 10 | 43% | 2 |
| A6 – Seniors’ services | 9 | 46% | 2 |
| H8 – Summer camps | 8 | 15% | 0 |
| F3 – Clinics | 6 | 29% | 0 |
| A5 – Other services for low-income persons | 5 | 70% | 2 |
| C7 – Vocational and technical training (not delivered by universities/colleges/schools) | 5 | 35% | 0 |
| A3 – Employment preparation and training | 4 | 30% | 0 |
| B5 – Literacy/education/training programs | 4 | 41% | 0 |
| D2 – Festivals, performing groups, musical ensembles | 3 | 23% | 0 |