Community Roots, National Impact
A Social Prescribing Celebration
Building on momentum to create healthier, more connected communities.
On November 19, 2025, our community came together for a virtual celebration of momentum and impact across the social prescribing landscape. The gathering offered space to reflect on the most promising accomplishments of the past year, learn from what has worked, and explore where we are headed next as new opportunities, partnerships, and resources emerge.
A highlight of the event was the 2025 Social Prescribing Impact Awards, where we recognized the changemakers — individuals, teams, and organizations — who are shaping the future of care through creativity, collaboration, and community leadership.
Together, we reconnected, reflected, and celebrated how far we’ve come — and reaffirmed how much more we can achieve as a collective.
80+
Attendees joined us online from across academia, community organizations, and healthcare systems
5
Speakers and leaders in the field shared powerful insights
Community Roots, National Impact Webinar Recording
The webinar recording is now available for anyone who couldn’t join us live — or who’d like to revisit the insights, stories, and inspiration shared during the celebration. Hear from the leading voices in social prescribing, explore key moments from our community celebration, and catch up on the ideas shaping where we go next. Watch the full recording anytime and continue the conversation with us.
Social Prescribing Impact Awards 2025
This year’s Social Prescribing Impact Awards honoured the individuals, teams, and organizations driving meaningful change in their communities. From compassionate social prescribing workers and innovative community programs to groundbreaking researchers and system-level change makers, the 2025 recipients showcased the creativity, dedication, and collaboration shaping the future of social prescribing in Canada.
Social Connector Award 2025 Recipients:
- Courtney Bauman - Woolwich Community Health Centre
- Heather Beamount - Town of Halton Hills
Social Prescribing Innovation Award 2025 Recipients:
- Guelph Community Health Centre
- Trousses Manger dans le Centre-Sud
Social Prescribing Student Award 2025 Recipient:
- Hani Rukh-E-Qamar
Social Prescribing Research Award 2025 Recipients:
- Social Prescription Collaborative - Alayne Adams & Catherine Paquet
Social Prescribing Change Maker Award 2025 Recipients:
- Althea Martin-Risden
- PaRx
- BC Park Foundation
- Ode to Wonder
- Vancouver Art Gallery
Celebration Presentations & Key Takeaways
The celebration featured presentations from leaders in Social Prescribing, each highlighting the growing impact, innovation, and system-level momentum behind social prescribing. Speakers shared practical lessons on embedding link workers in primary care, strengthening community partnerships, scaling programs, and using evidence to drive policy and sustainability. Together, their insights underscored the power of collaboration, storytelling, and shared learning in advancing more connected, equitable, and person-centred approaches to health and well-being.
Dr. Grace Park
Lead, Clinical Research & Former Regional Medical Director Home and Community Care I Fraser Health
Dr. Grace Park shared how social prescribing is rapidly expanding in British Columbia with strong government support and a growing network of community connectors. She highlighted how embedding link workers within primary care teams has turned social prescribing into a routine part of care through warm handoffs, shared plans, and integrated workflows. Grace also described innovative partnerships, such as collaborations with the Vancouver Art Gallery and ParkRxBC, and outlined plans to extend social prescribing into specialty clinics, public health, mental health, and acute care. She closed by noting that a provincial implementation and evaluation framework is now in place to measure impact, support equity, and inform long-term policy and sustainability.
Charlotte Osborn-Forde
Chief Executive Officer | National Academy for Social Prescribing
Charolette shared an update on England’s national social prescribing model and key lessons for global adoption. She highlighted the impact of embedding link workers in every GP practice since 2019, resulting in 9.4 million social prescribing-related consultations and strong public and physician support. Charlotte emphasized the importance of patient stories, strong evidence, and national visibility in sustaining investment. She also noted growing international momentum, with countries like Lithuania and Australia adopting similar models, while underscoring the ongoing need to prioritize equity, access, and policy alignment.
Wendy Johnstone
Director of Programs & Innovation | Family Caregivers of BC
Wendy shared insights from nearly a decade of developing a caregiver-focused social prescribing model. She described how their work aims to move caregivers from “invisible to visible” by identifying caregiver needs early, embedding referral pathways into clinical settings, and treating caregivers as clients in their own right. Wendy outlined four referral pathways, including embedded EMR tools and a caregiver prescription pad, and highlighted emerging evidence showing that embedded sites generate the most consistent, reliable referrals. She closed by noting exciting growth ahead — including national collaboration, expanded regional reach, Indigenous engagement, and strengthened integration with primary care and health authorities.
Judy O’Keefe
Project Coordinator, Social Prescribing | SeniorsNL
Judy discussed how Newfoundland and Labrador has rapidly advanced social prescribing by building strong partnerships between primary care and community organizations. She highlighted that social prescribing is now embedded across family care teams, with link workers co-located in clinics to support warm handoffs, shared care planning, and integrated workflows. Judy outlined key enablers of their success, including provincial system readiness, primary care reform, strong community capacity, robust governance, and early evaluation that supports rapid learning. She also described how the model is now expanding beyond primary care into specialty clinics, community paramedicine, and acute care, demonstrating its adaptability and growing impact across the province.
What We Learned: Insights, Connections, and Opportunities
Throughout the celebration, many lessons emerged, offering insight into the elements that drive effective social prescribing and revealing opportunities to strengthen health, social, and community care across Canada and beyond.
1. Gaining Knowledge
- Learned how social prescribing systems are being built nationally and internationally
- Explored new and emerging technologies supporting social prescribing
2. Building Professional Networks
- Strengthened cross-sector relationships
- Made new contacts to support future collaboration
3. Access to CISP Resources
- Highlighted the value of tools such as the Community Asset Mapping Guide
- Identified resources that can strengthen local and regional efforts
4. Identifying Gaps and Opportunities
- Opportunities:
- Establishing family care teams to work alongside clinical practices
- Improving collaboration with medical practitioners to reduce communication delays and boost efficiency
- Challenges:
- Managing overwhelming workloads when programs rely on a single staff member
