What is Peer Support?
“Peer support is emotional and practical support between people who share a common experience, such as a mental health challenge or illness.”
Adapted from Peer Support Canada
Women living with diseases of the heart and blood vessels need more than medical care. Peer support empowers women and provides a safe place to meet, bond and share experiences and can come in many forms (i.e., in-person, virtual, formal, informal, women only and mixed groups).
The purpose of the Canadian Women’s Peer Support Heart Hub is to connect women with peer supports that are right for them. The intent is to increase awareness and connections for women living with heart and vascular disease with peer supports that meet their needs.
Programs on this list have been selected based on the following criteria:
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| Based in Canada | Inclusive of women | Heart and vascular disease focus |
DISCLAIMER: This directory is meant to connect women with heart and vascular disease with additional support and resources and is not intended to provide medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health and medical care. While we have applied review criteria when adding these programs and resources, how you choose to use these programs and resources will be at your own discretion.
Directory
National Peer Support Programs
Provincial & Territorial Peer Support Programs
| ICON LEGEND | |||||
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Virtual Group |
In-Person group |
Women Only |
Mixed group |
Potential fee |
English & French |
NATIONAL PEER SUPPORT PROGRAMS |
Canadian Women with Medical Heart Issues Facebook Group
A casual, private Canadian women's lifestyle group dedicated to the support and information sharing about living with heart health issues. While we focus on the positive, it is a safe place to vent & share about all elements of living with heart issues.
Because we are a lifestyle-based group, personal sharing of heart stories, kids (human and fur), gardens, exercise accomplishments, etc are all welcome. Inspirational quotes, sayings and photos are encouraged too. We focus on Canadian medical advancements, research, information but all relevant will be shared. Having medical heart issues changes our lives, having each other to lean on helps make it doable.
Visit Canadian Women with Medical Heart Issues group >>
Location: Virtual, national
Contact: Jackie Palicka-Ratz, jackieheart@mymts.net
CANchat SCAD Facebook Group
This group is specific to Canadian SCAD survivors who want to build more personal, meaningful relationships with each other and to offer mutual support throughout our recovery period and beyond.
This group has been created to encourage and facilitate valuable face-to-face opportunities for SCAD survivors in Canada to get to know each other; ideally in real life post-COVID or via regular zoom calls. Admins are trained as peer leaders by the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre so we can support you as effectively as possible.
Location: Virtual, in-person, national
Contact: Risa Mallory, risa_mallory@hotmail.com or Helen Robert, hrobertnw@gmail.com
HeartLife Foundation-CoeurVie
HeartLife Foundation is Canada’s first – and only – national patient-led Heart Failure organization. We are a Federal Charity aimed at raising public awareness of Heart Failure, engaging patients, families, and caregivers to provide education and support, facilitate access to the latest research, innovations, and treatments, and advocate better care for all.
This is a closed group for patient and family carers only. HeartLife Foundation - the Patient Voice for Heart Failure in Canada - set up and manages this group so that people affected by heart failure can talk freely and share experiences in a safe environment with others that understand. Armed with great information, a positive attitude, friendly support and consistent encouragement we can all improve self-management, which can offer an improved quality of life and better patient outcomes.
Location: Virtual, national
Contact: info@heartlife.ca
Heart & Stroke, Community of Survivors
Connect with others living with heart disease or stroke. If you have experienced a diagnosis or event, this online community is here to support you.
The Community of Survivors allows you to share stories, resources, tips and questions with others who have gone through similar experiences. This closed, moderated, bilingual space can provide social and emotional support in a safe, inclusive and respectful community.
Visit Community of Survivors website >>
Location: Virtual, national
Contact: engagement@heartandstroke.ca
Women @ HeartTM, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre (CWHHC)
The Women @ Heart program is a peer support program led by women with heart disease, for women with heart disease that aims to create a caring environment for women to learn from each other and support one another on the road to recovery. The program provides women with heart disease, in every community, with access to emotional support, education support and a caring environment for a better recovery.
Women @ Heart lasts four months and consists of 10 two-hour sessions held weekly and bi-weekly in community settings across the region or virtually via the zoom platform. It is free and a physician referral is not required. The sessions are run by Peer Leaders who are women who have had a successful recovery from heart disease and have a strong passion for supporting and helping other women on their road to recovery.
Visit the Women @ Heart website >>
Location: Virtual, national (ON, NS, MB, BC)
Focus: General heart disease, SCAD-specific groups
Contact: Nadine Elias, womensupport@ottawaheart.ca
PROVINCIAL & TERRITORIAL PEER SUPPORT PROGRAMS |
ALBERTA
Heart to Heart Support Society
Heart to Heart Support Society is dedicated to the support and encouragement of persons who have suffered a heart attack. Learn about living a full life with heart disease. When you join you will meet people at the monthly meetings who have had, if not the same, very similar experiences to yours. The meetings will provide you with up-to-the-minute information that you will be able to use. Speakers cover topics like the benefits of exercise, nutrition, medications, and many other topics.
The group's aims and objectives are:
- To offer encouragement and support to individuals with heart disease
- To assist their partners, families and friends
- To educate the public about the risks of heart disease
- To visit with patients while in hospital and after discharge to help them and their families cope with lifestyle changes
Visit the Heart to Heart Support Society website >>
Location:
- Calgary: Meet in person every 3rd Wednesday at 11:30 am September to May at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Rd SW.
- Drumheller: contact below.
Contact:
- Calgary: Jim Dugan,
403-208-8285 - Drumheller: Cliff Dietz,
403-823-2177
Cost: $25
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Hearts of Gold
Hearts of Gold gives opportunities for youth ages 13 to 19 to meet, learn, and have fun with other youth who have experienced growing up with heart disease. There are two Hearts of Gold groups, one in the Lower Mainland and one in Victoria.
Events are planned and supervised and help youth who are new to the group connect with new friends and become comfortable to ensure everyone has a great time. Youth must be able to manage without assistance for 3-4 hours to participate.
Visit Hearts of Gold website >>
Age: 13 - 19
Location: Lower Mainland and Victoria, BC
Contact: Kristi Coldwell, chnheartsofgold@gmail.com
SCAD BC
SCAD BC's mission is to provide SCAD survivors a warm, supportive, positive, safe space to share experiences, information and stories. Their main goal is to provide peer support and welcome women and men that have been diagnosed with SCAD. Led by peers who understand how isolating and frightening the diagnosis can be, the group shares what they have learned about SCAD, personal experiences, feelings, coping strategies, or firsthand information about SCAD. It consults with the staff at the Vancouver General Hospital, but SCAD BC is independent from any organization and is run entirely by group members.
- Some benefits of reaching out to our group may include:
- Feeling less lonely, isolated or judged
- Reducing distress, depression, anxiety or fatigue
- Talking openly and honestly about your feelings
- Gaining a sense of empowerment, control or hope
- Improving understanding of SCAD and your own experience with it
Location: Online. Meets on Zoom 2nd Friday of each month from 11:00am-12:00pm PST and 4th Wednesday of each month from 7:00-8:00pm PST.
Website: https://scadbc.com
Contact: https://scadbc.com/contact
SCAD BC Facebook Group
This is a support group for survivors of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), an under-diagnosed form of heart attack and sudden death. Its mission is to provide SCAD survivors a warm, supportive, positive, safe space to share experiences and stories. This Facebook group was created to connect one another - to share stories, struggles, and triumphs. It is not monitored by admin closely - but instead is meant for BC SCAD survivors and family to connect with each other.
Visit the SCAD BC Facebook Group >>
Location: Virtual
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181744022478290
MANITOBA
Heart Failure Support Group of Manitoba Facebook Group
This is an in-person group that meets approximately 4 times per year (suspended during COVID). Each meeting is a planned social event and incorporates an educational component as well.
Events are designed to provide opportunities for Heart failure patients to meet, interact, support and learn from each other in a safe understanding environment.
Visit the Heart Failure Support Group of Manitoba group >>
Contact: Estrellita Estrella-Holder, eestrell1@yahoo.com
Heartland SCAD Survivors Facebook Group
This group provides a safe, confidential and encouraging environment for those who have experienced a rare cardiac event known as Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). We will not provide medical advice but will encourage sharing of information that survivors have gathered along the way from their doctors and cardiac specialists.
We offer a community of support and understanding with respect to survivor concerns, fears, and the complex nature of this condition. Although this is a Manitoba-based group in Winnipeg, SCAD survivors from across Canada are welcome.
Visit the Heartland SCAD Survivors group >>
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Contact: Patti LeBlanc, garrden@shaw.ca
The ICD Support Group of Manitoba
The ICD Support Group of Manitoba was founded in 2007. Its mission is to provide support, education and the opportunity for ICD patients, candidates for an ICD, and their families and friends to interact in person with others in similar circumstances. The group generally publishes a newsletter and meets twice each year, however, both have been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. Each meeting includes time for refreshments and social interaction between guests. Family and friends are encouraged to attend as well. There is also a formal presentation component to each meeting and the topics are always pertinent to ICD patients and guests.
Visit the ICD Support Group of Manitoba website >>
Location: Virtual (TBD)
Contact: Larry Sherman,
NEW BRUNSWICK
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
NOVA SCOTIA
SCAD Support group, Nova Scotia, Facebook Group
This group provides a safe, confidential and encouraging environment for those who have experienced a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). We do not provide medical advice but encourage sharing of information that survivors have gathered along the way from their doctors and cardiac specialists.
We offer a community of support and understanding with respect to survivor concerns, fears, and the complex nature of this condition.
Visit the SCAD Support Group >>
Location: Halifax, NS
Contact: Kathryn Cook; mktcook10@yahoo.ca or via Facebook Messenger: “Kathryn Pheby Cook”
NUNAVUT
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this territory. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
ONTARIO
The Beat Retreat, Canadian Congenital Heart Association (CCHA)
The Beat Retreat is a fun-filled, four-day weekend for adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD). You’ll have an opportunity to participate in a mix of traditional camp activities – all geared to your physical ability and comfort level.
Equally important, you’ll have an opportunity to make new friends and learn from the experiences of others living with CHD patients. In addition to an engaging educational component (guided by healthcare professionals), you’ll also have an opportunity to chat with healthcare professionals in a relaxed and informal setting. In short, it’s a weekend of fun, friends, firsts, and great food.
Visit The Beat Retreat website >>
Location: Kitchener, ON
Age: 18+
Contact: thebeatretreat@cchaforlife.org
Healthy Hearts Peterborough
Healthy Hearts Peterborough is designed and run by people with lived experience, to support graduates from Cardiac Rehab to stay motivated and apply the learnings to stay “on track”.
Patients and family members are encouraged to attend. Healthy Hearts Peterborough offers heart-healthy information online and in monthly meetings, securing expert presenters on developing a heart-healthy lifestyle. Completion of a Cardiac Rehab program is a prerequisite for acceptance into this program. Ask your doctor to refer you to Cardiac Rehab, if they haven’t already done that.
Visit Healthy Hearts Peterborough website >>
Location: Peterborough, ON
Contact: Mike Hammond, cardiacra.mailpboro@gmail.com
Women @ Heart Bedside Volunteer Program, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre
The Women @ Heart In-patient Support Program is a peer-to-peer support opportunity in the hospital for women recently diagnosed with heart disease.
After being diagnosed with heart disease, many women experience feelings of isolation and depression. Being able to talk to someone ‘’who’s been there’’ can make a difference in emotional recovery. Through the Women @ Heart in-patient Support Program, women can connect one-on-one with a Women @ Heart in-patient volunteer who can provide needed support at the bedside. This program is available in English, French, Arabic, Spanish and Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi.
Visit the Women@Heart Bedside Volunteer Program website >>
Location: Ottawa, ON
Contact: Nadine Elias, womensupport@ottawaheart.ca
Phone:
Women @ Heart, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre
The Women @ Heart program is a peer support program led by women with heart disease, for women with heart disease that aims to create a caring environment for women to learn from each other and support one another on the road to recovery. The program provides women with heart disease, in every community, with access to emotional support, education support and a caring environment for a better recovery.
Women @ Heart lasts four months and consists of 10 two-hour sessions held weekly and bi-weekly in community settings across the region or virtually via the zoom platform. It is free and a physician referral is not required. The sessions are run by Peer Leaders who are women who have had a successful recovery from heart disease and have a strong passion for supporting and helping other women on their road to recovery.
Visit the Women@Heart website >>
Location: ON, NS, MB, and BC
Conditions: General heart disease, SCAD specific group
Contact: Nadine Elias, womensupport@ottawaheart.ca
Ottawa Heart Support Group
The Ottawa Heart Support Group (OHSG) is an association of people many of whom have successfully recovered from a heart event and who wish to further improve the health and quality of life for themselves and their families. Our objective is to reduce the fear, anxiety, and emotional stress that often result from having a serious health problem. Our focus is on developing positive attitudes and practices wellness toward heart health care; enjoy life to the fullest; and supporting one another. We pursue these objectives at our informal, monthly meetings.
Visit the OttawaHeartSupport Group website >>
Location: Meetings will resume in person January 2023 on the third Monday of each month 7:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON.
Website: ottawaheartsupportgroup.com
Contact: Mary Cameron, info@ottawaheartsupportgroup.com
Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative
Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative (WCHI) is Canada's first gender-specialized Cardiac Rehabilitation Program located at Women’s College Hospital (WCH). The program opened its doors in 1996 to provide cardiac rehabilitation and primary prevention for women. A multidisciplinary health care team offers a comprehensive assessment and lifestyle counselling, education and support through individual and group sessions for women with cardiac conditions or those at high risk for heart disease.
An on-site exercise program is available for those participants who require medically supervised exercise training and will have an opportunity to meet graduate volunteers for peer support. Our goal is to help women recover from a heart attack, surgery, or help women living with a cardiac condition make healthy lifestyle changes, provide support and self-management tools to live a heart-healthy life in their community. WCH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and conducts innovative research focused on women and heart disease.
Visit the Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative website >>
Location: Toronto, ON
Address: 76 Grenville Street, Cardiology 4th Floor, Toronto ON M5S 1B2
Contact: Faith Delos-Reyes R.Kin & Debbie Childerhose Reg.PT, Program Coordinators
Tel:
Email: womenshearts@wchospital.ca
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (PEI)
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
QUÉBEC
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
SASKATCHEWAN
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
YUKON
We are unaware of any peer support programs available within this province. If there is a program that you know about, please share it with us here.
If there is a program that you know about that is not on the list, please share it with us here: