County of Simcoe Archives

Access to Integrated Care in Couchiching: A Partnership Between the County of Simcoe Ontario Works and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital

by Andrew Scavarelli and Melanie Moore | June 2025

OMSSA is featuring several 2024 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from the County of Simcoe and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital.

In the heart of Simcoe County, during a time of ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic response, a transformative partnership emerged between the County of Simcoe Ontario Works Division and Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH). This collaboration was born out of urgency as an innovative opportunity to support our vulnerable populations, including those experiencing homelessness, and unattached patients in the community, aiming to increase access to care in the right place, outside of the emergency department. This blog post delves into the innovative strategies and tangible benefits of this partnership, highlighting how it has significantly improved health outcomes and set a precedent for integrated human services.

An Interview with Andrew Scavarelli

by Angelica Nuguid | May 2024

Andrew is currently the Director of Ontario Works for the County of Simcoe and he is also Chair of OMSSA’s Awards Committee. Andrew has nearly 15 years of experience in the successful and integrated delivery of municipal social services. He began his career with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) in 2009, where he held progressive leadership roles, and played a key-role in TBDSSAB’s commitment and transition to an integrated service delivery model.

Known by his colleagues as an influential leader, strong consensus builder and exceptional communicator, Andrew is a visionary leader who continuously demonstrates his commitment to furthering social and human service integration.

This interview explores his experience working with different communities and his overall experience and contributions to the human services sector.

Global Events Have Local Impacts

by Sandra Lee | February 2024

OMSSA is featuring several 2023 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read this entry from the County of Simcoe below.

Working in community-based planning is rewarding. It is gratifying to foster partnerships that create local solutions for people arriving in Simcoe County. Community stakeholders did not disappoint, working collaboratively to help Ukrainians find a temporary new place to call home.

In May 2022, the Simcoe County Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) hosted two online community information sessions to coordinate local system planning, identify gaps, and brainstorm potential solutions. Securing temporary and permanent housing, transportation, and childcare were some of Ukrainian’s greatest challenges. The Simcoe County LIP engaged in solution-focused planning with local systems to bridge gaps.

Transforming the System of Homelessness Prevention Services and Supports in Simcoe County

by Wendy Hembruff | January 2023

OMSSA is featuring several of our 2022 Local Municipal Champion award recipients and their work in the Knowledge Exchange Blog. Please read the entry from the County of Simcoe. To effectively manage needs within the homeless shelter system during the COVID-19 pandemic and enable early identification of issues, the County of Simcoe rapidly integrated public health, mental health, addictions, housing services and paramedic services through weekly meetings and on site in regular and temporary motel based shelter settings, established new relationships and strengthened existing relationships across systems to improve access to critical services and supports to homeless individuals and families.