Founders Story

Get to know the Origin Story of PCHS Calgary

PCHS Calgary was modelled after a very successful PCHS Ontario, which was founded over 30 years ago. CEO Baldev Mutta was a pioneer in providing cross cultural health services to the South Asian community. Across the board, our mandate continues to emphasize culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and supports in the areas of Addiction, Mental Health, and Domestic Violence/Family conflict, responding to the primary needs of the Calgary South Asian population who are finding balance between two cultures.

In 2012, PCHS started joining major collaborative discussions between the Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA), supported by the Government of Alberta and the Canadian Sikh Network. With its incredible network of leadership, PCHS Calgary passionately implemented an Integrated Holistic Service Delivery (IHSDM) model in Calgary’s South Asian community. The IHSDM incorporates a foundational understanding of the differences between South Asian and Western cultures; recognizes South Asian culture as a collectivist culture built on the multigenerational family unit, and addresses the primary challenges encountered by South Asians seeking assistance: language, cultural conflict, stigma, determinants of health/wellness and lack of awareness of the Canadian health, legal and education systems. Although mainstream agencies have made great strides to support immigrant and ethno-cultural communities there are aspects to service delivery that require a linguistic and culturally specific model.

PCHS Calgary was incorporated as a non-profit society in June 2014 by five community leaders, each passionate to fill a gap needed between mainstream social services and the needs of the South Asian population. The Founders priorities of fiscal responsibility, accountability and sustainability led to creation of protocols to ensure client privacy, confidentiality, and mainstream professional standards and integrity in delivery of social services.

PCHS Calgary's mandate continues to emphasize culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and supports in the areas of Addiction, Mental Health, and Domestic Violence/Family conflict, responding to the primary needs of the Calgary South Asian population straddling two cultures.

The IHSDM concept incorporates a foundational understanding of the differences between South Asian and Western cultures; recognizes South Asian culture as a collectivist culture built on the multigenerational family unit, and addresses the primary challenges encountered by South Asians seeking assistance: language, cultural conflict, stigma, determinants of health/wellness and lack of awareness of the Canadian health, legal and education systems. Although mainstream agencies have made great strides to support immigrant and ethno-cultural communities there are aspects to service delivery that require a linguistic and culturally specific model.

In October 2014, PCHS Calgary held a Family forum held to encourage South Asian community members to engage and express key priority issues that they were facing or observing. In 2015, PCHS Calgary transformed this information into a tangible working plan which was led by increased outreach work, and increased awareness and prevention strategies. Crisis calls and urgent care requests quickly started increasing, which forced PCHS Calgary to revisit its strategic plan and intervention program initiations.

Throughout 2015, PCHS Calgary was increasingly successful in obtaining funding through key community partners and the Government of Alberta, which enabled the leadership to bring in a social worker, psychologist and international medical graduate to start a counselling program and group workshop. PCHS Calgary later launched a Family Support Program, a one-on-one counselling program for individuals and families, a group parenting program and a women’s support program. In its first year, PCHS Calgary’s Family Support program served 155 families, and saw huge success.

In 2016, PCHS Calgary expanded its programs to add a men’s group counselling program for addictions support and another for mental health and family conflict. PCHS Calgary also implemented a robust volunteer program to provide support in the group programs and outreach spaces.

In 2017, PCHS Calgary was included in Alberta’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission and received significant three-year funding to develop a focused addiction response program with specialized training for staff. PCHS Calgary also became part of the Mosaic Primary Care Network (PCN) which increased our awareness and referral process amongst frontline medical staff.

In less than three years of operation, PCHS Calgary became recognized as a viable partner to bridge the gap between mainstream agencies and the South Asian community in social services. Referral to PCHS Calgary come rom Child and Family Services, Probation/Community Corrections, Calgary Police Services, Homefront, Local Physicians, the Peter Lougheed Centre and many additional mainstream agencies.

PCHS Calgary continues to work with several community agencies on joint programs such as: the Peter Lougheed Centre to develop a joint program to address and reduce substance abuse ER visits while providing appropriate resources to South Asian patients; Sagesse, Domestic Violence Prevention Society to establish a strong domestic violence response; Brenda Stafford Society for transitional housing and with Dashmesh Cultural Centre to provide parenting programs and social support programs.

Notably, in 2019, the City of Calgary awarded funding for PCHS Calgary to formalize and increase its community outreach work, which grant was renewed in 2020, and funding from the renowned Bell Let’s Talk campaign. PCHS Calgary was only one of three Alberta agencies chosen for such funding. PCHS Calgary’s Board also started the gradual process for a mindful transition from being an operational board to governance, paving the way to hire an Executive Director and recruit new board members to continue to fulfill PCHS Calgary’s mandate with a fresh perspective. In early 2020, PCHS Calgary was introduced to PREM—Punjabi Resilience and Empowerment in Mental Health focused on using arts/music in supporting Punjabi youth tackle mental health issues, by the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, a connection which will allow collaboration on working with South Asian youth going forward.

Since its formation, PCHS Calgary’s growth has been intentional, mindful, and focused on responding to the needs of the South Asian community in Calgary, and will continue to do so with a strong and focused vision for 2025 and beyond.