Together at the Lake: Celebrating a 15-Year Journey of Care

The Centre for Health Innovation|September 3, 2026

By Heidi Vincent, MBA, RHN. Communications & Public Relations Lead

Reflections from the CHI team's summer retreat

There are moments when stepping away from our familiar surroundings gives us space to breathe, reconnect and reflect on the values that guide us.

Surrounded by tall trees and overlooking the calm, open water, the Centre for Health Innovation team gathered at a cottage this summer to celebrate 15 years of care, innovation and impact while helping to shape the next chapter.

As we revisited the CHI’s distinctive history, long-serving team members shared memories from the early years, while newer colleagues reflected on what inspired them to become part of our story.

Together, we celebrated how far we have come and exchanged ideas about how we can continue to evolve for our patients and community.

Space to reconnect, reflect and renew

Away from the everyday pace of the clinic, we shared delicious, nourishing food, practiced breathwork and gentle yoga, spent time in nature and simply enjoyed one another’s company.

The retreat gave each of us space to reflect in our own way on what restores and sustains us as individuals and as a team. Rest and reconnection were part of our time together.

We also looked ahead, building on what the CHI does well and exploring new opportunities to be of service.

Throughout our conversations, we remained focused on the people at the heart of our work and purpose:

What do our patients need right now?

A care team built around each patient

At the CHI, we do not presume to know exactly what each person needs. What we do know is that people often long to feel seen, heard and supported. That is why care begins with listening. We seek to understand their health concerns, experiences, circumstances, priorities and hopes.

What makes the CHI distinctive is what happens next: our multidisciplinary team brings different perspectives together to understand and support the whole person rather than only a symptom or diagnosis. We consider how interconnected factors such as stress, nutrition, movement, sleep, treatment effects and emotional well-being may influence how someone feels and functions.

Our expertise spans naturopathic medicine, integrative and functional medicine, nurse-practitioner care, physical therapies and mind-body support. Through collaboration and weekly clinical rounds, practitioners consider how these different forms of care may work together.

This allows the CHI to care for patients at many stages, as they manage ongoing concerns, recover, rebuild strength and resilience, or take proactive steps toward long-term health and prevention.

Our care is compassionate, collaborative and evidence-informed, helping each patient identify a thoughtful path forward shaped by their own priorities and goals.

Fifteen years of growth and evolution

The CHI’s whole-person approach grew from the pioneering work of the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre. Its vision was to care for the person, not only the diagnosis. This created the foundation on which the CHI continues to build.

Our work in cancer care has always focused on improving quality of life and bridging the gap between conventional and complementary care. Through research, education and evidence-informed clinical practice, we have advanced integrative cancer care and helped people understand how both approaches can work together, so they do not feel they must choose between them.

Six years ago, the CHI extended this same whole-person philosophy beyond cancer care to people with a much broader range of health needs. Today, patients continue to come to the CHI for support during and after cancer treatment, while others seek care across a broad spectrum of needs, including chronic and complex conditions, persistent symptoms, rehabilitation, stress and emotional well-being, healthy aging, health maintenance and prevention.

Our purpose remains consistent: to listen, look at the fuller picture and help each patient move toward the health and quality of life that matter to them.

Looking toward what comes next

Like the view across the lake, the future feels open.

At this summer’s retreat, we reflected on our 15-year journey and legacy and considered how each of us can help shape our next chapter. We left with renewed appreciation for the courage and vision that built the OICC and the CHI, for the team and community carrying this work forward, and for the possibilities ahead.

As the CHI moves into the next 15 years, we remain rooted in the qualities that shaped our beginnings: compassion, courage, curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to think differently.

Our journey of care continues, guided – as it always has been – by listening to what people need.

Author: Heidi Vincent, MBA, RHN Communications & Public Relations Lead

Heidi has been part of the journey from the OICC to the CHI since before the clinic first opened its doors. As the marketing communications and public relations lead supporting the OICC’s launch and growth, she helped bring its original vision and story to life. Fifteen years later, she continues to help capture and share the people, purpose and possibilities shaping CHI’s evolving journey of care.