Your rights

As a User, you have the right to:

• Be informed of the health and social services and resources available in your community, and how to obtain them.
• Receive, with continuity and in a personalized and safe manner, services that are scientifically, humanly and socially appropriate.
• Choose the professional or the institution from whom or which you wish to receive services.
• Receive the appropriate care required by your state of health.
• Freely accept or refuse care or treatments.
• Actively participate in any decision that concerns you.
• Be accompanied, assisted or represented by the person of your choice.
• Accommodation/shelter.
• Receive health and social services in English, if your are an Anglophone.*
• Access your user record, which is confidential.
• File a complaint and be accompanied or assisted throughout the procedure.

You can consult the complete original version of users’ rights in the Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services.

In Québec, French is the official language of public administration. As such, all health and social services institutions in Québec provide their services in French. However, some people are more comfortable communicating in English and have the right to ask for services in English.   

* Section 15 of The Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services(ARHSSS) establishes the rights of the English-speaking population to access health services and social services in the English language while taking into account: 

• The organization and human, material and financial resources of the institutions providing such services.
• The extent provided by the access program to health services and social services in the English language.

The services provided in English are also governed by the Charter of the French Language, which determines the use of French based on the type of institution concerned:

• The institutions identified as indicated by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) determine which services they will make accessible in English in their Program of access. They must comply with all provisions of the Charter of the French Language.
  (link to https://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/francisation/admin_publ/aide-memoire-sante-et-services-sociaux.pdf)
• The institutions identified as designated by the MSSS must make all their services accessible in English.

Services provided in English

As indicated in the access program to health services and social services,  the English-speaking population in Lanaudière can receive English-language services in the following locations:

CISSS de Lanaudière

The CISSS de Lanaudière is committed to offering services in English in the following programs-services and facilities:

Indicated services:

• Complaints and quality – Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner
• Reception and processing of reports – Direction de la protection de
  la jeunesse
• Services associated with youth in English-speaking schools without being attached to a specific centre:
  • Youth in difficulty
  • ID-ASD-PD
  • Youth mental health (first and second line)
  • Prevention and promotion for 6–18-year-olds
  • Preventive health (health and psychosocial services in English-language schools)

• Medical services:
  • Emergency departments at both hospitals (Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur, Centre hospitalier De Lanaudière)

• Info-Santé/Info-Social

Indicated facilities

The following facilities are indicated because they have at least one English-language service available:

• Centre de protection de l’enfance et de la jeunesse de Joliette
• CLSC de Joliette
• CLSC de Chertsey
• CLSC Meilleur d’Iberville
• CLSC Lamater de Terrebonne
• Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en trouble du spectre de l’autisme Saint-Louis
• Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en trouble du spectre de l’autisme de Sainte-Julienne
• Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en trouble du spectre de l’autisme de Mascouche
• Centre hospitalier De Lanaudière
• Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur

Designated facility

There is only one designated facility on the territory. It is a private subsidized residential centre, namely, the CHSLD Heather.

Your responsibilities

• Express your needs
• Ask about existing services
• File a complaint if you are dissatisfied with the services received or expected