About Roots

The Need in Our Community

Surrey receives more refugees than any other municipality in British Columbia. Around 50% of Government-Assisted Refugees in BC settle in Surrey (1).

Immigrants make up 43% of Surrey’s population, and 31% of Delta (2).

Between 2011 and 2016, 23% of all British Columbia newcomers came to Surrey and Delta (3).

Our Mission

To provide person-centered, longitudinal care to vulnerable newcomers through an interdisciplinary, culturally safe team of family practice clinicians, specialists, allied health, social service professionals, and patient medical home attachment services.

Our History

Roots Community Health Centre was founded by the Refugee Health Working Group for the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice. This working group was formed in 2016 by Physicians in Surrey who were concerned about the growing presentation of vulnerable newcomers with inadequate primary care.

The group’s analyses, community consultations, and medical experience revealed a substantial gap in primary healthcare services for vulnerable new community members in the Surrey-North Delta area.

The health and social needs of the diverse newcomer population in Surrey can be complex due to significant and sustained hardships endured prior to their arrival in Canada. The team-based model of Roots is designed to address these needs.

What Makes Roots Different

Why is Roots a Community Health Centre?

Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been an effective model for delivering team-based, community-governed primary health care in Canada and the US for decades; in fact, they have been shown to be more cost-effective for the care of complex patients.

A CHC is typically defined by these 5 characteristics, all of which we strive to meet at Roots:

Provides interprofessional (or team-based) primary care
Integrates services/programs in primary care, health promotion, and community wellbeing
Community-governed and community-centred
Actively addresses the social determinants of health
Demonstrates commitment to health equity and social justice

Roots is proud to be part of a community of CHCs working to improve primary care for vulnerable people all across Canada.

How is Roots different from a typical Medical Clinic?

We incorporate a wide variety of professionals. We partner with several experienced organizations and service providers in order to provide team-based care. For example, a patient at Roots CHC may be welcomed by a Cross-Cultural Health Broker, be seen by a Primary Care Physician, speak with a specialized Social Worker, receive tailored education from a Nurse, and meet with a Counselor, all on our premises.

We take the time to provide person-focused care. That means giving our patients more time than they would typically receive in a busy medical setting. It also means that, per day, we are only bill about 25% of what a typical clinic would charge the provincial Medical Services Plan. This also means that the physicians who work with us do so at substantial cost to themselves.

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Our Commitment

To Our Patients

to value culturally safe care
to address social determinants of health
to design multidisciplinary care plans that are easily navigated
to align with BC GPSC’s Patient Medical Home (PMH) and Community Health Centre (CHC) models

To Our Community

to operate as a non-profit society in BC, overseen by a volunteer board
to regularly measure our success and analyze the effectiveness of trialed care models
to provide local partners and municipal stakeholders with the information they need
to identify care gaps and strengthen community services

Our Leadership

Patricia Mahecha, Executive Director at Roots

Dr. Hala Ahmed, Medical Director and Physician at Roots

image1 (1).jpeg — Dr. Majid Hussain, Board Chair

Patricia Mahecha

Executive Director

Patricia is a Physician, Epidemiologist, Health Administrator, and Public Health professional. She has developed and managed various community health programs and projects for over 20 years. She has worked for governmental organizations in Colombia and international not-for-profit organizations in Canada. Patricia joined the Roots team in 2023 - we are so happy to have her involved in this important role!

Dr. Hala Ahmed, Family Physician

Medical Director, Co-Founder, Physician

Dr. Hala Ahmed serves on the Refugee Health Working Group and is a board director of the division. She has extensive experience working in the CHC model. Dr. Ahmed has served as a lead physician for the Primary Care Clinic at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. She is a dedicated family physician with a focus on women’s health, refugee health and pediatrics. She is also an active volunteer in the local Muslim community in Surrey.

Dr. Majid Hussain, Family Physician

Chair, Co-Founder

Dr. Majid Hussain is the Physician Lead of the Refugee Health Working Group, and an active and respected family physician in the community. He is a Clinical Faculty member with the University of British Columbia’s Department of Medicine. Dr. Hussain has been committed to treating marginalized and vulnerable patient populations since 2012, helping create a free refugee medical clinic in Toronto. He is devoted to humanitarian efforts in locally and around the world.

Dr. Anthony Fong

Board Member, Board Secretary

Anthony Fong is an emergency physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia with specializations in journalism, disaster medicine and refugee health. He has previously worked with refugees at the Bridge Clinic and has deployed to disaster settings in Honduras, Poland and Ukraine, where he treated populations of refugees and internally displaced peoples.

Azim Dahya, CPA

Board Member

Azim is a project manager (BSc, PMP), trainer and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) at AAD Consultants Inc. He is a leader, trainer, mentor and advisor to the staff, volunteers and management of corporations and nonprofit organizations. In 2010, he founded the Muslim Food Bank and Community Services Society and volunteers as a Director in several boards including Vantage Point, the Mennonite Museum Society, and the Richmond City Centre Community Association.

Zaibunnisa Bosch

Board Member, Vice-Chair

Zaibunnisa grew up in South Africa and in the UK, where she studied law. After graduating, she returned to South Africa to serve in the public justice system as a criminal prosecutor. Zaibunnisa also became involved in a number of community outreach projects in South Africa, including elder-care programs and feeding schemes for impoverished youth living in squatter camps in Cape Town. She is strongly motivated to direct her knowledge and skills towards service of the community.

Sitawa Joyce Ywaya, CPA, CMA

Board Member, Treasurer

Sitawa grew up in Kenya before moving to BC. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and works as a Director of Finance. She is also very active with the Kenya Community in BC, KENBC.