Co-ops in this sector have been serving their communities for almost 50 years now, and the range of services continues to evolve. At present, there are co-ops providing ambulance services, home care services, and a variety of preventative health programs. Saskatchewan has the largest network of co-operative clinics, which are part of the community health clinic model that has been so successful in Canada. In recent years, new types of co-operatives have emerged in response to the needs of immigrant communities, to manage health records and communications between patients and doctors, and even to meet the professional development needs of health service providers.

The online tools and guides that appear on this page are the best of what is known to exist in Canada at this time. New materials will be added as they become available or as further research is completed in this area. NOTE: If you are aware of other tools or guides that should be added here, please let us know by sending an

How-to Guides

Health Care Co-operative Start-up Guide

This 2004 guide provides a comprehensive orientation to the steps involved in establishing a new health care co-op. It includes a focus on understanding the health care sector, the various organizational structures that a health care co-op can take, and the steps required to set up and finance the operation.  

Implementing a Health Services Co-op: Factors for Success and Failure

Based largely on the experiences of health care co-operatives in Quebec, this guide lays out a series of key steps, indicators and benchmarks that should help ensure the smooth implementation of new health care co-op projects.

Guide to Finding, Selecting and Using Consultants

This excellent guide was developed in the UK for social enterprises. It is useful for all types of co-operatives

Case Studies

International Overview of Health Co-operatives - with case studies

This 2009 paper looks at various co-op models and approaches to health care, with 7 short Canadian case studies and 3 from other countries. 

Community First Health Co-op (BC)

By exploring this website you can see how one particular BC health co-operative is working in its community. The history of the co-op's development is detailed in the 'About Us' section of the site.

 Health Care Co-op Success Stories

These are some U.S. examples, where the nature of a private health care system has meant an entirely different approach for co-operatives.

Reports and other Resources

Role of Co-operatives in Health Care - National and International Perspectives

This report on an international conference that took place in Saskatchewan in October 2008 profiles the health care co-operative sector in Canada, the U.S., Japan and Spain.  

Profile of Health Co-ops, 2004

This report provides a statistical overview of Canada's health co-op sector and a clear set of trends in how the co-op model is being used in this sector, given the larger social, economic and policy environment.  

Opportunities for Co-operative Health Provision in rural, remote and northern Aboriginal communities