- What is the new program to support public health practice in Ontario with applied research, program evaluation, education, professional development and knowledge exchange?
- What services will be available to health units via this program?
- What does this program seek to achieve?
- How do these program elements align with the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) standards?
- How was the new program developed?
- When will the program be operational?
- Why is the new program being lead and coordinated by PHO?
- How is the Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) legacy being preserved?
- How can I learn more, provide my input or get involved with this program?
1. What is the new program to support public health practice in Ontario with applied research, program evaluation, education, professional development and knowledge exchange?
In consultation with public health stakeholders, the Public Health Ontario (PHO) has developed a new program to support applied research, program evaluation, education, professional development and knowledge exchange for public health in Ontario. This program comprises services to health units that will assist in achieving the Foundational Standard of the Ontario Public Health Standards. The program includes five elements:
- Library Services
- Knowledge Exchange Support
- Locally Driven Collaborative Projects
- Ethics Support
- Student Education and Preceptor Support
2. What services will be available to health units via this program?
A variety of services will be available through this program. The services will be launched in a phased approach, with some available by early 2011 and other coming online later in the year. The services that will be available include:
Library Services
- Awareness building and training for public health library professionals to learn more about the library resources available and how to access them
- A single point of access to full-text journals
- Expansion of the Virtual Library
- Creation of a shared library services partnership for health units
- Cataloguing of PHRED documents
View the Library Services webpage for more information.
Knowledge Exchange Support
- Access to and use of a web-based public health platform which includes a(n):
- Searchable electronic warehouse of knowledge exchange products
- Inventory of activities in the public health system
- Interactive online collaborative space for public health professionals
- Support from a knowledge exchange specialist
- Sharing best practices
View the Knowledge Exchange Support webpage for more information.
Locally Driven Collaborative Projects
- Collaboration facilitation
- Collaboration opportunities
- Collaborative projects fund
- Project facilitation
View the Locally Driven Collaborative Projects webpage for more information.
Ethics Support
- Ethics consultation
- Ethics education
- Forms and tools
- Public health ethics community of practice
- Ethics review board
View the Ethics Support webpage for more information.
Student Education and Preceptor Support
- Student education and preceptor liaison
- Information and networking activities
View the Student Education and Preceptor Support webpage for more information.
3. What does this program seek to achieve?
The goals of this program are to:
- Strengthen the public health system by enabling evidence-informed practice that is responsive to the needs and emerging issues of health units and uses the best available evidence to address them.
- Support health units in generating, accessing and using public health knowledge.
- Facilitate collaboration and provide system-level supports while building on and aligning with local, regional and central capacity.
4. How do these program elements align with the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) standards?
All program elements align with the intent and outcomes of the Foundational Standard, which states that:
Public health programs and services that are informed by evidence are the foundation for effective public health practice. Evidence-informed practice is responsive to the needs and emerging issues of the health unit and uses the best available evidence to address them. Population health assessment, surveillance, research, and program evaluation generate evidence that contributes to the public health knowledge base and ultimately improves public health programs and services. (Ontario Public Health Standards 2008, p.15)
These elements also assist health units to meet the outcomes and requirements of the Program Standards by supporting them with their applied research, program evaluation and knowledge exchange functions.
5. How was the new program developed?
The program was developed after broad consultation with public health stakeholders. The consultations included:
- Consultation with the five PHRED program directors and their Medical Officers of Health in Winter 2010, as well as with ministry partners;
- A survey, in July 2010, seeking feedback on proposed elements of a new model to support applied research, program evaluation, education, professional development and knowledge exchange.
- A focus group, in October 2010, with representatives from each of the health units, public health associations and health ministries in Ontario. The focus group sought to:
- share feedback from the survey
- foster the development of a shared understanding of health unit perspectives across the province
- consider, reflect on and confirm the priority elements, and
- refine the priority elements to inform the final program development and implementation.
The results of this consultation helped to guide the development of the new model. To find out more information about how the program was developed, please visit the Background Information section of the Reports & Resources page.
6. When will the program be operational?
Services are being launched in a phased approach, with some available now and others coming online later in the year. As the implementation continues, health units, public health associations and interested individuals will be consulted and involved to help refine and implement services.
7. Why is the new program being lead and coordinated by PHO?
PHO is leading and coordinating this new program in response to recommendations from a number of sources:
- The Capacity Review Committee (CRC)
- The Agency Implementation Task Force (AITF)
- A tri-partite working group with representatives from Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) program, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHTLC) and PHO.
These bodies all recommended that the provincial responsibility for the Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) program be transferred to PHO. They felt that a central agency playing a provincial co-ordination role would better ensure that all health units would have more equitable access to required supports, coordination and leadership. It was also expected that placing the provincial PHRED program funding within PHO would maximize the program’s impact through alignment with other similar program streams and expertise at PHO, reduce costly duplication of effort and help ensure that scarce public health resources are used more effectively.
Moreover, the key functions associated with this program are embedded in the Public Health Ontario Act, 2007 as PHO’s legislated objects. In December 2009, the Government of Ontario approved the transfer of the provincial funding of the PHRED program functions to PHO. This funding transitioned to PHO on January 1, 2011.
8. How is the Public Health Research, Education and Development (PHRED) legacy being preserved?
Since the 1990s, the PHRED program has played an important role in advancing applied research and program evaluation, education and professional development, and knowledge exchange for public health. To preserve the PHRED program legacy, PHRED documents and reports will be digitized, catalogued and stored in an easily searchable and accessible electronic warehouse. This process is currently underway and is expected to be completed in summer of 2011. In the meantime, PHRED documents can be found on the PHRED website.
9. How can I learn more, provide my input or get involved with this program?
If you are interested in finding out more about this program, receiving regular updates, or getting involved in its design and implementation, please contact us at feedback@oahpp.ca. We’d like to hear from you!
There are many opportunities for you to get involved, including:
Library Services
- Participating in an environmental scan of health unit library services and resources that will help identify needs and gaps in these services. The environmental scan of health units with libraries will begin in early March, followed by a scan of health units without libraries a few weeks later. We look forward to your responses.
- Participating in a working group that helps shape the shared library services partnership model
Knowledge Exchange Support
- Providing the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) and Association for Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) with your needs, priorities and resources for a public health web-based platform
- Identifying mechanisms for sharing best practices
Locally Driven Collaborative Projects
- Participating in a working group that will help develop a framework for identifying themes, and the tools and processes for the submission, review, and approval of collaborative projects
- Attending a session at the Ontario Public Health Convention on April 5th to brainstorm ideas for locally driven collaborative projects and to identify opportunities for collaboration. We are looking for a minimum of one representative per health unit and will cover travel costs to participate.
- Participating in follow-up collaborative sessions after the convention to continue working on ideas for locally driven collaborative projects
- Submitting an application with a team of colleagues from different health units for a locally driven collaborative project
Ethics Support
- Participating in a focus group to identify educational and other ethics support needs
- Participating in a working group to help guide the development of the forms and tools, and the public health ethics community of practice
Student Education and Preceptor Support
- Identifying needs related to student placements and preceptor support. Key informant interviews with student coordinators or staff who serve this role in all health units are being scheduled now. We expect they will start in early March.
- Providing lessons learned and resources regarding student education and preceptorships
- Participating in the information and networking activities (e.g. join the community of practice relating to student education and preceptor support)
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