Canadian Mental Health Associations across the province are playing a key role in a new era of health care delivery for Ontario, with branches involved as a core partner or supporter within 21 of the inaugural 24 Ontario Health Teams (OHTs).
The first round of approved Ontario Health Teams was unveiled by the Ministry of Health in local announcements over the past two weeks. CMHA branches are a core partner in 13 of the first 24 OHTs, while branches are supporting eight other OHTs in an unofficial capacity.
CMHAs that are partners in OHTs include:
CMHA branch | OHT(s) |
Hamilton | Hamilton OHT |
Huron Perth | Huron Perth and Area OHT |
Kenora | All Nations Health Partners OHT |
Lambton Kent | Chatham-Kent OHT |
Middlesex | Huron Perth and Area OHT |
Muskoka-Parry Sound | Muskoka and Area OHT |
Nipissing Regional | Near North Health and Wellness OHT |
Peel Dufferin | Hills of Headwaters Collaborative OHT
Brampton, Etobicoke and Area OHT |
Toronto | North Western Toronto OHT |
Waterloo Wellington | Cambridge North Dumfries OHT
Guelph and Area OHT |
York and South Simcoe | Southlake Community OHT
Eastern York Region and North Durham OHT |
CMHA branches that are supporting OHTs but are not official partners include:
CMHA branch | OHT(s) |
Durham | Durham OHT |
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge | Peterborough OHT |
Halton Region | Burlington OHT
Connected Care Halton OHT |
Muskoka-Parry Sound | Near North Health and Wellness OHT |
Ottawa | Ottawa OHT |
Peel Dufferin | Mississauga OHT |
Toronto | North York OHT |
Simcoe County | Couchiching OHT |
“Since the Ontario government announced its intention to shift to a new model of community-based health care delivery last February, CMHA Ontario and our branch network have worked diligently to ensure our mental health and addictions programs and services are at the forefront of this transformation,” said CMHA Ontario CEO Camille Quenneville. “It’s great to see our organization is such a core component of many of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams. Going forward, we’ll continue to work alongside health care agencies across the province to ensure CMHAs are key in the development of many future OHTs.”
Ontario Health Teams are a core component of the provincial government’s proposed health care system transformation, which was first unveiled through Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, 2019, last February. The province says OHTs are intended to deliver care that is more connected to patients in their local communities whereby health care providers, including hospitals, doctors and home and community care providers, work as one co-ordinated team. Importantly, nine of the 24 OHTs have identified mental health and addictions as a first-year priority.
Check out the Ministry of Health’s website for more information on OHTs.