Constituent Societies

A Constituent Society of OPHA is an association, society or voluntary organization of Community Health or Public Health professionals, based in Ontario or the Ontario branch of a national organization. To be a Constituent Society it must:

  • have objectives that are compatible with OPHA;
  • must be financially self-sustaining;
  • must have been in active existence for at least twelve months; and
  • be granted membership in the OPHA at the discretion of the OPHA Board of Directors.

Below is the current list of Constituent Societies of OPHA. Their Representatives sit on the OPHA Board of Directors, and are elected to do so by their respective societies. Download specific contact information for the current Representatives (see red Links box at right).

Constituent Societies of OPHA

 

ANDSOOHA

ANDSOOHA's mission is to promote excellence in public health nursing administration and practice and provide a united voice for public health nursing managers in Ontario. To achieve this, ANDSOOHA.

  • Acts in an advisory capacity to provincial authorities and professional organizations, Ministry of Health, professional committees and work groups.
  • Facilitates knowledge and skill development of public health nursing managers through annual conferences and liaison with all levels of government, professional organizations and the Council of University Programs in Nursing.
  • Acts as a communication network for public health nurse managers in Ontario on public health Issues.
  • Advocates for, and supports, appropriate public health action through political systems.

Membership Profile

Our members are Public Health Nurses (PHN) employed at the management level, in every region of the province. PHNs provide cost-effective, community-based health services, and have expertise in health promotion, disease prevention and a flexible skill set, adaptable to changing priorities.

PHNs have established credible partnerships in their communities. They work with individuals, families, groups, school communities, agencies and government. They counsel educate, advocate, facilitate, negotiate, develop resources, shape public policy, immunize and work with the media.

Key Initiative

ANDSOOHA recognizes the need for a full continuum of health services ranging from health promotion and disease prevention to treatment and rehabilitation. Public health units are a comprehensive provincial network and play a key role in health reform, believing that a greater emphasis on, and funding for, prevention is critical to cost-effective health care.

AOHC

The Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC) is the not-for-profit organization of community health centres (CHC), aboriginal health access centres (AHAC), and community health service organizations (CHSO). Member centres throughout Ontario provide community-based primary health, health promotion and illness prevention services to tens of thousands of Ontarians in over 70 communities.

This approach to community health encompasses the broad factors that determine health such as education, employment, income, social support, environment and housing. Health centres provide accessible primary health care services in northern and rural communities, in communities where many people have a high risk of ill health or to individuals and families with significant access issues, such as their ethnic status, racial makeup or mother tongue. Health centres serve all people within their catchment area and have particular expertise in serving people who have difficulty accessing other health services.

Health centres are an integral part of the provincial health services system. Individual health centres have a significant role in providing essential services in many communities. They are often the main delivery mechanism for core community-based health services offering a continuum of services which promote individual and community ownership over health. AOHC advocates on behalf of the health centre model of care and provides support to health centres through developing position papers, acting as an information clearinghouse, providing training opportunities and managing information technology. In addition, the Association provides a group benefits plans, support to centres embarking on an accreditation program, and resources for special projects. AOHC maintains formal and informal networks with allied health organizations.

APHEO

The Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario is an organization of approximately 30 members who practice epidemiology in Ontario's public health units. APHEO's first meeting was in 1991. In 1997, the association was expanded to include affiliates - those who have an interest in epidemiology and who may work for other health agencies. The group meets quarterly to discuss matters related to public health epidemiology.

Mission Statement

To advance and promote the discipline and professional practice of epidemiology in Ontario public health units.

ASPHI-O

The Association of Supervisors of Public Health Inspectors (Ontario) is an organization of environmental and public health professionals committed to remaining a strong and influential voice in the management of local public health programs in Ontario and the development and implementation of effective programs and policies, which promote health, prevent disease and protect the health of the community.

CIPHI-O

Statement of Philosophy

Institute members believe that

  • That they have an obligation to maintain professional competency.
  • That they have an obligation to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
  • That they should, at all times, attempt to maintain the integrity of the profession.
  • That they should endeavour to keep the public and their employers aware of the importance of maintaining the high quality environment.
  • That all decisions made in the course of professional practice shall be based on the best available scientifically valid data.
  • That effective environmental management can only be achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach to resolving environmental issues.

Mission Statement

To advance, promote and uphold the profession of public health inspection and to ensure the attainment of the highest professional standards of practice for its members - and in so doing - to facilitate the achievement of optimal health for all persons who live, work or visit in Ontario by promoting excellence in environmental management through education, advocacy and research.

CHNIG/RNAO

CHNIG acts as the voice of community health nurses influencing the health care system for the benefit of the public they serve.

Their goals are:

  • To promote CHNIG as the voice of community health nursing
  • To raise the profile of CHN's and promote an understanding of their role and work
  • To influence health and social policy through lobbying legislative bodies
  • To initiate actions to draw attention to health care and employment issues and influence decision-makers regarding those issues
  • To respond to the needs of the members of CHNIG
  • To provide benefits for our members, including support and facilitation of education
  • To work with and contribute to the activities of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.

HPO

HPO is a network of public health professionals working for public health departments and health units in Ontario. Active since 1987, HPO members have been working to support each other by sharing resources and professional development opportunities.

Mission Statement

Health Promotion Ontario encourages and supports the development of public health activities based in health promotion philosophy, process and research.

Definition of Health Promotion:

Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. This process is based on the understanding that social conditions and personal actions both determine health. Hence, health promotion activities move beyond disease prevention and health education to address social change, institutional change and community change in addition to changes in personal behaviours.

Goals

  • To advocate for and promote recognition of the human and financial resources required to ensure effective health promotion programming to help the residents of Ontario achieve their optimum level of health.
  • To foster a commitment to high standards in the development and implementation of health promotion strategies.
  • To support continuing education and research in the field of health promotion.
  • To facilitate the exchange and sharing of resources and strategies that promote the implementation of public health initiatives.
  • To provide input that is consistent with the views of the Association to task forces advisory bodies, professional organizations, the community and other relevant bodies.
  • To foster interdisciplinary and intersectoral participation in population-based health promotion strategies.

Membership

The Health Promotion Ontario Membership Package can be accessed on our website. On this test site you can find the Membership Form as well as additional membership documents (scroll to the bottom of the page).

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Aarti or any of the Health Promotion Ontario Executive; contact information can be found on either of our websites.

HPO has been involved in a number of activities this past year, ranging from developing reports for the PHAC Public Health Core Competencies project to carrying out a spring conference on "Enhancing Excellence in Health Promotion." We look forward to continuing advocating for the work carried out in health promotion and would benefit from your continued support as well as renewal of your HPO membership.

OAPHD

OAPHD is committed to universal access to appropriate oral health care for all Ontarians.

The OAPHD is an association of dental professionals whose prime interest is the oral health of the general public. Most of our members work in local government settings and provide oral and dental health information and services for the community in which they work. They are also involved in annual programs directed to schoolchildren in elementary schools across Ontario.

OPHLA

The Ontario Public Health Libraries Association (OPHLA) was first established in 1992 to provide a forum that would allow for information exchange among Ontario public health unit library staff. The focus in public health units on disease prevention rather than on treatment and health care delivery makes them unique from other health libraries in the health care field. Today, the association has members comprised of information professionals from 16 health units, the MOHLTC Public Health Division, and the MOHLTC Laboratory Branch.

Information sciences contribute significantly to the key public health principles of multidisciplinary approaches, partnership, evidence-informed decision-making, communication, sustainability, and accountability. Librarians interact with public health dentists, nurses, physicians, inspectors, dieticians, epidemiologists, program evaluators, researchers, business administrators, and others throughout all levels of organizations and institutions in research, education and practice settings. OPHLA members have long supported public health professionals to find, organize and use information effectively to strengthen research, education, programs and services.

The role of public health librarians has been recognized in the Walker Report. They have also been acknowledged by practitioners in response to the MOHLTC Capacity Review Committee's surveys. OPHLA has lent expertise to numerous public health research and knowledge transfer initiatives at the local, provincial and national levels.

OSNPPH

Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals in Public Health (OSNPPH) is the official organization of dietitians and nutritionists working in the Ontario Public Health system. OSNPPH is the voice of public health nutrition in Ontario. It represents its members and promotes their role in improving nutrition and health of people in Ontario. It also allows public health units to have direct input into nutrition programming on a provincial and national level.

Our Members

OSNPPH members are Registered Dietitians (RDs) and members of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. All members work in the public health sector or in universities with community related nutrition programs.

OSNPPH members are experts in human nutrition who focus on improving health and preventing disease. With community health partners they raise awareness about healthy eating. They plan, coordinate, deliver and evaluate educational and skill building nutrition programs. OSNPPH also liaises with several national and provincial organizations such as Dietitians of Canada, Cancer Care Ontario and OPHA.

Our members work to:

  • Provide strategic leadership and direction on public health nutrition issues.
  • Provide reliable nutrition information to the public, educators, health professionals, policy makers and mass media
  • Assist in developing the nutrition section of the school curriculum
  • Participate in the formulation and implementation of policies relevant to public health nutrition issues (e.g. food policies for schools, restaurants and workplaces)
  • Offer nutrition education in grocery stores, cafeterias, restaurants, etc.
  • Conduct research in nutrition and food related areas
  • Advocate for various nutrition-related issues such as food policies and access to food and nutrition services
  • Coordinate submissions and provide input into issues that deal with nutrition in population and community health

PHRED

Originally known as the Teaching Health Unit Program, the province's five PHRED Programs are unique to Ontario. The overall mission of the program is to contribute to health promotion, health protection and the prevention of health problems among the residents of Ontario by facilitating the integration of research, education, policy and public health practice. The program is committed to:

  • improving accountability by providing evidence to support effective and efficient public health practice
  • building capacity within Ontario's public health system, and
  • providing leadership in public health research and education.

Program activities focus on five key areas:

  1. applied public health research
  2. program evaluation
  3. education of post secondary students and public health practitioners
  4. knowledge transfer and
  5. innovative program and policy development.

Each of the five sites- Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Sudbury, is required to have an affiliation agreement with a university. The PHRED Programs collaborate with multiple partners and are also recognized for their leadership in both provincial initiatives such as benchmarking investigations and the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) i.e. systematic reviews of the literature, as well as for their role in local research and evaluation projects. The sites have recently formed the PHRED Connection to facilitate networking and the promotion of excellence in activities related to student learning. Non-PHRED sites are welcome to participate.