August 2011 - Message from OPHA’s President and Executive Director

It has been a hot summer and we have been busy here at OPHA! 

We are glad to announce that the 2011 OPHA/HPO Fall Forum on Engaging Priority Populations registration site is now open.  This exciting event will feature knowledgeable speakers who will focus on topics that are current and relevant to us all in the province, including nutrition, housing, mental health and infectious diseases for a number of priority populations (newcomers, Aboriginal populations, and homeless to name a few).  A few of the speakers lined up include:  Public Health Ontario, Dr. Bob Gardner and Dr. Michael Shapcott (Wellesley Institute), Joe Fiorito (Toronto Star), Dr. Rosana Pellizzari (Peel Public Health Unit) and Jan Houston (Toronto Public Health Unit). 

Don’t miss the early bird special!

Members - please mark your calendars.  The 2011 OPHA Annual General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Fall Forum on October 5th, 2011 from 4-5:30 at the Toronto Eaton Centre Mariott. We are currently seeking resolutions and nominations for the board and various OPHA awards.  Please go to our website for more details (www.opha.on.ca).  Timelines have been extended for award nominations to August 10th.

Additionally, OPHA will be gearing up for its 2011 Membership Drive Campaign which will kick off in late August 2011.  In order to continue our commitment towards ensuring value for our members, members will receive additional benefits that are available only to OPHA members: 

  • Access to free webinars (this year’s sessions will focus on youth engagement, nutrition and the consumer and results-based accountability);
  • Participate in a mentorship program (linking new professionals with seasoned and experienced leaders);
  • Participate in advocacy efforts (for 2011-12 we will be engaging in provincial input from interested OPHA members on such issues as a Provincial Food and Nutrition Strategy; the Provincial Policy Statement; Age Friendly Communities and Healthy Schools);
  • Participate in issue-specific Work Groups and other networking opportunities; and
  • Receive discounts on our Fall Forum and other events. 

Stay tuned. If you wish to learn more, please contact us at admin@opha.on.ca.  We will also have a promotional event where members who have made new member referrals will be entered in for a contest to win a free tablet!

Amongst this backdrop of activity, the organization has been busy focusing on the issue of making Ontario one of the healthiest provinces, a campaign derived from the Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, and based on the excellent 2009 ICES report “What does it take to make a healthy province”, Manual et al.  OPHA is engaged on a number of initiatives that support this position through our work group efforts (Built Environment, Environmental Health, Joint OPHA/alPHa Social Determinants of Health Work Group, Food Security Work Group, Breast Feeding, Child and Maternal Health, Advertising Towards Children to name a few), our participation on a number of initiatives (After School Initiative, Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, OCDPA,   Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Provincial Policy Statement Review, Provincial Food and Nutrition Strategy) and the operation of Government funded programs (Nutrition Resource Centre, Youth Engagement, Alcohol Policy Network and the Healthy Communities Consortium).  In order to advance this position, continued commitment to health promotion and prevention are important to a healthy population (as positioned by Don Drummond and Derek Burleton in their recent TD Economics report, 2010).  This will mean that we need to continue to strengthen our investments in the provincial public health system both from a financial and a policy perspective.  We welcome your thoughts and ideas on how OPHA can continue make inroads.  Do send your thoughts and comments to admin@opha.on.ca or tweet us @OPHA_Ontario.

Until September, stay cool and heed those heat alerts!

Sincerely,
Liz Haugh, President and
Siu Mee Cheng, Executive Director.