July 2009 - Association Update

OPHA’s 60th Anniversary Student Essay Competition

OPHA’s recently launched Student Essay Competition is attracting the interest of students in health related disciplines from all over the province. Please be sure to spread the word among your colleagues and corporate friends. View contest details here.

OPHA Conference 2009: Building for the Future

Details for Sponsorship oppportunities are now up on the website. Keep watching the OPHA conference website for exciting new developments as the details for OPHA Conference 2009 continues to unfold.

Board of Directors Meeting

At the June 24-25, 2009 Board of Directors meeting, our new Auditor, DBO Dunwoody LLP, presented the 2008-09 audited statement to the Board. For the 2008-09 fiscal year, OPHA ended the year in a positive balance of $1,684. The Audited statement will be presented to the OPHA membership at the AGM on November 2, 2009 for approval.

Cynthia Morton, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health Promotion presented the Ministry’s Strategic Directions Overview to the Board. She highlighted that the Ministry will:

  • move from targeted individual risk factors to addressing multiple risk factors;
  • move from a single issue approach to a population health approach with focus on those of greatest risk;
  • move from delivering separate and single programs to integrated comprehensive programs in partnership;
  • move from the Ministry's early mandate to one of leadership to influence healthy policy and shape the government's health promotion agenda.

To carry out its new plan, the Ministry will adopt a new organizational structure with two divisions, the Policy, Planning and Strategic Initiatives Division and the Sport, Public Health and Community Programs Division. With these upcoming changes, the 2009-2010 year will be one of transition at MHP.

OPHA Welcomes Public Health Volunteers…

OPHA is pleased to welcome Kenny Wong to the OCDPA team for the summer. Kenny completed his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Waterloo in Health Sciences. He will be starting his Masters program at the University of Toronto–Epidemiology in September.

OPHA welcomes Rebekah Segaram to OPHA Communications. Rebekah studies Biology and Health Sciences at the University of Toronto and is interested in exploring possibilities in public health.