March 2010 - Our Voice in Action

OPHA Welcomes Two New Workgroups

OPHA Workgroups are voluntarily comprised groups of OPHA members who share an interest in a particular public health issue and use the workgroup as a forum to engage in a variety of advocacy activities designed to bring about changes in government policy, regulation, or social practice within the scope of the mission, vision, and values of OPHA.

If there is an issue for which OPHA does not yet have a Workgroup, we encourage our Members to consider forming one. Once vetted by the Board's Advocacy Committee, it is taken to the Executive Committee of the Board for approval.

We are please to announce that the OPHA Board has approved two new workgroups: Reproductive Health and Public Health Competency Implementation.

Reproductive Health Workgroup

Our Purpose

Through the collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary reproductive health workgroup, knowledge exchange and advocacy measures, reproductive health will be strengthened and enhanced to help meet the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of women of childbearing age and their families across Ontario.

Reproductive health is an encompassing term which ultimately affects the overall health and well being of the family unit. The term includes the following integral areas: preconception health (of both men and women), prenatal & perinatal health, healthy birth outcomes and the transition to parenthood.

The work of this group will support a number of practice standards, including the Ontario Public Health Standards.

The goals of this Workgroup are:

  • To create a shift in thinking by increasing awareness among women, men, and society at large that childbirth is considered a normal healthy life event;
  • To empower women to play an active role in their prenatal care by asking questions and making informed decisions;
  • To increase awareness about the importance of best practices versus routine medical interventions during labour and birth;
  • To educate pregnant women (with a focus on low-risk pregnancies) about non-medical practical techniques for coping with the pain of labour and birth;
  • To assist women and families in need to access doula[1] support/skilled labour.

Interest in this interdisciplinary workgroup has been tremendous with over 60 people expressing interest in participating. If you are interested in becoming part of this initiative please contact one of the Co-Chairs.

 

Public Health Competency Implementation Workgroup

Our Vision

Every health unit in Ontario has integrated Public Health Employee Performance Management Competencies into their human resource practices and processes.

The strategic directions of this Workgroup are to:

  1. Continue advancing its current work in competency based performance management for employees by:
    • Meeting and working as a group;
    • Continuing efforts to build tools that will support competency based performance management for employees.
  2. Reach out to other public health associations and organizations to:
    • Promote competency based performance management processes, tools and resources to other Public Health organizations;
    • Inform and encourage the participation of these organizations in the ongoing activities of the Workgroup;
    • Leverage and build new capacity by sharing and networking with others.
  3. Build learning tools to support competency based performance management for employees;
  4. Expand the scope of Workgroup activities to include other competency based initiatives that integrate the use of:
    • Public Health Discipline-Specific Competencies
    • Public Health Technical/Program Competencies

The current members of the Workgroup represent the following public health organizations:

  • City of Hamilton, Public Health Services
  • Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit
  • Toronto Public Health
  • Thunder Bay District Health Unit

If you are interested in joining the Workgroup as a new member organization, or for all other inquiries, please visit the Workgroup's website and contact the Acting Chairperson.

 

 

References

[1]  A doula is someone who provides non-medical practical and emotional support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.