ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

The Association of Local Public Health Agencies is the non-profit organization that provides leadership to boards of health and public health units in Ontario. Our members include board of health trustees, medical and associate medical officers of health, and senior public health managers in each of the public health disciplines – nursing, inspections, nutrition, dentistry, health promotion, epidemiology and business administration. alPHa advises and lends expertise to members on the governance, administration and management of health units. The Association also collaborates with governments and other health organizations, advocating for healthy public policy and a strong, effective and efficient public health system in the province.

We represent not only the diversity of public health disciplines of our members, but also the diversity of public health needs in Ontario’s communities, through effective communication and collaboration among members as well as with policy makers and other associations. In this, we seek to establish a unified and powerful voice for public health in Ontario that is consulted and respected, and to provide assistance to our members for the efficient and effective delivery of public health services to their communities.

Through policy analysis, discussion, collaboration, and advocacy, alPHa members and staff act to promote public health policies that form a strong foundation for the improvement of health promotion and protection, disease prevention and surveillance services in all of Ontario’s communities.

alPHa has recently been very successful in this regard, representing our members with a strong and influential voice in the Walkerton Inquiry, Dr. David Walker’s Expert Panel on SARS, the Campbell Commission, and the Haines Inquiry. Our recent position paper, Creating a Sustainable Public Health System in Ontario, was the result of a broad and comprehensive consultation with all of our members. It was very well received, and alPHa is in regular contact with policymakers at both the provincial and federal levels as they seek our members’ further input into the important public health reforms that are currently in the planning stages.

Many of the public health measures alPHa has championed over the years are finally coming to be. Recent announcements have been made of more money for public health, increased provincial responsibility, funding of vaccines and province-wide non-smoking legislation. Governments are now speaking and understanding the language of prevention as an integral part of the health care system.

The business of the Association is overseen by a 21-member Board of Directors, consisting of 7 medical officers of health, 7 board of health trustees and representation from each of the 7 public health disciplines listed above. All regions of the province are represented to ensure that all communities’ interests can be served. The Board meets at least 5 times per year to discuss emerging and ongoing issues in public health policy, funding, programs and services.

alPHa also conducts regular meetings of its Board of Health Section and Council of Medical Officers of Health to discuss issues particular to their positions. The alPHa Advocacy Committee also meets regularly to discuss action plans for Association Resolutions, as well as emerging issues raised by members, public, government or media. This committee is designed to give opportunity for wider participation in alPHa business by interested health unit staff.

If a topic demands it or members request it, alPHa will periodically arrange seminars, workshops and general meetings for full discussion and planning. alPHa has conducted such day-long workshops as orientation of new board members, West Nile virus and drinking water safety, teleconferences on unexpected policy announcements, and in-services at health units on labour relations and liability issues.

Our staff regularly consults with other partners in the health and policy sector, including government ministries, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Public Health Association, the Ontario Health Providers' Alliance, and Cancer Care Ontario. alPHa currently holds the Co-Chair of the Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, the coalition of provincial health organizations that collaboratively promotes healthy living and addresses the determinants of health necessary for preventing chronic disease.

• Electronic mailing lists: interactive e-mail lists where members can seek advice from colleagues and send and receive information instantly throughout the province. It also allows alPHa staff to request and receive broad input from each of its members when formulating its positions.
• alPHaWeb: our Web site, which includes information about alPHa, links to the Web presence of each of its members, job postings and extensive information on current public health issues. Secure Members’ Areas are also available for the posting of non-public material such as draft resolutions, salary surveys and collective bargaining agreements.
• Educational opportunities: seminars, workshops, and general meetings as described above
• Membership surveys, with distribution of results on insurance, board member remuneration, staff salaries, and other topical issues

• Directories: Every two years, alPHa provides (at no charge) its updated Directory of Public Health Agencies to each health unit employee, which contains contact information for each of Ontario’s health units, including sub-offices and direct lines for senior management staff. alPHa also compiles a Canadian Directory of public health agencies across Canada, and an Ontario Directory of Jurisdictions - towns, cities, hamlets, and municipalities all cross-referenced by health unit. These are available at reduced rates for alPHa members

Group Affinity Programs

alPHa will periodically negotiate group rates for member health units and their employees.

• Teleconferencing
• Long-distance rates
• Employee Benefits
• Group rates on personal home and auto insurance

Most recently, alPHa has struck a partnership with the Group Acquisitions Initiative Network (GAIN), which mediates discounted purchasing of a wide variety of goods and services. Please click on the menu item to your left for further information.

alPHa's Mission Statement is to, through a strong and unified voice, advocate for public health policies, programs and services on behalf of member health units in Ontario. The strength and unity of this voice is best served when all of Ontario’s communities are represented. alPHa is currently enjoying unprecedented recognition and credibility in many public policy discussions. Opportunities for input will continue to present themselves in the near future, and our voice will be strongest when we represent all of Ontario’s 37 health units.

Recognizing that health unit resources vary across the province, alPHa’s membership requirements are graded to ensure that any board of health in Ontario can enjoy all of the above benefits equally.