alPHa Position
A
healthy childhood in a supportive environment is an essential
determinant of health. Meeting physical, cognitive, communicative and
psychosocial developmental milestones must be supported by healthy
public policy and strong public health services that are specifically
mandated to promote them as components of healthy growth.
A16-5, Healthy Babies Healthy Children 100% Funding |
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) urgently request the Minister of Children and Youth Services to fully fund all program costs related to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program, including all staffing and administrative costs.
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Developments on A16-5:
Please note that this Resolution is a renewal of the call that was made in the nearly-identical Resolution: #A01-5, Healthy Babies, Healthy Children Program Funding. Please see below for actions dating back to 2001 on this issue.
May 4 2017
alPHa has written two letters to the Minister of Finance. The first is a general response to the 2017 Ontario Budget (which includes a brief reference to this resolution) and the second addresses our concerns with the HBHC program in context of the Budget's commitments to improving child and maternal health.
July 21 2016
alPHa has transmitted a letter to the Minister of Children and Youth Services that introduces this resolution.
Resolution A14-7, Enactment of Legislation to Enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (the Code)
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THAT that the Association of Local Public Health Agencies strongly recommends and urgently requests the Prime Minister of Canada, the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services, Ontario Minister of Education, the federal Minister of Health, and Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to enact legislation implementing all provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes and its subsequent relevant World Health Assembly Resolutions;
AND FURTHER the Association of Local Public Health Agencies strongly recommends and urgently requests the Prime Minister of Canada, the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services, Ontario Minister of Education, the federal Minister of Health, and Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to establish a sustainable enforcement program to allow for monitoring and addressing non-compliance
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Developments on A14-7:
September 18
Response received from the Prime Minister's Office, acknowledging receipt of the alPHa letter introducing Resolution A14-7.
August 27 2014
alPHa has written a letter to the Prime Minister introducing this resolution for support and action.
alPHa has written a letter to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care introducing this and five other 2014 Resolutions for his support and action.
Resolution: #A11-8, Public Health Supporting Early Learning and Care |
THAT
alPHa will actively engage in advocacy to strengthen public health
programs to support families and healthy early childhood development;
AND FURTHER that
alPHa will forward this resolution to the Ministry of Health and
Long-Term Care, Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ministry of
Health Promotion and Sport, Ministry of Education, the Chief Medical
Officer of Health and the Early Learning Advisor and in addition alPHa
encourages all member agencies to transfer knowledge and information to
decision-makers and the general public about the value of supporting
early childhood development and the importance of adequate investment in
early childhood development; AND FURTHER that
alPHa and both local and provincial public health agencies should work
with partners to more clearly define, better measure and more broadly
disseminate information about progress toward early childhood goals; AND FURTHER that alPHa will advocate for the inclusion of early
childhood development in political platforms; AND FURTHER that
alPHa commits to helping health units to share examples of best
practices, useful approaches for local integration and examples of
achieving seamless and integrated services. |
Developments on #A11-8:
August 29, 2011
Response received from the Premier.
August 17, 2011
alPHa
has written to each of the leaders of the three major Provincial
political parties, urging commitment to continuing work on the Ontario's
early years strategy as envisioned in the Pascal Report (With Our Best Future in Mind) following the 2011 election.
August 17, 2011
alPHa has written to the Premier of Ontario urging action on this and two other 2011 alPHa Resolutions.
August 17, 2011
alPHa has written to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care urging action on this and five other 2011 alPHa Resolutions.
Resolution: #A09-6, Preschool Speech & Language Program Budget |
THAT
alPHa urge the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to increase the
2009/2010 funding for preschool speech and language programs to continue
to deliver services at current levels at a minimum; AND FURTHER THAT
special consideration is given to communities that include a high urban
aboriginal preschool population; AND
FURTHER THAT the Ministry of Children and Youth Services take a
leadership role in reviewing the current funding structures for
preschool speech and language services throughout the province of
Ontario with a view to increasing accountability; AND
FURTHER THAT the Ministers of Health & Long-term Care and Health
Promotion work with the Minister of Education and Training, and the
Minister of Children and Youth Services to ensure school boards of
Ontario are recognized as the appropriate provider of speech and
language services to Ontario’s children; AND
FINALLY THAT a smooth transition to school based speech and language
services be achieved by supporting the school boards of Ontario to
provide speech and language services, and funding school boards to do
the same. |
Developments on #A09-6:
September 24, 2009
Reply
received from Minister of Children and Youth Services, indicating the
likelihood that this issue will be examined as part of Ontario's move
toward full-day learning and a review of School Health Support Services
may be opportunities for further work on the issue. It also states that
no increases to base funding should be expected.
August 17, 2009
Letter written to Minister of Children and Youth Services introducing Resolution A09-6.
Resolution: #A02-5, Reporting on Sexual Health, AIDS and Other STD Teaching |
THAT
the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) petition the
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to request the Minister of
Education to amend appropriate sections of the Education Act so as to
require the reporting of the proportion of students in grades 7-9
receiving the minimum three hours of sexual health teaching and three
hours of education about AIDS and other STD’s, annually, by schools, and
further that such reports be provided to the Boards of Health having
jurisdiction for each school. |
Developments on # A02-5:
February 7, 2003
Received a response from Geoff Kettel at the Public Health Branch that
the MOHLTC is "committed to supporting health units in the
implementation of mandated health promotion activities...to that end,
the Branch is involved in a number of ongoing activities, which address
the provision of health education in school curriculums, including
sexual health education".
November 25, 2002
Received a response from Minister Witmer, summarizing the overall and
specific expectations of what students are required to learn about these
subjects in grades 7 to 12. She indicated that it is up to instructors
on how to meet these expectations, and that no amendments to require
reporting of enrolment or success rates in the courses are being planned
Resolution: #A01-5, Healthy Babies, Healthy Children Program Funding |
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province be called upon to fully fund all Healthy
Babies, Healthy Children Program direct costs, current and future, and to fully fund the indirect costs
related to the operation and administration of this Mandatory Program in a manner consistent with
funding formulas for other Mandatory Programs; AND FURTHER that Boards of Health not be called upon to subsidize this program. |
Developments on #A01-5:
May 4 2011
alPHa has written to the ADM of Children and Youth Services with a detailed account of the issues being faced by its members. It includes past alPHa correspondence as well as a compilation of resolutions passed by individual boards.
August 7, 2007
alPHa has received a reply from the Minister of Children and Youth Services regarding HBHC funding.
August 26, 2002
Met with Ms. Livingstone and raised concerns about health units'
inability to pay for indirect and direct costs of administering
HBHC. OISC will not be increasing allocated administrative funding to
health units, but indicated there is flexibility in the budget lines and
welcomed suggestions from alPHa on improving the budget process. OISC
and alPHa agreed to continue meeting in the future to bring closure to
the issue.
May 16, 2002
No response to date from Integrated Services to a telephone request for a meeting.
January 16, 2002
The Director of Healthy Child Development at the Office of Integrated
Services for Children replied in a letter that there are no current
plans to change the policy of the government covering costs of allocated
administration and occupancy related to HBHC program, but agreed to
meet to discuss solutions.
December 5, 2001
Chief Medical Officer of Health Colin D'Cunha copied alPHa on a letter
he wrote to the Director of Health Child Development at the Office of
Integrated Services for Children to respond to alPHa.
August 27 & June 5, 2001
alPHa received copies of letters from two health units that have written the Province to fund all costs of HBHC.
CLOSED Resolution: A13-3, Baby-Friendly Designation for all Ontario Hospitals |
THAT the Association of Local Public Health Agencies urges the Minister
of Health and Long Term Care to strongly encourage all Ontario hospitals
to implement the BFI 10 Steps, and work to achieve Baby-Friendly
designation; |
Reason for Closure:
September 30 2013
The
Ontario Government has announced new breastfeeding supports with a
commitment of $2.5 million to help families give
their infants a sound nutritional start. This is to include supporting
Ontario's hospitals and community health care organizations with
training, tools, guidance and resources to help them achieve the World
Health Organization's Baby-Friendly Initiative designation and adopt
clinical best practices in infant feeding that meet Baby-Friendly
Initiative designation requirements. alPHa has written a letter expressing appreciation for the September 30 announcement. Please click here to read.
CLOSED Resolution: #A05-12, Type 1 Diabetes in Children |
alPHa urges the Governments of Canada and Ontario to act immediately and in concert to develop and implement, as soon as possible, a long-term action plan that significantly increases resources available for the epidemiology, education, care and treatment related to type 1 diabetes in children. |
Developments on #A05-12:
November 14, 2006
The Provincial Government has committed $9.65M to cover the full cost insulin
pumps and ongoing related supplies to benefit about 1,000 children aged
18 and under, retroactive to April 1, 2006. This is part of the $53
million diabetes strategy that focuses on diabetes education, early
intervention and effective prevention of complications. It includes The
Pediatric Diabetes Initiative (PDI) for children with type 1 diabetes to
make appropriate education, treatment and follow-up resources available
to children with diabetes and their parents at 34 regional programs
across Ontario.
CLOSED Resolution: #A04-8, Preschool Speech, Language and Audiology Funding |
alPHa requests an increase in the annual funding for the preschool speech and language, audiology and infant hearing programs by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care so as to maintain the existing levels of service provided by health units, and to allow enhanced service to residents of First Nation communities. |
Developments on #A04-8:
December 11, 2006
alPHa Advocacy Committee recommends closure of this resolution as the
Resolution Sponsor agreed that the $4.7 million in the Preschool Speech
and Language program and $1.2 million Infant Hearing program that was
announced by MCYS that year did satisfy the first part of the operative
clause ("funding…to maintain existing levels of service provided by
health units”) and acknowledged that the second part (enhancing services
to First Nation communities) would require more than just
increased/enhanced funding (e.g. the development an innovative service
delivery model that is cost effective and meets the needs of the child,
family and community). This second aspect of the operative clause is
addressed in the broader demands of alPHa Resolution A02-10 (Aboriginal
Public Health in Ontario), which calls for quality and equitable delivery of all aspects of the HPPA to all First Nations citizens.