Tackling regional issues at the local level: Locally Driven Collaborative Projects

Public health units are the front-line of Ontario’s public health system. Ontario’s 36 health units work with their communities to deliver programs and services and address local public health issues. Public Health Ontario’s Locally Driven Collaborative Projects (LDCP) bring public health units together to develop and run applied research projects based on their experiences and needs at the local level. 

Each year, PHO facilitates and funds a number of LDCP. These projects are led by collaborative teams of public health unit staff with support from academic partners and community stakeholders. 

This year’s research projects were selected to align with major provincial priorities for public health.  The first is Ontario’s Patients First Action Plan for Health Care, which aims to create formal links between public health units and Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) for health system planning. The second is the modernization of the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) which outlines basic programs and services that public health units are mandated to deliver in Ontario. Originally created in 2008, work is underway to revise these standards to ensure they reflect today’s public health needs in Ontario. This year’s LDCP are: 

• Identifying key elements for successful collaboration between LHINs and public health units to achieve an improved health system in Ontario using a population health approach. 

• Identifying an optimal method to use and share health data to enable community partners to better advance health equity in their communities. 

• Identifying principles and practices to enable engagement between First Nation communities and public health units to improve opportunities for health. 

There is substantial change underway in Ontario’s public health system. The LDCP enable public health units to align and prepare for these changes, and to ensure they can continue to make their communities the healthiest they can be. For more information about these projects and who is involved, see the LDCP webpage. 

These year-long research projects will launch in March 2017. LDCP teams take an integrated knowledge exchange approach and will connect and consult with stakeholders throughout their projects to ensure they meet the needs of knowledge users. Project teams will also share their findings with knowledge users within public health and the broader community. Previous LDCP teams have completed infographics, conference presentations, academic posters and more.

Stay tuned to the LDCP webpage for future updates on this year’s projects