2025 Health Check-Up!

Administrative Support Services

Goal: To provide effective and efficient support to all DRHD divisions, programs, and services that helps to enhance the delivery of the Ontario Public Health Standards and to meet all requirements of internal and external customers.

Accomplishments:

• Assessed the impacts of staff reallocation to the new myDurham311 Contact Centre and implemented mitigation strategies to ensure adequate administrative support for all DRHD programs.
• Attended meetings with Accreditation Canada to support planning for the 2026 accreditation cycle, established a framework for managing DRHD’s Enterprise Risk Management Cycle, continued to manage all audit related matters, and reviewed 90 per cent of DRHD’s policies and procedures.
• Implemented a financial management framework to support DRHD’s management team with financial management, budgeting, and reporting processes.

Community & Resource Development (CARD)

Goal: To provide support to all DRHD divisions, programs, and services, helping to enhance compliance with the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

• Reviewed over 500 of DRHD’s web pages on durham.ca and updated or removed content as needed, to support completion of the corporate website audit project.
• Developed a DRHD media relations training program and planned to pilot the training within select program areas in early 2026.
• Trained 100 per cent of CARD’s graphic designers on the new Articulate software, which is used to develop online learning modules and produce public awareness videos.

Health Analytics & Research Team (HART)

Goal: To provide current and evolving health data and evidence to inform planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of public health programs and services.

Accomplishments:

• Launched two new internal data dashboards: the Data Quality Monitoring Dashboard and the School-Based Immunization Dashboard.
• Enhanced three existing data dashboards: the external Respiratory Virus Data Tracker, the Infectious Disease Tracker, and the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Monitoring Dashboard.
• Established a partnership with Map Centre for Urban Health Solutions to ensure sustainable data availability for ICES health system indicators.
• Acquired the Durham 211 community-based services data stream, in collaboration with the Durham Ontario Health Team and the Region’s Corporate Services Information Technology team, to supply data for the Health Neighbourhoods base map.
• Deferred the development of sustainable plans for using population health survey data from the Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System, Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, and the Canadian Community Health Survey, until the release of the revised Ontario Public Health Standards.

Health Policy & Equity Team

Goal: To ensure that public health practice results in decreased health inequities so that everyone has equal opportunities for optimal health and can attain their full health potential without disadvantage due to social position or other socially determined circumstances.

Accomplishments:

• Analyzed and summarized data from the DRHD staff survey, which assessed health equity learning needs among staff.
• Developed a plan to conduct focus groups with DRHD staff in early 2026, to enhance understanding of the staff survey results and inform a health equity capacity building strategy.
• Supported 11 Mobile ID and Benefits Access Hub events and four community events, to promote income support and DRHD resources.
• Identified three DRHD program areas to pilot sociodemographic data collection, conducted focus groups with two programs to identify training needs, and drafted two pilot data collection and evaluation plans.

Privacy & Information Security

Goal: To provide effective and efficient privacy and information security support to all DRHD divisions, programs, and services that helps to enhance compliance with applicable privacy and public health related legislation, information security standards, and information management best practices.

Accomplishments:

• Reviewed and updated 27 DRHD privacy policies to ensure compliance with applicable legislation, standards, and best practices, and amalgamated them into 19 policies to reduce duplication.
• Reviewed and updated DRHD’s Privacy Impact Assessment template and created an express template for time sensitive initiatives.
• Reviewed the federal government’s Algorithmic Impact Assessment Tool for artificial intelligence (AI) systems and the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s guidance for the responsible use of AI in the health sector.
• Compiled an inventory of systems being used to collect personal information or personal health information for DRHD’s Community Paramedicine program and identified timelines for conducting Privacy Impact Assessments.

Health Information Systems – Health Protection

Goal: To maintain and develop the Hedgehog application including the Check&GO! disclosure portal and to support staff working toward achieving compliance with the current Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

• Updated the recreational water modules in DRHD’s Hedgehog 5 (HH5) database to align with changes to R.R.O 1990, Reg. 565: Public Pools and provided training to staff in Health Protection Division’s (HPD) Safe Water program.
• Upgraded to a new version of HH5, which improves efficiency and includes a new disclosure portal with enhanced appearance and functionality.
• Created custom forms in HH5 to capture details pertaining to Health Protection and Promotion Act Section 13 orders and created a Power BI dashboard to generate statistics required for Ministry of Health reporting.

Health Information Systems – Population Health

Goal: To maintain and support the PROFILE application to meet requirements of documentation as per the applicable professional colleges and organizational policies, and to meet reporting requirements for programs and services outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

• Created a new PROFILE case for Emergency Management for documentation at evacuation/reception centres and enhanced training for staff.
• Developed an audit program framework for PROFILE and established a plan for implementation.
• Participated in 24 meetings with the Provincial Immunization Repository Committee Data Migration Working Group and 10 meetings with the Immunization Repository Consolidation Steering Committee, to inform decisions for the migration of relevant COVaxON data to Panorama.

Quality Assurance & Improvement

Goal: To ensure that programs and services meet requirements as articulated in policies, standards, and legislation and to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided to DRHD clients.

Accomplishments:

• Initiated a continuous quality improvement (CQI) program within various HPD program areas, to enhance the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of services through a structured, data-driven approach. 
• Created a personal service settings audit form and quality assurance (QA)/CQI audit tool, in preparation for a QA audit of HPD’s Personal Service Settings program.
• Initiated a scan of previously developed QA audit forms and documentation, in preparation for a future QA audit of HPD’s Child Care program. 
• Initiated planning for a QA audit of HPD’s Infection Prevention & Control program.

Durham Health Connection Line (DHCL) - Health Protection

Goal: To respond to inquiries and requests for service, including applications for new businesses and special event vendors from the community.

Accomplishments:

• Received and responded to 6,633 health protection related inquires from the public.
• Trained myDurham311 Contact Centre staff on knowledge articles and created one new knowledge article on the topic of safe needle disposal.
• Updated the DHCL Program Manual to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and value-added items for the team.

 

Emergency Management

Goal: To enable consistent and effective management of emergency situations.

Accomplishments:

• Planned, coordinated, and executed a two-day nuclear exercise in collaboration with Durham Emergency Management, Regional departments, and community partners.
• Hosted two training sessions for Health Operations Centre members, prior to the nuclear exercise.
• Launched an updated Emergency Management online training module for all DRHD staff.
• Hosted five Evacuation Centre Tabletop exercises for DRHD team leaders and Public Health Inspectors.
• Planned and launched three potassium iodide (KI) communication campaigns to raise public awareness about the availability and ordering process for KI tablets.

 

Food Safety

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of food-borne illness.

Accomplishments:

• Completed 6,613 food safety inspections, 930 re-inspections, and 214 complaint-based inspections, as mandated by the Ontario Public Health Standards and Food Safety Protocol, 2019.
• Created and launched the “Food Safety at Special Events” video blog on special event applications and processes for special event vendors and coordinators, which received 21,000 views on YouTube.
• Reviewed vendor and event coordinator applications for 407 special events.
• Held two consistency training meetings with staff, which reviewed topics such as cultural and emerging food trends and inspection best practices.

Healthy Environments

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of illness from health hazards in the physical environment.

Accomplishments:

• Completed and published three reports as part of the Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessments (CCHVA) Series, examining the health impacts of Solar Ultraviolet Radiation, Vector-Borne Diseases, and Air Quality.
• Collaborated with Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and finalized a Capacity Funding Agreement to enable meaningful participation and input into DRHD’s CCHVA Report Series.
• Developed a communication and knowledge exchange strategy to highlight the key findings of the CCHVA Report Series, in collaboration with DRHD’s Community & Resource Development team.
• Initiated planning to provide indoor air quality inspections in ice arenas, with program roll out expected following enhanced staff training, equipment calibrations, and policy development.
• Hosted an annual Heat Warning and Information System Summer Readiness Forum with community partners.
• Hosted two meetings with all municipal by-law managers and collectively agreed to meet biannually to enhance coordination and mutual support.

 

Ontario Building Code - Part 8 (Sewage Systems)

Goal: To prevent diseases in humans and contamination of the physical environment due to on-site private sewage systems.

Accomplishments:

• Introduced five new Ontario Building Code – Part 8 user fees and updated all existing user fees, to better align with current business practices and support DRHD’s ongoing fiscal accountability.
• Held an in-person session for sewage system installers, to provide an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with DRHD staff regarding the new fee schedule.
• Extended the existing Ontario Building Code – Part 8 agreements with seven Durham Region municipalities to 2028, in collaboration with the Region’s Legal Services.
• Delivered an in-person presentation at the Scugog Lake Stewards Science Social titled, “Septic Systems: Out of sight but should not be out of mind,” which described the importance of maintaining private septic systems and the impact of these systems on the health of the lake.
• Inspected all (284) sewage systems within 100 metres of a shoreline or a tributary of Lake Simcoe.

Safe Water

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of water-borne illness related to drinking water and to prevent or reduce the burden of water-borne illness and injury related to recreational water use.

Accomplishments:

• Completed all (571) recreational water facility compliance inspections, 98 re-inspections, and 34 complaint-based inspections, and issued 48 Health Protection and Promotion Act Section 13 orders and eight charges.
• Collected 900 samples across 14 beaches in Durham Region and issued 47 beach advisories and one blue-green algae advisory.
• Updated all recreational water resources and inspection forms (including the pool/spa operator course) to reflect new amendments and updates to R.R.O 1990, Reg. 565: Public Pools and provided training to all Safe Water program staff.
• Updated five beach signs and launched an accessible online platform for real-time disclosure of beach water quality results through the Check&Go! disclosure portal.
• Completed 50 inspections of small drinking water systems and issued 11 warning notices.
• Reviewed the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario’s report on the safety of non-municipal drinking water and summarized the Safe Water program’s current state of compliance. 
• Drafted a revised policy and procedure for blue-green algae response in drinking water and updated durham.ca content to support awareness and guidance related to municipal and private drinking water supplies.

Durham Health Connection Line (DHCL) – Population Health

Goal: To ensure Durham Region residents have access to health information, counselling, and referral to appropriate resources on health issues as outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

• Responded to 14,525 telephone and 662 email inquires from the community.
• Collaborated with Population Health Division’s programs to deliver health education, counselling, and referrals on topics identified in the Ontario Public Health Standards.

 

Infant & Child Development (ICD)

Goal: To enhance the growth and development of children, including those with a developmental disability and/or risk of developmental delay, by partnering with families to provide support, information, and early intervention services.

Accomplishments:

• Completed 3,640 appointments, which provided home visiting services to 815 clients.
• Completed transition to school reports for 21 children transitioning to kindergarten, to assist families with connecting to their home school and establishing a plan to best support their child with school entry.
• Delivered the Journey 2 Kindergarten workshop series to 47 adult participants.
• Supported 69 children with the transition to licensed child care centres.
• Participated in 30 community events, which serviced approximately 218 adults and 217 children.

Pregnancy & Parenting, and Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC)

Goal: To achieve optimal preconception, pregnancy, newborn, child, youth, parental, and family health.

Accomplishments:

• Implemented a communication plan to increase service providers’ knowledge of Perinatal Mood Disorder and awareness of services and resources to support impacted families.
• Updated Perinatal Mood Disorder resources for clients and the community, which included revising the Perinatal Mental Health Supports resource, updating durham.ca content, and delivering presentations to two community partners.
• Implemented a communication plan to support healthy eating and address nutrition challenges for children aged six months to six years, which included two new educational resources, one new web page on durham.ca, 10 social media posts, and 17 parent/caregiver events and programs.
• Completed 5,679 home visits with 675 families identified with risk for compromised parenting and child development.
• Observed that 68 per cent of families receiving HBHC’s home visiting services demonstrated improvement in caregiver/child interactions and 88 per cent achieved their family service plan goals.
• Screened 3,635 prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood families for risk to healthy child development.
• Implemented a plan to promote HBHC’s program and referral process, which involved 183 hospital liaison visits, one “Fax About” for healthcare providers, four educational sessions for healthcare providers at Lakeridge Health, four presentations to community agencies, and 88 social media posts.

Chronic Disease Prevention

Goal: To reduce the burden of chronic diseases of public health importance* and improve well-being.

*Chronic diseases of public health importance include, but are not limited to, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes, intermediate health states (such as metabolic syndrome and prediabetes), hypertension, dementia, mental illness, and addictions.

Accomplishments:

• Used a Comprehensive School Health approach to address vaping in six schools in the 2024/2025 school year and nine schools between September and December 2025.
• Promoted tobacco- and vape-free living curriculum resources and supports to 375 educators at Durham Catholic District School Board’s professional development event.
• Developed one interactive school-based activity and an accompanying parent postcard to support the Grade 4 to 6 curriculum, focusing on the risks of nicotine and vaping, industry marketing tactics, refusal skills, and coping strategies.
• Completed a situational assessment on local food insecurity and developed a report and infographic to summarize key findings and provide recommendations to address food insecurity in Durham Region.
• Collected food costing survey data in nine local grocery retailers and completed a Nutritious Food Basket report.
• Developed a logo, slogan, biography, and social media guidelines to support the development, posting, and maintenance of an Instagram page for the Durham Youth Health Group.
• Developed one video to promote the Durham Youth Health Group, which was shared at DRHD’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Symposium, on YouTube, and on durham.ca.
• Participated in three community events to promote DRHD’s services and resources.

Oral Health

Goal: To enable all children in Durham Region to attain and sustain optimal oral health and development potential, and to support adults who require assistance in accessing oral health information and services.

Accomplishments:

• Completed 6,560 appointments for 2,280 unique clients at DRHD’s Oral Health Clinic, which included 920 clients through the Healthy Smiles Ontario program and 1,360 clients through the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program.
• Worked on a plan to implement preventive, dental, and denture services to eligible clients through publicly funded programs at Brock Community Health Centre, with an agreement expected in 2026.
• Collaborated with the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region for staff training, which enabled DRHD’s Oral Health Clinic to become a recognized Dementia Friendly Community Supporter.
• Provided dental screening to 28,214 children in participating Durham Region schools, which identified 1,533 children with urgent dental needs, 2,569 children with non-urgent dental needs, and 10,959 children clinically eligible for preventive dental services.
• Re-established portable dental clinic services in Durham Region, which involved offering portable clinics in four schools located within priority neighbourhoods that provided preventive dental care to 130 children.
• Continued to expand Indigenous partnerships and explored opportunities to implement oral health promotion and screening in collaboration with local Indigenous communities.
• Delivered oral health promotion education at 55 Durham Region schools, reaching 10,036 students, and at 66 community events, reaching 89 seniors and 443 children.
• Conducted 442 community-based oral health screenings and provided screening at 15 child care centres, reaching 364 children.

Prevention of Injury & Substance Misuse

Goal: To reduce the burden of preventable injuries and substance use.

Accomplishments:

• Implemented one campaign on the relationship between alcohol and cancer.
• Promoted alcohol-related curriculum support tools to elementary and secondary school educators.
• Completed a scan of opioid detox and treatment services available across Durham Region to assess the current local opioid response landscape.
• Collaborated with Indigenous partners to explore the development of an Indigenous Advisory Group to re-centre Indigenous voices at the Durham Region Opioid Task Force table. 
• Completed an evaluation to gain feedback from Durham Region Opioid Task Force members on current processes, to improve coordination of the local opioid response plan among agencies.
• Developed one new Mental Health Framework, which was informed by an extensive evidence review and environmental scan, and disseminated the framework to Population Health Division staff to inform health programs and services across the lifespan.
• Created an evaluation survey for the new Mental Health Framework.

School Health

Goal: To achieve optimal health of children and youth in schools through partnership and collaboration with school boards and schools.

Accomplishments:

• Completed 224 annual school assessments, 74 Healthy School Action Plans (17 for schools in priority neighbourhoods), 1,505 school interactions, 144 Welcome to Kindergarten events, and one school board staff symposium in the 2024/2025 school year.
• Completed 223 annual school assessments, 86 Healthy School Action Plans (14 for schools in priority neighbourhoods), and 816 school interactions between September and December 2025.
• Implemented two Comprehensive School Health training workshops for program staff.
• Conducted a literature review and environmental scan to identify best practices for addressing health equity needs in schools and summarized key findings in a report.
• Developed an action plan to address health equity needs in schools and planned to consult DRHD’s Health Policy & Equity team prior to implementation. 

Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017

Goal: To ensure that tobacco vendors, e-cigarette vendors, and other organizations that are subject to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 (SFOA) comply with the Act and to restrict youth access to tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

Accomplishments:

• Drafted amendments to Durham Region’s Smoking and Vaping By-Law and shared them with the Region’s Legal Services for review.
• Trained program staff to enforce the federal Tobacco Tax Act.
• Posted SFOA convictions in DRHD’s Hedgehog 5 database and initiated the disclosure of SFOA charges, convictions, and automatic prohibitions in the Check&Go! disclosure portal.  

Immunization

Goal: To reduce or eliminate the burden of vaccine preventable diseases through immunization.

Accomplishments:

• Provided provincially funded immunizations to all eligible Grade 7 and 8 students through 379 school-based clinics at elementary schools.
• Supported Immunization of School Pupils Act compliance in all students aged four to 17 years old at 228 elementary schools and 39 secondary schools.
• Enforced Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 compliance for all 212 licensed child care centres (CCC) in Durham Region.

Infectious Diseases Prevention & Control - Health Protection

Goal: To reduce the burden of communicable diseases and other infectious diseases of public health importance.

Accomplishments:

• Received 3,498 reports of infectious diseases of public health significance and completed all sporadic disease investigations.
• Provided outbreak management support for all (419) reported outbreaks, which included 156 outbreaks in long-term care homes, 114 in CCC, 71 in retirement homes, 52 in hospitals, 21 in community settings (i.e., group homes, shelters, and correctional institutions), two in schools, and three suspected foodborne illness outbreaks.
• Hosted DRHD’s annual Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) Education Day for long-term care homes, retirement homes, and other congregate living settings, with 180 attendees.
• Inspected all (972) personal service settings (PSS) for compliance with relevant regulations, protocols, and guidelines and completed 213 re-inspections, 81 complaint-based investigations, and issued 20 Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) Section 13 orders.
• Inspected all CCC for compliance with relevant regulations, protocols, and guidelines, which included 319 environmental inspections, 69 environmental re-inspections, 620 food safety inspections, 32 food safety re-inspections, nine complaint-based investigations, and issued two HPPA Section 13 orders.
• Investigated 68 IPAC lapses, which included 42 at PSS (21 posted) and 26 at health care facilities (five posted), conducted two formal risk assessments in collaboration with Public Health Ontario, and issued 27 HPPA Section 13 orders.
• Completed the content for the online PSS learning module for PSS operators and submitted it to DRHD’s Community & Resource Development team for creation of the module in the online platform.
• Completed the English version of the WEE CARE manual for CCC operators, with a planned distribution in 2026. 
• Completed West Nile Virus (WNV) Prevention and Control program activities, which involved 5,767 visits to potential mosquito breeding sites, administering 451 larvicide treatments, treating 263,928 catchbasins, setting 15 adult mosquito traps for 16 weeks, capturing 28,912 mosquitoes, testing 591 pools of mosquitoes, identifying 28 WNV-positive mosquito trap sites, and receiving six reported cases of WNV in humans.
• Conducted two tick dragging sessions in seven locations where black-legged ticks were identified across Durham Region.
• Received reports of 203 probable or confirmed cases of human tick-borne diseases in residents, which included 196 Lyme disease cases, five anaplasmosis cases, and two Powassan virus cases.
• Implemented a new ArcGIS database and mobile application in the Vector-Borne Disease program to make data entry, analysis, and communication easier and more efficient for staff and contracted pest control operators.

Infectious Diseases Prevention & Control - Population Health

Goal: To reduce the burden of communicable diseases and other infectious diseases of public health importance.

Accomplishments:

• Managed 555 suspected and confirmed communicable disease cases and 381 contacts in accordance with the Infectious Diseases Protocol, 2023.
• Managed all (32) suspected and confirmed cases of tuberculosis (TB) according to federal guidelines and provincial protocols, of which 23 were confirmed cases.
• Managed 534 cases of latent TB infection, followed 236 people for TB immigration medical surveillance, and provided 1,155 home and video visits for directly observed therapy.
• Managed 2,796 sexually transmitted/blood-borne infection cases and 223 contacts in accordance with the Sexual Health and Sexually Transmitted/Blood-Borne Infections Prevention and Control Protocol, 2019.
• Added 13 new clients to the sexually transmitted infection (STI) medication ordering program, with a total of 73 clients registered to receive publicly funded STI medications.
• Completed 13,500 appointments for 4,664 unique clients at DRHD’s two Sexual Health Clinics.
• Evaluated DRHD’s Sexual Health Clinics and found that 92 per cent of clients who completed the Client Satisfaction Survey rated their overall experience as very good or excellent.

Goal: To deliver a quality Paramedic Services system that is responsive to client needs and reduces mortality and morbidity related to illness and injury through the provision of pre-hospital advanced life support procedures. Primary program delivery is through the Region of Durham Paramedic Services, with assistance from the Central Ambulance Communications Centre and local fire department tiered response programs.

Accomplishments:

• Continued to develop a deployment plan to support the Medical Priority Dispatch System, with feedback from front-line paramedic staff.
• Supported the Central Ambulance Communication Centre transition to the Medical Priority Dispatch System and observed a 40 per cent reduction in Code 4 (urgent priority) calls.
• Completed construction of the Seaton Paramedic Station and began operating its response side. 
• Completed the second Advanced Care Paramedic class, which resulted in 15 paramedics achieving Advanced Care Paramedic designation.
• Continued to implement the Paramedic Master Plan with appropriate staffing enhancements, including two commanders and 14 paramedics.
• Continued to develop and implement a strategy to address offload delays to ensure timely client care transfer, which involved ongoing collaboration with Lakeridge Health.

The 2025 expenditures will be posted when available.