Posts by Region of Durham

The Regional Municipality of Durham seeks to develop and pilot an Emotional Model of Care that aims to transform the way care is provided to residents in Long-Term Care Homes in the region through a cultural change theoretical lens by piloting change ideas from residents, families and staff to improve care and services. It is an anticipated culture shift from a restricted, simultaneous, task-based system of care to an emotional model of care where person-centered care is championed, and individual care needs are prioritized.

Leaders have a key role in shaping work conditions and influencing workforce retention. Long-term care (LTC) work is often characterized by heavy workloads and insufficient resources that can lead to significant moral distress, high job pressures, and increased staff turnover. The goal is to conduct a scoping review of the LTC retention literature, identify psychological health and safety (PHS) priorities for workforce retention, and co-develop a proposed plan to address PHS for workplace retention in LTC.

Dementia is associated with cognitive decline and social isolation in people living with dementia (PLwD), and increased caregiver (CG) burden. Non-pharmacological interventions such as reminiscence therapy support emotional well-being by encouraging active recall of meaningful life experiences in individuals. Building upon this approach, this study explores the use of Virtual Reality (VR) Memory and Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support reminiscence therapy for PLwD and their caregivers. An immersive, customizable VR environments was designed to stimulate memory recall, while an AI Avater supported conversations through various modes to encourage further memory recall, social connection, and engagement.

Winter 2026

 In 2024, Durham Region conducted a Point-in-Time (PiT) Count to enumerate individuals experiencing homelessness and better understand and support those experiencing it. As part of the process, an enumeration was conducted, and surveys were administered to gather key demographic and experiential data. The goal of this project is to develop and implement a knowledge mobilization plan that ensures the findings from the PiT Count are accessible, understood, and applied by stakeholders, community partners, service providers, policymakers, and the public to inform effective, equitable, and data-driven responses to homelessness in Durham Region.

Winter 2026

The Town of Whitby aims to answer how Whitby’s projected residential and industrial growth will align with existing and planned transit infrastructure. Specifically, the core problem they are addressing is the potential mismatch between Whitby’s rapid growth and the existing transit network. Without proactive planning, new residential neighbourhoods and employment areas risk being underserved, limiting mobility options and creating greater reliance on cars. The goal is to provide data-driven recommendations that support sustainable, smart growth and ensure transit planning keeps pace with community needs.

Winter 2026

Students from Ontario Tech University have wrapped up another impactful partnership through CityStudio Durham and the Region of Durham’s Child Care & Early Year’s Division, aimed at strengthening developmental outcomes for children in Durham Region. Using insights from the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a tool that helps the region track children’s development and readiness for school, student teams collaborated with the early learning and childcare community to create a variety of evidence-based prototypes to support children’s early years.

This project invites students to explore how Durham Region, local municipalities, neighbouring jurisdictions and provincial partners could collaborate more effectively. Students will examine how shared information systems, aligned processes, and formal agreements (such as MOUs) could improve service delivery in areas like court services, fine collection, tax roll information, and resident-facing workflows. Students may also design and analyze resident polling to understand public expectations for more integrated, “one‑stop” government services. 

June is Recreation and Parks Month, and Durham Region Health Department, in partnership with participating Durham Region municipalities, is excited to celebrate all month long. Participating municipalities in Durham Region will offer a passport adventure initiative throughout the month where residents can enjoy a variety of free recreation programs such as public swims, Free Fitness Fridays, as well as exciting new activities. 

World No Tobacco Day is May 31, and Durham Region Health Department is supporting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) message revealing how tobacco and nicotine industries design their products to get young people stuck in a cycle of addiction. These industries continue to target young people through flavoured products, social media and other marketing tactics that contribute to increased use and addiction. 

A video message from your Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Kyle