Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team approved, Sherbourne Health co-leading initiatives for people experiencing homelessness
The Ministry of Health announced the approval of the Downtown East Toronto (DET) Team as an official Ontario Health Team. Sherbourne Health is pleased to be a partner in this collaboration, and has been fully involved in the development of this DET Ontario Health Team.
As part of Ontario’s health system transformation strategy, Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) have been envisioned as a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients and clients in their local communities. The aim is for various health care providers (including community services organizations, hospitals, primary care, and home and community care) to work with patients and clients as one coordinated team to make it easier to navigate the system and transition between providers.
This announcement comes after more than a year and a half of planning and preparation alongside our health and social service care delivery partners, as well as patients and clients in the Downtown East.
As it continues its work to integrate care, the DET OHT members have set our Year 1 focus on improving health care outcomes and experiences for two priority populations:
- People experiencing homelessness
- Adults with mental health symptoms who would benefit from counselling or psychotherapy
Sherbourne Health will be co-leading initial initiatives the DET OHT will undertake for people experiencing homelessness.
The DET OHT has already begun putting integrated care into action through its various collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic, including mobile and pop-up testing and playing a lead role in the recovery and isolation sites.
Quotes
“Everyone who works in health care, including family physicians and primary care providers, supports the vision of the quadruple aim. The challenge has been in developing the integrated system required to achieve that objective. It is encouraging that so many different sectors have come together to form an OHT in Downtown East Toronto. As a family physician, I see so much opportunity for OHT partners to lead and work collaboratively to tackle some of our health care system’s most frustrating and enduring challenges.” – Dr. Curtis Handford, family physician, St. Michael’s Hospital
“My community engagement within the development of the DET OHT has been an inspirational journey with opportunity for capacity building for myself and I have seen my ideas, feedback and lived experience valued. I am proud to be part of the collective efforts of these healthcare and community service providers to come together and create the vision for holistic approaches to improving health and health outcomes for our DET community.” – Dean Valentine, Downtown East Toronto patient/person with lived experience advisor
Media Contact
Danielle Pereira
Communications, Unity Health Toronto
Communications, Downtown East Toronto OHT
Email: Danielle.Pereira@unityhealth.to
More Resources
- Ministry of Health News Release (Nov. 18, 2020): Ontario Announces 13 New Ontario Health Teams
- Ministry of Health Backgrounder (Nov. 18, 2020): Province Approves 13 New Ontario Health Teams
- Related Content: Building an Ontario Health Team in Downtown East Toronto
- Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team website