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Locally Driven Collaborative Projects (LDCP)

Public Health Sudbury & Districts collaborates with other Ontario public health units to initiate, plan, and lead applied research and evaluation projects related to public health practice and to advance our work in applying the Ontario Public Health Standards. The Locally Driven Collaborative Projects program, which is led and funded by Public Health Ontario is an important mechanism for carrying out such research and evaluation projects, with an ultimate aim of improving health for all.

This section contains information on Locally Driven Collaborative Projects that have included Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ leadership and/or involvement.

Foundational standards

Relationship building with First Nations and public health: Exploring principles and practices for engagement to improve community health (2017-2018)

Public Health Sudbury & Districts is the project lead for this LDCP. The goals of this research is to: identify existing guidance on engagement with Indigenous populations in Canada [and possibly other jurisdictions]; describe the current state of engagement across Ontario First Nation communities and public health units; explore selected examples of engagement in the Northeast that can form the basis for principles and practices; and identify mutually beneficial, respectful and effective principles and practices for engagement between First Nations and public health, developed in collaboration between Northeast Ontario public health units and First Nations.

Partners: Algoma Public Health; Grey Bruce Health Unit, Laurentian University, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit; Porcupine Health Unit; Thunder Bay Health Unit (library services); Citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation; Garden River First Nations Wellness Centre; Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Service; Misiway Milopemahtesewin Community Health Centre; Nipissing First Nation Lawrence Commanda Health Centre; Noojmowin Teg Health Centre; Northern Ontario School of Medicine; University of Sudbury; Weeneebayko Area Health Authority

Patients First: Public health units and LHINs working together for population health (2018)

This was a three-phase project. In Phase 1, the focus was on exploring current public health unit (PHU) and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) collaborations, the elements influencing PHU-LHIN collaborations, and future possibilities to support a population health approach to health system planning. In Phase 2, results of Phase 1 were used to generate an online survey examining the extent of collaboration, process/structures and tools needed to promote collaboration. Phase 3 aimed to determine the key elements for a successful PHU-LHIN collaboration as required by the Patients First Act to achieve an improved health system in Ontario informed by a population health approach. Project reports include:

Partners: Ottawa Public Health; Eastern Ontario Health Unit; Niagara Region Public Health; Oxford County Public Health; Champlain LHIN; McMaster University; University of Western Ontario

Develop and test indicators of Ontario local public health agency work to address the social determinants of health to reduce health inequities (2016-2018)

The purpose of this two-phase project was to identify performance indicators for Ontario boards of health to monitor and guide progress towards addressing the social determinants of health (literature review), and to test these indicators (pilot testing of the indicators). Subsequently, a user guide was developed for boards of health to apply at the local level. Project reports include:

Partners: Peterborough County-City Health Unit; Durham Region Health Department; Algoma Public Health; Toronto Public Health; Western University School of Health Studies and Ivey School of Business; University of Manitoba Faculty of Nursing; Brescia University College; Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

Evaluation of the quality, impact, value, and sustainability of a model to collect provincial data for the Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS) (2012)

The objectives of the evaluation were to: describe the costs of the RRFSS provincial sample; identify what enabled or challenged the implementation of the Provincial Sample Pilot Project (PSPP); describe and measure the impact of the provincial sample pilot project; determine the potential for, and interest in, implementing the provincial sample as an ongoing part of RRFSS; and determine if the RRFSS provincial sample provides comparable provincial estimates.

Partners: Halton Region Health Department; York University; Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit; Durham Region Health Department; Social Research Consulting

Chronic disease prevention and well-being

Beyond BMI: Building an EMR-based childhood healthy weights surveillance system to include nutritional risk and protective factors through the collection and EMR-integration of NutriSTEP (2017).

This pilot study involved working with five primary care practices to test the feasibility of an electronic version of NutriSTEP® in the Accuro® electronic medical record (EMR) as a step toward a surveillance system for childhood healthy weights including risk and protective factors, using primary health care EMR data.

Partners: Durham Region Health Department; Frontenac & Lennox & Addington County Public Health; Eastern Ontario Health Unit; York Region Public Health; Toronto Public Health; Algoma Public Health; Niagara Region Public Health; Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit

Beyond BMI: Investigating the feasibility of using NutriSTEP® and electronic medical records as a surveillance system for healthy weights including risk and protective factors in children (2015)

This study aimed to address the current data gap that exists in childhood healthy weights surveillance at the local health unit level. Project reports include:

Partners: Durham Region Health Department; Kingston, Frontenac & Lennox & Addington County Public Health; Eastern Ontario Health Unit; York Region Public Health; Toronto Public Health; Algoma Public Health; Niagara Region Public Health; Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit; Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario

A study of food literacy among youth, young pregnant women and young parents who are at risk for poor health (2013)

This project aimed to explore the meanings of food skills and develop a working definition; identify the barriers and facilitators to food skills acquisition and practice; and use the findings to inform programs and policies that could improve healthy food preparation among young people at risk for poor health.

Partners: Pine Ridge District Health Unit; Chatham Kent Public Health Unit; City of Hamilton Public Health Service; Huron County Health Unit; Middlesex-London Health Unit; Perth District Health Unit; Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

Breastfeeding surveillance in Ontario: A locally driven collaborative project (2013).

The purpose of this study was to assess the literature on breastfeeding surveillance and data collection methods outside of Ontario pubic health units and examine what Ontario public health units are doing currently for breastfeeding surveillance.

Partners: Brant County Health Unit; Chatham-Kent Health Unit; Durham Region Health Department; Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit; Halton Region Health Department; City of Hamilton Public Health Services; Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health; Lambton Health Unit; Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit; Middlesex-London Health Unit; Niagara Region Public Health Department; Peel Public Health; Porcupine Health Unit; Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services; Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit; Toronto Public Health; Waterloo Public Health; Region of Waterloo Public Health; Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health; Windsor-Essex County Health Unit; York Region Community and Health Services

Environmental health

An environmental scan of built environment data related to walkability and environmental exposure in urban Ontario (2012)

This report presents the results from an environmental scan used to support the identification of walkability and select environmental exposure (air quality and extreme heat exposure) data for use in the assessment of the urban built environment in Ontario.

Partners: Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health; Niagara Region Public Health; Public Health Agency of Canada; York Region Public Health

This item was last modified on April 2, 2024