What is an Ontario Health Team (OHT)?
Ontario Health Teams are a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. There are 58 Ontario Health Teams across the province providing full provincial coverage and ensuring that every person in Ontario can have the support of an Ontario Health Team. The goal is to ensure that everyone in Ontario can benefit from better coordinated, more integrated care.
Under Ontario Health Teams, health care providers (including hospitals, doctors, and home and community care providers) work as one coordinated team – no matter where they provide care.
For more information on Ontario Health Teams, visit Ontario Health Teams | ontario.ca.
About the North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team (NWT OHT)
The North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team (NWT OHT) is a collaborative initiative aimed at providing integrated and accessible healthcare services to the residents of Northwest Toronto. Established as one of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams in December 2019, the NWT OHT brings together a diverse group of healthcare providers to deliver a coordinated continuum of care.
Our Population
Our OHT helps over 414,000 people in Northwestern Toronto through our partner organizations. Our population is made up of people that live in areas of the North York, Etobicoke, and York regions of Toronto.
Key Characteristics:
1. Diverse Demographics: We serve a community of over 414,000 people from many different ethnic backgrounds and languages.
2. Age Distribution: Our community includes young families and seniors. This diversity in age groups means that healthcare services need to cater to a wide range of needs, from pediatric care to geriatric services.
3. Economic Diversity: We have both wealthy neighborhoods and areas facing economic challenges. This economic diversity requires a range of healthcare services to address different social determinants of health.
4. Health Needs: We focus on important health issues like chronic diseases, mental health, and addiction services to improve overall health.
5. Community Engagement: The NWT OHT actively involves community members in its initiatives to make sure our services meet the needs and preferences of the population it serves.
Overall, the population in the North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team area is diverse and unique, requiring a coordinated and inclusive approach to healthcare.
Our Priorities
The NWT OHT is concentrating its’ efforts on improving population health.
Specifically, we have begun initiatives to provide care to patients with chronic conditions that have a significant prevalence in the community including congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and mental health and addictions – schizophrenia, psychotic disorder, and substance use disorder.
In addition to this, our OHT continues to leverage many different digital platforms to better integrate the care we provide to our community. As our journey continues, we will champion initiatives that relate to mental health and addictions, health equity, chronic conditions, and COVID-19 recovery efforts.