November 30, 2022
Dear Downtown East Toronto members, colleagues and community,
We are sending this e-blast to provide updates and information on the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DET OHT), as well as relevant news from the Ministry of Health.
You are welcome to share this communication with your extended networks.
Visit the DET OHT website for more information and to view archived issues of our e-blast.
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SPOTLIGHT: Drop-in shelter pilot project
 Finding a family doctor or accessing other health and community resources can be a struggle for many people across the province. This can be an even bigger challenge for those experiencing homelessness and can result in a lack of access to basic health care.
To try to address the unmet health needs of people who are homeless and street involved, members of the DET OHT and other partners, including Toronto Drop-in Network, are collaborating on a pilot project to assess the existing gaps and evaluate the benefits of services added to three drop-in sites in Downtown East Toronto.
The pilot project began earlier this month with the on-site health teams providing weekly primary care, mental health and harm reduction services at drop-ins at The 519, All Saints and Friends of Ruby.
The partner drop-in sites were identified after conducting an environmental scan to determine what health care services were being offered in shelter and drop-in settings in Downtown East Toronto and which sites had service gaps. Interviews were also conducted with drop-in participants to gather information about what health services they would like to see at each drop-in.
Partner organizations, including Inner City Family Health Team, Sherbourne Health, LOFT Community Services, Covenant House, Fred Victor, Regent Park CHC, Fife House, Progress Place, Dixon Hall, and The Works, then collaborated to share resources and create three on-site health teams providing health care services to drop-in participants.
“There are many barriers to accessing health services, including stigma around alcohol and drug use and lack of appropriate services for people experiencing multiple health-related issues who are also experiencing homelessness and poverty,” says Susan Bender, Manager, Toronto Drop-in Network.
“Drop-in staff often fill in the gaps – providing basic health services and responding to critical mental health incidents. We hope to close this gap by bringing teams of experienced and skilled providers to where people already find safety, dignity and basic services.”
A research team at St. Michael’s Hospital, overseen by Dr. Stephen Hwang, are also part of the pilot project and will be studying what health services make the biggest impact and are most valued by community members, as well as the benefits of bringing appropriate health services in a holistic model on-site.
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SPOTLIGHT: Test of Change pilot
The DET OHT’s People Experiencing Homelessness working group and Digital working group are collaborating on a pilot project that aims to implement and evaluate a digital tool that supports communication, collaboration and coordination of care for those in Downtown East Toronto experiencing challenges with housing and homelessness.
Funded by the Test of Change initiative through Ontario Health and by the DET OHT, the pilot is being tested by Emergency Department Outreach Workers at Unity Health Toronto and by case managers and housing workers at Fred Victor. They will use a shared digital tool to provide a more integrated service experience for the patients and clients that access certain services at both organizations.
The goal is that the shared digital tool will:
- Allow DET OHT partners to improve patient/client coordination of care and receive timely notifications about their clients/patients
- Allow relevant information to be collected and shared so patients/clients do not need to repeat their story
- Save time for providers from having to double document and manually enter information
- Improve collaboration among organizations in a clinical and non-clinical setting
This test of change has also led to the development of a project agreement to share patient/client information between a HIC (Health Information Custodian) and non-HIC to support care coordination and delivery.
The first phase of the project went live in October 2021, the second phase went live in October 2022 and the hope is to evaluate and monitor the pilot to make a plan for its next steps after March 31, 2023.
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Check out the DET OHT's first strategic plan
As we shared in last month's e-blast, the DET OHT has launched its first strategic plan! The plan maps out the next three years of priorities towards achieving our vision.
Read the plan to learn more about the strategic themes and objectives.
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Apply to become a DET OHT Team Member
We are pleased to announce the DET OHT is now accepting applications from organizations who are interested in becoming signed Team Members. For more information, including eligibility and application process, please visit the Becoming a Member page on the DET OHT website.
The deadline to apply is January 6, 2023, by midnight.
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Client experience quality improvement project
We want to hear from clients and patients about their experience when seeking mental health and addiction services in Downtown East Toronto. If you know anyone who would be willing to participate in a 1-hour interview to tell us about their experience, please call or e-mail Tina Sahay, Quality Improvement Specialist – Telephone: 416-856-4386 E-mail: tinas@whiwh.com.
Participants are paid $20 for their time. See this poster for more information.
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DET OHT Wellness Hub Clinics
 Our DET OHT partners have continued to collaborate to offer Wellness clinics at Regent Park CHC, 40 Oak St. and The Corner (200 Wellesley St. E).
The Wellness clinics offer COVID-19 vaccines as well as other child and adult routine vaccinations, mental health assessments and therapy, etc.
See the flyers below to view the Wellness clinics hours of operation for December:
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Ministry of Health updates
Learning more about OHTs
For general information about Ontario Health Teams and to sign up to receive Connected Care updates, visit the Ministry’s webpage.
We want to continue to engage with partners in our community as we progress through this process. If you have inquiries about the membership or becoming an engaged member in the OHT, please email detoht@smh.ca. You can also visit the DET OHT website for more information and to view archived issues of our e-blast.
Sent on behalf of the DET OHT members.
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