Ontario Health Team

Kids Come First Ontario Health Team!

The Ontario Ministry of Health is introducing Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) to organize and deliver care that is more connected to people in their local communities.

Infants, children, and youth are not adults — their health-care needs are totally different. They are still developing, they live with different illnesses, experience mental health and addictions differently. They require a wider range of health-care providers, have parents or guardians who co-manage their care, and attend daycare or school. For these reasons and more, we need to better connect health services for kids, making it easier and faster to access.

Hundreds of organizations, clinicians and families are working to put together an OHT specially designed for children and youth! As a member of this OHT, CHEO will deliver services in a way that works best for you and we will work together to see organizations that care for kids all do the same. Everyone is committed to co-design this OHT with children, youth and families every step of the way!

#NameOurOHT was a success!

Grade 1 student Rémi Lamoureux, age 6, suggested “Kids Come First” «Les enfants avant tout». He learned of the naming contest from his dad Michael, who was notified by their family physician, Dr. Alicia Donohue at Your Health Votre Santé. Michael and Rémi, along with mom Désirée and brother Sacha brainstormed the family’s favourite and entered the naming contest. Over 120 name suggestions were received and narrowed down to just three by a group of youth. Over 1,200 votes were cast and Rémi’s Kids Come First is the winner!

Family of four with husband, wife, six-year-old-boy and two-year-old-boy

Here are the organizations that have been working on this important project:

• Almonte General Hospital

• Bayshore Healthcare

• Carleton Place District Memorial Hospital

• Carlington Community Health Centre

• Centretown Community Health Centre

• Centre de santé communautaire de l’Estrie

• Centre de services communautaires Vanier

• Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health (CECYM)

• Centre Psychosocial

• Champlain Maternal Newborn Regional Program (CMNRP)

• Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa

• Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre

• Children’s Mental Health of Leeds & Grenville (child and youth mental health lead agency for Lanark/Leeds/Grenville)

• Citizen Advocacy

• Communicare Therapy

• Ottawa Children’s Coordinated Access & Referral to Services

• Cornwall Community Hospital (child and youth mental health lead agency for Stormont/Dundas/Glengarry)

• Crossroads Children’s Mental Health Centre

• Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre

• Dr. Jane Liddle, Community pediatrics representative – THRIVE steering committee

• Dr. Jolanda Turley, Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa

• Dr. Kathy Keely, Chief of Community Pediatrics

• Dr. Lee Donohue, Your Health Votre Santé Family Practice

• Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA)

• Family Advisory Council, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre

• Family Advisory Council, Roger Neilson House

• Family Services Ottawa

• GEM Healthcare

• Inuuqatigiit Centre (formerly Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre)

• Kemptville District Hospital

• Maison Fraternité

• North Lanark Community Health Centre

• Open Doors for Lanark Children and Youth

• Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre

• Ottawa Child and Youth Initiative Council of Partners (representing over 80 child- and youth-serving organizations)

• Ottawa Public Health (OPH)

• ParaMed

• Parents’ Lifelines of Eastern Ontario (PLEO)

• Pembroke Regional Hospital

• Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre

• Rainbow Valley Community Health Centre

• Renfrew Victoria Hospital

• Rideauwood Addictions

• Roberts Smart Centre

• Roger Neilson House (RNH)

• Sandy Hill Community Health Centre

• Seaway Valley Community Health Centre

• SE Health

• Somerset West Community Health Centre

• SouthEast Ottawa Community Health Centre

• St. Francis Memorial Hospital

• St. Mary’s Home

• The Ottawa Rotary Home

• The Phoenix Centre for Children and Families (child and youth mental health lead agency for Renfrew)

• The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre

• Valoris for Children and Adults of Prescott-Russell (child and youth mental health lead agency for Prescott & Russell)

• Youth Services Bureau (child and youth mental health lead agency for Ottawa)

• Wabano Aboriginal Health Access Centre

• Youville Centre

Inspired by children, youth and families

Katherine Stevens' story

Katherine Stevens, a Grade 11 student at Colonel By High School in Ottawa, has become engaged in improving health care for young people. “I would like to see better communications between everyone involved in my care,” she says.

After surgeries in 2016 and 2017 to treat hip dysplasia, along with frequent visits to the CHEO’s gastrointestinal clinic for other health issues, she was tired of retelling her story every time she needed care. She saw that better integration of care would improve her experience.

Katherine joined the CHEO Youth Forum — volunteers who partner with CHEO to ensure youth experience is integrated into everything that CHEO does.

The Kids Come First Ontario Health Team’s has a digital health plan:

All of our partners that are planning a digital health investment in the next 18 months, will be supported in evaluating existing regional investments in order to identify which existing instances would be the best fit for their needs.

Kids Come First will help young people like Katherine by ensuring that health records are seamlessly shared among all of her health-care providers.

Stephanie Paravan's story

Stephanie and Matthew Paravan Stephanie Paravan wants more time to just be a mom to Matthew, her 12-year-old son with complex and serious health issues.

“I spend too much time navigating Matthew through the health-care system,” says Stephanie. “There are lots of programs but too many points of access. Some days I feel like I’m an administrator, not a mom.”

Matthew is a Grade 8 student in Ottawa. Cognitively, he is a typical 12-year-old boy, but he has an autoimmune condition and an undiagnosed neurological condition which result in frequent seizures, loss of mobility and speech, and constant pain. He depends on a wheelchair and communicates using cards, apps and other devices. He is not able to sit up or eat on his own. He receives palliative care.

Matthew frequently needs inpatient care at CHEO and Roger Neilson House. When it’s time to go home, Stephanie gets printed copies of his care plan so she has them in hand to share with Matthew’s home-care providers. Often, she and Matthew are home with the rest of the family before their home-care providers even knows that he has been discharged.

The Kids Come First Ontario Health Team’s first-year goals include:

Establish a fully-integrated pediatric home-care program, focused on the needs of patients and families, and connecting care and providers across acute, post-acute, home and community settings.

Kids Come First will help moms and sons like Stephanie and Matthew by integrating home care with hospice and hospital care so that families can focus on each other, not arranging for caregivers.

Christie Kopczyk's story

Christie and Troy “Some days I feel like I am his case coordinator, instead of his mom,” says Christie Kopczyk of her 14-year-old son Troy.

“As a parent, you have to learn about all of the care you can get for your son to give him his best opportunity to thrive.”

Before birth, Troy was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. By the time he started Grade 1 Troy had seven brain surgeries and hours of speech language therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. More recently, he has had some mental health challenges with ADHD impacting his academics and social skills.

“Once Troy started school, there were gaps in his care,” Christie says. “The school system tries but you wind up with a visit from therapists once every six weeks for 25 minutes that gives some suggestions on exercises and how to help him in the classroom. “

With the support of his mom, along with dad Greg and brothers Tristan, 11, and Jake, 6, Troy is succeeding in Grade 9.

The Kids Come First Ontario Health Team’s first-year goals include:

Establish a fully-integrated pediatric home-care program, focused on the needs of patients and families, and connecting care and providers across acute, post-acute, home and community settings.

Kids Come First will help families like the Kopczyks by integrating health care in the community, including school systems.

Michelle March's story

Michelle and Amelie March Michelle March, 19, and her mom Amélie moved to Ottawa hoping for better access to health care. Michelle is an articulate, self-aware young woman who understands that her health needs are complex. She needs support dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia and dissociative personality disorder. Mom, Amélie, is loving and supporting.

Michelle’s first family doctor in Ottawa was not well versed in the supports available for a young woman dealing with issues like Michelle.

“It was a frustrating experience,” says Michelle. “I needed help but my first doctor did not seem to believe that a young person like me could have such severe mental health issues. She did not know what to do. She did not know what was available or where to send me.”

The Kids Come First Ontario Health Team’s first-year goals include:

Implement a regional “One phone number/One click” resource for those looking for service information including children, youth and families/caregivers, as well as service providers.

Kids Come First will help young women like Michelle by equipping primary-care providers with better access — they will know who to call, for what, and when, to support their children and youth.