Emergency Planning and Preparedness

Provincial Baseline Requirements for Infectious Disease Threats

In a changing and globalized world, factors such as international travel, migration, increased urban density, displacement and climate change can change and increase the risk of infectious disease threats. Ontario's health system needs to both maintain and continue to build capacity to manage and adapt to these threats, now and in the future.

Our new plan, Building a Ready and Resilient Health System aims to advance the systems, structures, skills and culture to maintain readiness and to protect health care workers and Ontarians. This plan is a path towards building a resilient health system that is ready and able to manage future or escalating infectious disease threats.

This plan:

• Is for hospitals, paramedic services, primary care organizations and public health units in Ontario; and
• Reinforces baseline requirements to support health system readiness for infectious disease threats
• Builds on the rescinded Ebola virus disease directives

Plan of Action

The path to building a ready and resilient health system will occur in three phases. This plan is the first phase of this process.

---

System Resilience Principles

Our plan focuses on the following system resilience principles to achieve health system capacity outcomes.

Awareness Knowledge of strengths and assets, liabilities, vulnerabilities and threats. The ability to constantly assess and adjust understanding in real time.	Diversity & Self-Regulation Different sources of capacity and a range of capabilities to draw upon. Can regulate itself to deal with situations and disruptions without severe malfunction.
Integration & Adaptation Coordination of functions and actions across systems and work collaboratively. Capacity to adjust to changing circumstances by developing new plans, taking new actions, or modifying behaviours.	Revitalization Learning and continuing to adapt and grow based on experience

Checklists - Baseline Requirements

We have developed checklists below to support health care providers to maintain a baseline of readiness for infectious disease threats:

• hospitals
• paramedic services
• primary care organizations
• public health units

Infection Prevention & Control and Occupational Health & Safety

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will cooperate with the Ministry of Labour to assist employers in complying with their obligations for infectious disease threats under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

To support a comprehensive approach to planning, organizations can also refer to the following resources:

• Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Ministry of Labour's Infection Prevention and Control
• Ministry of Labour: A Guide for Joint Health and Safety Committees and Health and Safety Representatives in the Workplace
• Provincial Infectious Disease Advisory Committee (PIDAC): Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control Program in Ontario
• Canadian Standards Association CSA Standard Z94.4-11 Selection, Use and Care of Respirators
• Ontario.ca/ebola

Feedback

Collaboration is essential to integrate the concepts and actions within this plan and create a resilient health system. We want to hear from health care providers. Please share your thoughts and ideas for strengthening and building a resilient health system by emailing emergencymanagement.moh@ontario.ca.