Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services, and Accountability (Standards)

The Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services, and Accountability (Standards) identify the minimum expectations for public health programs and services to be delivered by Ontario's 34 boards of health. The Standards are published by the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care as per Section 7 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Boards of health are accountable for implementing the Standards including the protocols and guidelines that are referenced therein.

The Standards consist of the following sections:

• Defining the work that public health does, which includes the Foundational and Program Standards;
• Strengthened accountability, which includes the Public Health Accountability Framework and Organizational Requirements; and
• Transparency and Demonstrating Impact, which includes the Public Health Indicator Framework for Program Outcomes and Contributions to Population Health Outcomes and Transparency Framework: Disclosure and Reporting Requirements.

Protocols provide direction on how boards of health shall operationalize specific requirement(s) identified within the Standards. The aim is to have consistent implementation of specific requirements across all 34 boards of health.

Guidelines provide direction on how boards of health shall approach specific requirement(s) identified within the Standards. The aim is to provide a consistent approach to/application of requirements across all boards of health, while also allowing for variability in programs and services across health units based on local contextual factors as defined in the guidelines.

Reference Documents include topic-specific documents that provide information and best practices relevant to operationalizing and implementing the Standards, Protocols and Guidelines.

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