2020 Program

​​​The program schedule can be found here! Full session descriptions can be seen here.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - Opening Keynote
Enabling the Future of Long-Term Care in Canada Needs to Begin with the Community

Within a decade, 1 in 4 Canadians will be 65 or older.  Many more of us will need support to remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.  In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 100% of older Canadians now say they are more than ever determined to stay healthy and to age in their homes for as long as possible. 

For many Canadians, however, ageing at home remains elusive.  Over 430,000 Canadians report having unmet home care needs, and over 40,000 more are on nursing home waiting lists.  Despite these numbers - and with 60% of older Canadians now reporting that they are less keen than ever to age in a nursing or retirement home, the Ontario Government recently announced its intention to accelerate the construction of thousands of new beds. 

Given the misalignment between the needs and priorities of Canadians and government policy, is it possible to create a more sustainable long-term care system in line with what Ontarians and Canadians want and need?  Yes.  The work starts in our own homes and communities.  In his keynote, Dr. Samir Sinha will walk us through a new community-based long-term care paradigm that better aligns with what we all want and need.
Dr. Samir K. Sinha, MD, DPhil, FRCPC, AGSF 
Peter and Shelagh Godsoe Chair in Geriatrics and                        
Director of Geriatrics, Sinai Health System and the University Health Network 
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Dr. Samir Sinha is the Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network in Toronto and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is also the Director of Health Policy Research at Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing. 

A Rhodes Scholar, Samir is a highly regarded clinician and international expert in the care of older adults. He has consulted and advised governments and health care organizations around the world and is the Architect of the Government of Ontario’s Seniors Strategy.  In 2014, Maclean’s proclaimed him to be one of Canada’s 50 most influential people and its most compelling voice for the elderly.
From Left to Right, top to bottom - see full bios on the schedule page: 
Julie Drury, Strategic Lead - Patient Partnership, Canadian Foundation For Healthcare Improvement 
Karima Kanani, Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
Ivy Wong, Senior Lead, OHT and System Integration, North York Toronto Health Partners and Senior Advisor, NIA

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM
OHT Governance: ​Your Role in Structure and Patient Engagement

Learn about Ontario Health Team (OHT) best practices, compare governance structures in other jurisdictions and explore questions about the future of OHTs at this panel discussion.

The province has given local Ontario Health Team partners vast latitude in determining their own governance structures. This has led to very different structures being developed across Ontario. These structures have varying levels of home and community care provider participation and client/patient engagement in the co-design of governance structures.

Questions to be explored include:
- Should the province be more prescriptive with the structure of Ontario Health Teams?
- Should there be more client/patient participation and co-design of governance structures?
- What should the role of home and community care providers be in governance structures?

Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM
COVID-19 & Food Insecurity: How to Fix the Gaps in the System

The pandemic has confirmed what many have known for a long time, which is that access to healthy nutritious food is key for seniors and those with physical disabilities to live safely at home.  The need to self-isolate and the economic repercussions of public health measures exposed serious flaws in our social safety net and policies related to food security.

Earlier this year, the provincial government invested $11 million to help address these issues for seniors and people with disabilities. The Ontario Community Support Program was set up to expand existing meals on wheels program and create new food and essential delivery programs across the province. At the same time, food banks across the province saw a big rise in demand at the same time as they faced new challenges in distribution.

​In this session, Talia Bronstein from the Daily Bread food bank and Patrick Boily from OCSA will discuss their lessons learned around food insecurity and the policy changes that are needed to ensure that seniors and those with physical disabilities have access to the nutritious food they need in order to live safely in their home and community. 
From Left to Right:
Patrick Boily, Director of Policy, OCSA
Patrick Boily is currently Director of Policy at the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA), the provincial association that represents not-for-profit home and community care health service providers in Ontario.  In this role, he leads the development and implementation of OCSA’s advocacy, government relations, public policy and stakeholder engagement agenda. 
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Talia Bronstein, Daily Bread Food Bank
Talia Bronstein holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Toronto and is an experienced policy researcher with a passion for social change. Talia has worked in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, which provides her with a unique perspective in building collaborative relationships between community members, partner organizations, and government to tackle complex systems-level policy issues. Currently, as the VP Research & Advocacy at Daily Bread Food Bank, she advocates for the realization of the right to food in Canada.
From Left to Right, top to bottom - see full bios on the schedule page: 
Camille Quenneville, CEO, CMHA Ontario Division
Sana Imran, Policy Analyst, lead on health equity, CMHA Ontario Division
Lawrence Blake, Manager of workplace programming, CMHA Ontario Division

Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 9:45 AM to 10:30 AM
Planning a Psychologically Safe Return to the Workplace

Over the past few months, our employees’ mental health has been put under severe strain. In response, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario in partnership with Mental Health Works and BounceBack Ontario, created a toolkit to:
  • support employees
  • ensure employers could support their teams
  • help plan for a psychologically safe return to the workplace.

Health care sector services have had to change drastically throughout the pandemic. Some services ramped down, others adapted to virtual and some support staff worked from home.

This session will provide an overview of the toolkit prepared by CHMA-Ontario and highlight ways senior leaders can support their teams’ and their own mental health.

Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 10:45 AM to 11:30 AM
Virtual Care:
​Meeting Expectations for OHTs

Ontario Health Teams are facing a significant push for virtual care as we continue to move forward into this more integrated care model. The pandemic waves of 2020 have accelerated the demand for and adoption of virtual care as we seek to find new and improved ways to provide care that is safe in the community. 

Earlier this year the province made an initial investment in technology/infrastructure for Ontario Health Teams and we are seeing additional funding around this on the horizon. This presentation will bring together various sector experts to discuss:
  • Expectations of each other’s digital interoperability
  • How to successfully prepare to meet the technological requirements of OHTs
  • How to best meet clients’ increasing expectations
From Left to Right, top to bottom - see full bios on the schedule page: 
Alvin Cheng, Director of Health Analytics and Innovation, Ontario Health (Toronto Region)
Alistair Forsyth, CIO, VHA Home Health Care
Amelia Hoyt, CIO, Michael Garron Hospital
Mehran Mehrdadi, Vice President, Administration & Information Systems, WoodGreen Community Services