STRATEGIC PLAN2017 -2021

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WINDSOR-ESSEX COUNTY HEALTH UNIT

Acknowledgements The 2017-2021 Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) served as a “sounding board” and an advisory body for the WECHU’s second strategic planning process. The SPC provided a forum for discussing issues dealing with the development and implementation of the strategic plan. The committee’s collective insights and counsel were essential components for the adoption and long-term success of the strategic plan.

2016 STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP LISTAshleigh Atkinson, Health Promotion Specialist

Sherry Bergeron, Corporate Planner and Evaluator

Dr. Ken Blanchette, Board of Health Representative

Katie Bondy, Executive Assistant to the Director of Knowledge Management

Chantelle Botscheller, Health Promotion Specialist

Ramsey D’Souza, Manager of Epidemiology, Planning, Evaluation, and Quality

Sandra Deluca, Public Health Nurse

Nicole Dupuis, Director of Health Promotion

Marc Frey, Performance Improvement and Accountability Coordinator

Courtney Gaffan, Public Health Nurse

Lorie Gregg, Director of Corporate Services

Dr. Gary Kirk, Medical Officer of Health/Chief Executive Officer

Alex Kusiewicz, Public Health Inspector

Bill Marra, Board of Health Representative

Kristy McBeth, Director of Knowledge Management

Eric Nadalin, Manager of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention

Lora Piccinin, Manager of Infectious Disease Prevention

Dan Sibley, Manager of Human Resources

Nicole Trajkovski, Tobacco Enforcement Officer

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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF HEALTH CHAIRTo create meaningful change in our community, we need a plan. Understanding the needs and challenges faced by our residents, having a sense of what others perceive our key roles to be, and recognizing the challenges and changes we will likely encounter along the way, have led us to a state of better clarity and more strategic thinking. You will see this in our new plan.

As Chair of the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health, I am thankful for the dedication, thoughtfulness, and vision that went into creating this strategic plan. This plan was developed by our Health Unit, for our Health Unit, which makes it unique and impactful for everyone in the organization. This plan will guide the work of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and its staff for the next five years, and will once again create a new foundation for us to build upon in the future.

Gary McNamara

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MESSAGE FROM THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER When we started the journey of developing our second strategic plan, I reflected on our progress over the last five years and how much the landscape of public health has changed, and is changing today.

Public Health in Ontario is no stranger to transformation, but it is currently in the midst of what could be the largest scope of transition yet. The Ontario Public Health Standards – the documents all health units in Ontario use to guide their activities – are being revised and the Patients First Act promises significant health care system change. The uncertainty associated with these changes and others, coupled with greater competition for resources, new and emerging public health challenges, and an enhanced need to collaborate with community partners, demands that we remain committed to clear goals and directions that keep us focused on our public health mandate.

Our previous strategic plan was heavily driven by an internal need to address outstanding foundational issues such as work environment, workforce development, and business processes. As we worked through these challenges, guided by our last plan, we became a more effective and efficient organization. This time, with a framework already in place, we were able to develop a new strategic plan that will bring us to higher levels of program, service, and organizational success.

Thank you to the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Knowledge Management Division for all of your work putting this plan together. Thanks also to the more than 200 stakeholders, both internal and external, who participated in consultations during the initial phase of this process.

Together, we have laid the groundwork to build a stronger, more dynamic, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. As we continue to develop and grow as an organization in the next five years, this plan will ground us with a clear focus towards creating a healthy community.

Dr. Gary Kirk

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Who We Are The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) is one of Ontario’s 36 public health units. It is located in the southernmost area of Ontario bordering Detroit, Michigan, with a regional population of 403,625 residents and a geographical land area of 1,850 km2. The WECHU service area is made up of nine municipalities, including Pelee Island which is the southernmost inhabited landmass in Canada. The WECHU service community is very diverse with unique needs, for example:

• There are over 150,000 households in the service area

• English is not the first language for 1 in 4 residents

• Over 20% of residents identify themselves as an immigrant

• Nearly 1 in 5 households live in subsidised housing

• 1 in 4 children live in poverty

Our goal is to promote, protect, and improve the health of our residents by offering health-related programs and services and advocating for policies that foster a healthy community.

We are governed by an autonomous Board of Health comprised of members from the County of Essex, the City of Windsor, and provincial appointees. Our programs and services are funded by the provincial and municipal government as defined in the Health Protection and

Promotion Act. Our mandate is described in the Ontario Public Health Standards and our organizational standards are detailed in the Ontario Public Health Organizational Standards. These Standards outline the requirements for essential public health programs and services in Ontario.

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The Purpose of our Strategic Plan

A strategic plan allows our Health Unit to identify key roles, priorities, and directions over the next five years. It sets out what we plan to do, how we plan to do it, and how we will measure our progress. In 2011, the WECHU developed its first-ever strategic plan. The plan directed our focus to key areas within our organization, such as developing our workforce, creating a positive work environment, and improving organizational and program planning.

Since then, the Health Unit has made significant progress by improving efficiency, integrating programs, and enhancing planning capacity, while simultaneously recruiting talented individuals to carry the organization forward. With the foundation set, the Health Unit’s new 2017-2021 strategic plan will allow us to build on our past successes and provide opportunities to enhance our delivery of quality public health programs and services to all residents in Windsor and Essex County.

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2017-2021 Strategic Planning ProcessLOOKING BACK Before we started to look forward, it was important that we took a look back. The WECHU’s first strategic plan (2012-2017) laid important ground work that helped move our organization toward one of enhanced awareness and accountability. As a first step in this process, the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) considered the outcomes, successes, and challenges of the previous plan. The expiring strategic plan highlighted five strategic priorities, which were: positive work environment; workforce development; epidemiology, planning, evaluation, and quality; program and organizational planning; and community leadership with corresponding objectives and actions. There were six values, which were: professionalism, leadership, respect, empowerment, health equity, and accountability.

Throughout the five-year period, a number of the objectives were met and considerable progress was made. Upon reflection, key areas of opportunity were identified. Among them were: the need for measurable operational definitions that could be used for accountability purposes, an enhanced focus on facilitating plan implementation by building organization-wide supports, increased individual accountability for the consistency and continuity of strategic efforts, and clear reporting standards on the effectiveness of strategies. Additionally, fewer and more focused strategic priorities, which have clear goals and indicators of effectiveness, were deemed necessary for the continued support of the objectives throughout the duration of the plan.

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ASSESSING PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS At the beginning of this planning cycle, the need to ground decision making in evidence became one of our highest priorities. To determine local health-related needs, the WECHU reached out to residents through a Community Needs Assessment (CNA). The process consisted of three types of assessments: a quantitative profile of Windsor-Essex County (WEC), focus groups with priority populations and key stakeholders, and a community survey. Five community “need” themes were identified, which were: communication and awareness, mental health, barriers to accessing health services, healthy living, and partnerships and collaborations. The resulting recommendations included the need for the WECHU to be more visible in WEC, strengthen and build partnerships, address mental health needs, focus on improving healthy living programs and services, and work to reduce barriers to health service access. Consequently, the reoccurring themes throughout the CNA were distilled into three broad categories. These categories targeted specific needs which required consideration by the SPC: partnerships, healthy lifestyles, and communication and awareness. As a result, we were able to direct our strategic plan toward perceived gaps in program and service efforts. Our new plan is positioned to provide broad guidance to guide future WECHU directions, services, and initiatives.

STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACKIn addition to learning about our community’s health-related needs, we wanted to gain insight and perspective about the WECHU’s role in the community from our key stakeholders. To do this, we sought input from existing working groups and community committees, key organizational partners, members of the Joint Board Executive Committee, the Senior Management Team, the Board of Health, the Heath Unit Management Action Team, and Health Unit staff. These groups were targeted for their unique and important perspectives about the work that we do. These participants were asked to share their perceptions, attitudes, and expectations about the future direction of public health generally and for the WECHU specifically. In particular, aspects addressing partnerships, awareness, health equity/community diversity, capacity building, and organizational culture were noted as being emergent themes. These aspects are broad in scope and implications, making them suitable for consideration in our strategic planning process, and for application across the WECHU initiatives while adhering to the OPHS.

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STRATEGIC PLAN

19 Strategic Planning Steering

Committee members

100 Staff Survey participants

4 Health Unit Governance Focus

Groups

3 Key Informant large-group

interviews with participants from

27 organizations

CNACOMMUNITY

NEEDSASSESSMENT

21 CNA Planning Committee members

15 groups or organizations

142 Focus Group participants

from12 priority populations

1,441 CNA Survey respondents

21 Organization representatives participated in a

Community Focus Group

STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION

VISION A healthy community.The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit works with the community to

promote, protect, and improve health and w

ell-being for all.

MISSION

VALUESACCOUNTABILITY | EMPOWERMENTLEADERSHIP | COLLABORATION | EQUITY

STRA

TEG

IC P

RIO

RITI

ES

PARTNERSHIPS

ORGANIZATIONALDEVELOPMENT

EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH

PRACTICE

COMMUNICATIONAND

AWARENESS

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VISION A healthy community.

VALUESAccountability

We are accountable to each other and the community in all we do.

Empowerment

We enable all individuals and communities to increase control over, and to improve, their health.

Leadership

We lead our community to optimal health outcomes by providing the highest standard of service from professional, respectful, and competent staff.

Collaboration

Through engaged partnerships, we identify both pro-active and responsive solutions to the public health challenges our community faces, serving as a role model for positive change.

Equity

We embrace diversity and are dedicated to equitable approaches in all of our activities.

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COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESSThe WECHU is focused on enhancing our communication capabilities.

Objective GoalStrengthen the community’s awareness of our programs and services by developing and implementing a corporate communications strategy.

60% of survey respondents are aware of the programs and services offered by the WECHU by 2021.

Increase the WECHU’s visibility by developing and implementing a community engagement approach.

60% of survey respondents have seen or heard about the WECHU by 2021.

Improve communication within the WECHU by developing and implementing an internal communication strategy.

60% of survey respondents are satisfied with internal communication efforts in the WECHU by 2021.

Rationale

A significant amount of information, obtained from both within the WECHU and from our external partners, pointed to gaps in the channels of communication, as well as challenges experienced by our intended message recipients. The overarching goal of this priority is the development of an effective communications plan that considers not only the content of our messages to clients but also reflects our position, reputation, and relationships in the broader community. With these specific intentions in mind, the three identified objectives were developed in order to ensure that our community knows who we are and what we do, that we are readily identified as an active and engaged community organization, and that our staff have the information and ongoing knowledge they need to perform to their highest potential.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

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PARTNERSHIPSThe WECHU is focused on building new and enhancing existing partnerships to create a healthier community.

Objective GoalIncrease the effectiveness of partnerships through formal feedback mechanisms.

100% of program/service-driven departments implement a formal feedback process with at least one external partnership by 2021.

Identify and act upon opportunities for departmental collaboration through an internal partnership strategy.

At least 20% of activities in the operational plan identify formal internal partnerships by 2021.

Rationale

Partnerships are a valuable way to support a model of shared responsibility and collaboration within our community. In order to achieve our mandate, the WECHU has always been an organization that is involved in many partnerships and collaborations, both locally and provincially. The need to partner with other community agencies to better serve the health-related needs of residents in Windsor and Essex County was emphasized in the results of our 2016 CNA. This prompted the SPC to examine the current model through which we identify, pursue, and utilize our partnerships. As a result, this strategic priority steers the WECHU to take a more thorough approach to new and existing partnerships by creating and implementing feedback mechanisms that will allow us to identify value added opportunities, effectively address service gaps, and allow us to maximize the effectiveness of our partnerships. Internal partnering was also identified as a key objective, resulting in the goal of increased recognition and formalization of partnership opportunities between departments and divisions within the organization.

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ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTThe WECHU is focused on expanding the knowledge and effectiveness of our people to accomplish more successful organizational change and performance.

Objective GoalImprove performance by striving towards operational excellence and a focus on continuous quality improvement.

A minimum of 2 organization- wide quality improvement activities will occur annually through to 2021.

Increase our readiness to adapt to internal and external factors through effective change management practices.

100% of the WECHU staff are trained in change management strategies by 2021.

Enhance our understanding and monitoring efforts of identified corporate risks to embrace opportunities, create flexibility, and preserve organizational assets.

100% of corporate risks identified as high have mitigation strategies developed and implemented by 2021.

Improve organizational culture through people development and employee engagement strategies.

80% of the WECHU staff have a positive view of organizational culture by 2021.

Rationale

Organizational development is an action oriented pursuit. Our objective is to enable our organization to better adapt to the fast-changing external environment of public health work, as well as the needs of our community. Managing organizational change, for the WECHU, has historically been a reactive necessity rather than a proactive strategy. This priority builds upon the successes of our previous strategic plan by continuing to focus on the development of our staff, but goes further by addressing how best to develop our processes and practices, ensuring that we are able to continually improve as an organization. Over the next five years, the WECHU will consider our risks and how best to mitigate them, focus on continuous improvement to keep us lean and efficient, prepare us to better manage change, and improve our culture to ensure that we provide optimal services to our community.

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EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICEThe WECHU will make decisions based on quality evidence and apply best practice program planning and policy development frameworks.

Objective GoalEstablish organizational supports for client-centered service strategies.

100% of departments collect corporate level client satisfaction data by 2021.

Develop and implement a framework to support healthy public policy.

100% of the OPH program standard areas (Chronic Diseases and Injuries, Family Health, Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health, and Emergency Preparedness) have at least one activity focused on healthy public policy development by 2021.

Enhance local data collection efforts and analysis to support knowledge exchange both internally and externally.

100% of the OPHS foundational requirements (13) are addressed by 2021.

Develop and implement protocols that ensure departments deliver programs and services using a health equity approach.

100% of our program and service departments have adopted a health equity approach to an activity by 2021.

Rationale

Making sound decisions and recommendations in public health is a complicated process due to diverse challenges and varying public needs. Despite the many accomplishments that the WECHU has made over many years, the SPC felt strongly that greater emphasis on evidence-based approaches was warranted. Key components of evidence-based practice include making decisions on the basis of the best available scientific evidence, using data and information systems systematically, applying program-planning frameworks, engaging the community in decision making, conducting sound evaluations, and disseminating what is learned. This strategic priority emphasizes an overall organizational approach directed toward obtaining and using evidence for our decisions.

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Implementation and MonitoringThe launch of the WECHU’s new strategic plan is a process not an event. As we commence with the implementation of this strategic plan, it is important that we remain aware of the internal and external structure within which we work, this includes: infrastructure, capacity limitations, and budget constraints. The success of this strategic plan is contingent upon how well the plan is understood and embraced, and how effective we are at implementing and measuring our progress.

As described through the previous sections, this strategic planning process was based on both bottom-up and top-down communication approaches. Input and feedback was obtained from all levels of the organization through the SPC and the stakeholder engagement process. Now that the plan is complete, the first step in implementation will be to engage members of the organization about the new plan. Initially, members of Management and Senior Management will share and discuss the strategic plan with all of the staff. The goal of these communication efforts will be to outline how staff engagement in the plan is necessary to ensure successful outcomes for the planned priorities. Ongoing internal communication efforts will be used throughout the duration of the plan to support active integration of the strategic elements into our day to day activities.

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Under the direction of the Senior Management Team (SMT), initial communications will be followed by the implementation and assignment process for our four strategic priorities and accompanying objectives. The SMT will identify individuals or teams and assign priority leads who will create action plans to achieve the established objectives. Priority leads will manage these activities and prioritize with other projects to ensure they are properly resourced. Priority leads will focus on building synergies across activities, new or existing, to ensure a fully integrative approach to implementation. Once developed, action plans for objectives will be included in our organization wide operational plan, beginning in 2018, to maintain a clear pathway toward accomplishing the goals set by the SPC. Action plans will contain specific and measurable activities, but these may change and evolve over the five-year period as a result of progress, capacity, and competing demands. As a part of the development process, the SPC established activity recommendations for each objective that may be used as a part of action plans or activities.

In order to facilitate progress, and to further describe the intent of the priority and objectives (as perceived by the SPC), these will be shared with priority leads for their further consideration.

As outlined in previous sections of the plan, the four strategic priorities have actionable objectives with goals and measures attached. These goals will be measured annually, supported by the Epidemiology, Planning, Evaluation, and Quality (EPEQ) department, to provide a yearly strategic plan review. Action plans or activities that have been developed by priority leads in support of achieving higher level strategic plan goals may also have indicators that are used to track progress – these measures could also be used as reportable indicators for the plan. Additionally, these action plans or activities and their associated reporting will be captured within our quarterly operational plan reporting process. As a part of our Board of Health’s (BoH) consolidated by-laws, regular reviews of our strategic plan are required. In order to support a framework of continuous improvement, the strategic plan will be reviewed and its progress will be measured and reported

to the BoH annually. The annual review process will consist of a meeting with the SPC, with an attempt to have all previous committee members involved, during which the plan elements, including goals and indicators will be discussed and reviewed. At that time, based on consensus discussion and decision making, elements of the plan, specifically objectives, goals and indicators, may be altered to account for changes in the internal and external environment. The mission, vision, value statements, and priorities will remain consistent throughout the duration of the plan to ensure a consistent focus is maintained. After the SPC review, a strategic plan report will be prepared and presented to the BoH for consideration.

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Glossary

Collaboration Working with others to achieve mutual goals.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) A quality management approach focused on measuring, learning, and improving over time. This approach is directed toward improving processes and providing value to our clients in the community.

Diversity The presence of a wide range of human qualities within an individual, group, or organization. Diversity includes such factors as age, sex, race, ethnicity, physical and intellectual ability, religion, sexual orientation, educational background, and expertise.

Employee Engagement Employees who are actively involved and committed to the actions, values, and direction of our organization. Employee engagement is characterized by job satisfaction, employee empowerment, organizational commitment, and job involvement.

Empowerment Enabling individuals to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, to make choices that support their health.

Engagement Active involvement and commitment to an action or idea.

Equity Fair, objective, and respectful treatment for all; recognizing differences, and using this understanding to achieve meaningful equality in all aspects of a person’s life.

Excellence Aiming for the best possible work and outcomes through continual efforts to improve.

Innovation Developing or using new ideas, tools, and/or approaches to provide greater value to our clients in the community.

Organizational Development Theories and approaches to develop, improve, and support the effectiveness of an organization.

Organizational Assets Persons, property, ideas, and relationships that are valuable contributors to the day-to-day operations of our organization.

Organizational Culture The shared values, beliefs, practices, and behaviours in our organization. This includes the way that the organization treats its employees and the community; the way decisions and ideas are expressed in the organization; and the combined commitment within the organization to achieve our objectives. These aspects influence the way that we interact with each other and those in the community.

Risk The chance of something happening that will have an impact on the achievement of objectives. It can represent an opportunity or a threat to the achievement of objectives.

Visibility To be seen, understood, and valued by our community.

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We would like to thank the residents of Windsor and Essex County for their continuous support of our organization and services. We encourage you stay up-to-date with the latest news and public health information by connecting with us online.

www.wechu.org

@TheWECHU

@TheWECHU

519-258-2146 (local) or 1-800-265-5822 (toll free)

Connect with us

WINDSOR OFFICE1005 Ouellette Avenue

Windsor, Ontario N9A 4J8

Fax: 519-258-6003

ESSEX OFFICE360 Fairview Ave. West, Suite 215

Essex, ON N8M 3G4

Fax: 519-776-6102

LEAMINGTON OFFICE33 Princess Street

Leamington, ON N8H 5C5

Fax: 519-326-4642

WINDSOR-ESSEX COUNTY

HEALTH UNIT

© Windsor-Essex County Health Unit,

October 2016.