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OTTAWA — Today, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, issued an order under the Connecting Care Act, 2019 to transfer the delivery of home care services for children and youth in the Champlain region from Home and Community Care Support Services Champlain to CHEO, a pediatric health care and research centre in Ottawa. This planned transfer, the first of its kind in Ontario, moves pediatric home care out of administrative siloes and embeds it with providers across the continuum of care. The transfer will take effect on September 20, 2021 and is part the government’s comprehensive plan to better connect care for patients, including the youngest.

“Working closely with local health partners, our government is simplifying and better connecting the pediatric care experience for families and children in the Champlain region,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “When a child needs care at home, families should not have to worry about navigating a complex health care system. Further integrating pediatric care will make it easier for families to access the high-quality care they need in all settings so they can focus on their child’s health and wellness.”

Families from the region have asked for integrated care in acute and home care services through consultations over a number of years. This model to deliver home care services for children in the Champlain region was approved in December 2019, and the transfer will enable an innovative local approach to integrate pediatric home care with other services, simplifying the health care journey for children and youth in need of services, such as short-term nursing visits or ongoing care at home and school.

This integration will embed home care with pediatric-focussed partners, including those at CHEO, and help build a network of services around children that can quickly be accessed based on a patient’s needs. This transfer is an important step towards ensuring that each child will have one patient record and one care plan that follows them throughout their health care journey so that specialists at CHEO, members of the child’s home care team and other health care professionals can quickly access the same information and work together to support the child and their family.

This locally driven approach to health care services integration reflects the circumstances in the Champlain region. CHEO will assume full responsibility for the delivery of pediatric home care in the Champlain region. As a pediatric hospital, children’s treatment centre, regional autism provider and mental health agency, CHEO is uniquely positioned to enhance the quality of care and services across the spectrum of the patient’s needs. Services will be offered though Kids Come First/Les enfants avant tout, an innovative model of child and youth wellness that is focused on enhancing the delivery of a full continuum of care for children across Eastern Ontario.

Ensuring continuity of care is a top priority. During the transition, children, youth and families will continue to access the same services through the same care coordinators they have come to know and trust.

While still in its early stages, this transformation will help break down long-standing barriers to better connect care for patients in alignment with Ontario’s efforts to modernize the health system by bringing together health care providers and organizations to work as one coordinated team.

“We look forward to working with families and all the Kids Come First partner organizations to design a system of care that truly meets the needs of children, youth and families who require care at home and in the community,” said Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO. “This planned transfer is the first step.”

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