February 8, 2024

Dear Premier Ford and Deputy Premier Jones,

Thank you for your ongoing recognition of the importance of children’s physical, developmental and mental health, and the historic investments in children’s healthcare your government made this past July. It is in this context that we are writing today, to express our appreciation for your commitment to respect the rights of patients and clinicians to make clinical decisions when it comes to gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse children and youth.

This is a principled and evidence-based position. Effective relationships between a patient and their clinicians are based on trust and confidentiality, and guided by best-available evidence to support physical and mental well-being. Gender-affirming healthcare for children and youth must remain as decisions between the patient, their parents/caregivers, and their clinicians, without intrusion by government.

Our clinicians see firsthand the harm, pain and damage that occurs when transgender and gender-diverse children and youth are outed against their will and are not adequately supported on their journey. Policies aimed at fostering inclusion and representation and honouring the human rights of 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth in all settings are not only critical to their overall health and wellbeing, they are life saving. For example, research has shown that for transgender youth who choose a name or pronoun different from the one given at birth, use of their chosen name or pronoun in multiple contexts affirms their gender identity and reduces mental health risks known to be high amongst this group. A 2018 study found that transgender youth allowed to use their chosen names and pronouns reported a 34 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts and a 65 percent decrease in suicide attempts.

Children and youth who seek gender-affirming care are entitled to timely and equitable access to effective care—whether social, psychological, or medical. As leaders in the delivery of specialized pediatric healthcare in Ontario, we are fully committed to supporting the health, well-being and equitable delivery of care for 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth. Our clinical leaders would be pleased to meet with you to continue to share evidence-based practice and policies that will strengthen current programming and improve outcomes for children, youth and families.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Churchill
CEO, Empowered Kids Ontario

Dr. Ronald Cohn
President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children

Lauren Ettin
Executive Director, Kids Health Alliance

Julia Hanigsberg
President and CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Alex Munter
President and CEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Bruce Squires
President, McMaster Children’s Hospital

Nash Syed
President, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre

Tatum Wilson
CEO, Children’s Mental Health Ontario

Download a PDF of the letter.

July 19, 2023 (OTTAWA, Ontario) – Today, the Ontario Government Made Kids Count with a historic investment of $330 million to expand children’s health care across the province.

This investment will allow children’s hospitals and community-based providers across the province to expand services and reduce wait times for essential children’s health care services, including surgeries, procedures, diagnostic imaging, mental health treatment, and child development and rehabilitation. This will allow providers to run more operating rooms, open more beds, expand clinics, hire more staff, and, perhaps most importantly, deliver more innovative programs in partnership.

Every day matters in the life of a child, and children across Ontario are currently waiting longer than adults for critical health care services. In fact, close to two-thirds of patients at Ontario’s children’s hospitals have already passed the clinically recommended wait time for their surgery. In the community, 90,000 children and youth are waiting for community- and school-based child development and rehabilitation services, and over 28,000 children are waiting for mental health treatment across the province.

Today’s announcement is a turning point for the hundreds of thousands of children across Ontario waiting for care. This expansion of children’s health care is a critical step towards right-sizing the pediatric health system to meet the needs of Ontario’s almost 3 million children and their families. Not only will this lead to better access to the right care at the right time and place, but it will also prevent further complications and challenges down the road, leading to better outcomes for an entire generation.

We thank the provincial government for hearing our rallying cry and responding with this system-wide investment to expand children’s health care in communities across Ontario. As providers of children’s health care, we are committed to maximizing these investments and ensuring the best outcomes for all of Ontario’s children, youth, and families.

 

Quotes: 

“Ontario’s welcome investment is the first of its kind—a broad strategy and multi-pronged investment in children’s hospitals and in community-based care. We’re ready to do things differently—to look at the whole system of care, not just certain elements of it. Empowered Kids Ontario is a proud partner in this collaborative effort that is a game changer for kids and families.” Jennifer Churchill, CEO, Empowered Kids Ontario 


“We are grateful to the Ontario government for this vital investment to support SickKids and our Children’s Health Coalition partners in taking important steps toward improving timely access to vitally important health services. Children, youth and their families in Ontario deserve a paediatric health system that will be at the ready when they need it. Today’s announcement is pivotal in building capacity across the system to serve the growing number of Ontario children and youth who depend on the highly specialized care we provide.” Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)


“Today, the government has shown it is committed to improving children’s health. We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that children and youth have access to the care they need, where and when they need it. This investment will have a tremendous impact on the physical, developmental and mental health on a generation of children and youth in Ontario.” Lauren Ettin, Executive Director, Kids Health Alliance 


“Children and youth with disabilities and developmental differences, medical complexity and rehabilitation needs have faced an unprecedented crisis in terms of wait times and overall access to services. This investment will help families access the care and services they need, when they need them. We applaud this announcement and will continue to work together with government and pediatric health care partners in hospitals and community to drive change across the continuum of care, so that all children can maximize their ability to live meaningful lives and have healthy futures.” Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital 


Today is a historic day for pediatric healthcare in Ontario – the single biggest expansion of our capacity. Ever. Ontario’s population of kids has grown considerably in the past 20 years and will continue to grow – yet the pediatric health system hadn’t. Over the past two decades, we’ve also seen the emergence of new diseases, more kids with developmental needs and increased rates of many illnesses, ranging from childhood cancer to mental illness to diabetes. More kids with more needs: that’s why right-sizing the system to better meet those needs is so important. CHEO and our Kids Come First Health Team partners are getting right to work to turn these investments into new and expanded programs for kids and families.” Alex Munter, President and CEO, CHEO


“As a full-service children’s care provider, our hospital takes a whole-child approach to specialized treatment and service delivery. We recognize and appreciate that these government investments span the spectrum of young people’s health and well-being, supporting acute, surgery, developmental, rehabilitation, and mental health. Our teams will now have access to expanded resources to enhance what they do best: provide expert care and help young people flourish.” Bruce Squires, President, McMaster Children’s Hospital


 “We want nothing more for our kids than for them to be happy and healthy. This includes ensuring they receive the care they need when they need it. Today’s investment by the Government of Ontario will help alleviate surgical, ambulatory, and emergency department wait times so that children and their families can access high-quality care as soon as possible.” Nash Syed, President, Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre


“Too many kids and families end up in hospitals because they can’t get the mental health care they need in the community. Today’s investment will help us advance an innovative system of care for child and youth mental health, focusing first on those with the most complex and intensive needs. Not only will this provide timely access and clear pathways to high-quality care for kids and families, but it will also free up hospital capacity to address other urgent care needs and reduce health system costs overall.” Tatum Wilson, CEO, Children’s Mental Health Ontario 

 

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About the Children’s Health Coalition 

The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of eight leading Ontario children’s health organizations: CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital and SickKids.  

We represent expertise in pediatric health care and research; rehabilitation; mental health services like targeted prevention, early intervention, short and long-term counselling and therapy, addictions services, intensive services, and acute care; physical, cognitive, and communication disabilities; as well as emergency and complex care. We deliver every kind of care a child could need, and we see how the elements of care can work together to support their families no matter what challenges they are facing. 

 

For media interviews, please contact: 

CHEO: Anick Losier, alosier@cheo.on.ca 

Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre: Steve Robinson, media@lhsc.on.ca or 519-685-8500 ext. 35947 

Children’s Mental Health Ontario: Taylor Salisbury, tsalisbury@cmho.org  

Empowered Kids Ontario: Shelley Romoff, sromoff@empoweredkidsontario.ca  

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital: Ashley Cruz, Acruz@hollandbloorview.ca

McMaster Children’s Hospital: Thomas Perry, perryth@HHSC.CA  

SickKids: Sarah Warr, sarah.warr@sickkids.ca 

March 23, 2023 – The Children’s Health Coalition welcomes the Ontario government’s commitments to allocate additional funding and work with frontline pediatric health partners to identify more ways to connect children and youth to the care they need.

Today, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled Ontario’s 2023 budget, Building A Strong Ontario, which includes this passage:

“Every child in Ontario should be able to get
the care they need, when they need it.”

We agree. We know what needs to be done. We already have the plan. And we are ready to get to work. After decades of underinvestment by successive governments, we have a lot of catching up to do. 

Children’s health service organizations will use increased investments to deliver with accountability and innovation. 

Ontario’s pediatric hospitals and community partners are ready to implement our plan so kids and families see the results quickly.

Quotes

  • “Children and youth across the province are waiting too long for vital health-care services. What was previously a challenge has now become a crisis, despite the best efforts of our dedicated teams across the pediatric health system. This commitment to invest from the Ontario government is a good first step in enabling system-wide improvements to ensure children and youth in Ontario receive timely, high quality health care.”Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
  • “The backlogs and wait times for young people to get surgeries and so many other services have ballooned in recent years to unacceptable, and in some cases dangerous, levels. Today, the government made children’s health a priority and we are ready to put funding into action immediately so kids can get back to being kids.” – Bruce Squires, President, McMaster Children’s Hospital
  • “Every missed developmental milestone may have long-term, even life-long, effects. Rehabilitation is intrinsically linked to healthy futures that children, youth and families need and deserve. An investment in pediatric healthcare today is preventative medicine for tomorrow.” – Julia Hanigsberg, President and CEO, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
  • “As too many Ontario families know, all too well, delaying care to kids puts their development milestones at risk. It impacts whole families and entire communities. We’re ready to put these investments to work for all.”– Nash Syed, President, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre
  • “There is a crisis in child and youth mental health and the investments announced in today’s budget will help to stabilize the system and reduce wait times.  Investments across the children’s health system are welcome and we look forward to working collaboratively to continue to improve access to the care that kids need.” – Tatum Wilson, CEO, Children’s Mental Health Ontario
  • “Ontario’s child development providers look forward to working with the government to find ways to bring more kids into care at home, in schools and in their communities. We are ready to deliver solutions to improve kids’ health and well-being, and alleviate the stress on healthcare for all Ontarians—at every age and stage.” Jennifer Churchill, CEO, Empowered Kids OntarioJennifer Churchill, CEO, Empowered Kids Ontario
  • “We are happy to see the government acknowledge and prioritize the needs of our children.  This is a good first step towards reducing wait times so children across our province receive the care they need. We look forward to working with the government to ensure the health and well-being of children and families in our communities.”  – Lauren Ettin, Executive Director, Kids Health Alliance
  • “Invest in kids’ health now, save for a lifetime. Every day matters in the life of a child and investing in kids’ health is good for everyone – for the individual and for the system. Today’s commitment to invest is pedianomics in action and will pay dividends for generations to come.”Alex Munter, President and CEO, CHEO

Key Facts: Pandemic Impacts on Children’s Health and Access to Care 

  • 4200+ surgeries cancelled at children’s hospitals March 1, 2020 – May 31, 2021
  • 209,000+ non-surgical appointments cancelled at children’s hospitals March 1, 2020 – May 31, 2021
  • 90,000 kids are waiting for child development and pediatric rehabilitation services at home, in schools and in the community.
  • 2.5x increase in eating disorder emergency visits
  • 28000+ kids are waiting for diagnostic imaging
  • 31000+ kids are on wait lists for ambulatory services
  • 8300+ kids are waiting for surgeries
  • 9500+ kids are waiting for ambulatory clinic visits
  • 28000+ kids are waiting for mental health treatment
  • One in nine kids has a disability.  
  • In many regions of Ontario, only 1 in 3 kids receives community-based child development services within the clinical standard time.
  • Kids are waiting three years or more for speech and language therapy.
  • Before the pandemic, kids were already waiting two times longer than adults for health care. 
  • During the pandemic, 300,000 babies were born in Ontario. Without urgent action in the early years – where it can make the most difference – an unprecedented wave of kids will hit the school system in the next few years who have never had the support they needed to succeed and thrive. 
  • Every kid who didn’t get help from a speech pathologist, physiotherapist, neurologist or other pediatric professional will arrive at school already behind where they should be. This will hit schools hard – and won’t just affect the kids who, by then, will need extraordinary accommodation from the school system – but every other child and teacher in the classroom.

 

The Children’s Health Coalition

The Children’s Health Coalition is a network of partners committed to advancing excellence and expertise in pediatric care – leading to better outcomes and a high-quality, consistent and coordinated approach to healthcare that is centered around children, youth and their families.

The Coalition includes:

  • CHEO
  • Children’s Mental Health Ontario
  • Empowered Kids Ontario
  • Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
  • Kids Health Alliance
  • London Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital
  • McMaster Children’s Hospital
  • SickKids

The coalition developed the Make Kids Count Action Plan representing a detailed analysis from the 115 cross-sectoral organizations that are represented within the Coalition. This analysis identified a need for an annual investment of $357 million each year for the next four years to ensure timely access to health care as part of system recovery, to ensure hospital capacity, and to ensure community providers can meet the urgent needs of Ontario’s children.

May 2, 2022With the start of the provincial election campaign, the Children’s Health Coalition (CHC) is calling on leaders and candidates of all political parties to make kids’ health across all sectors a priority by adopting the 100 Day #MakeKidsCount Commitment.

“Children and youth have had vital care delayed and have experienced devastating impacts. Delaying access to care will have lifelong effects on tens of thousands of children across the province and their families,” said Dr. Ronald Cohn, President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). “The pandemic increased the pressure the children’s health care system is facing and has also shone a light on the immediate need for government support to enable system-wide improvements. We need action now.”

To #MakeKidsCount the Children’s Health Coalition wants the next government to commit to the following within the first 100 days in office:

  1. Invest $1 billion over four years in the Make Kids Count Action Plan.
  2. Convene a cross-sectoral children’s health summit with government, specialized children’s health care organizations, and health care providers to agree on principles for a long-term provincial Children’s Health Strategy.
  3. Develop and release Ontario’s first-ever Children’s Health Strategy.

“Every day matters in the life of a child when it comes to their health and development. Sadly, over the course of the pandemic we’ve seen surgeries and rehabilitation services get repeatedly cancelled, further delaying the care children need,” said Julia Hanigsberg, President and CEO of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. “A generation of children and youth is at risk of significant long-term health problems without immediate action.”

“Children need early interventions aligned with their developmental milestones to optimize physical, psychological, and social development,” said Alex Munter, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. “Missing key opportunities to assess, care, treat or rehabilitate a child severely impacts the life of that child.”

The Make Kids Count Action Plan is a solution for a children’s health system that is in need of care. Kids should be made a priority. Children’s health is not a partisan issue. The Coalition is asking candidates and leaders across the political spectrum to be committed to building an Ontario where children and youth have timely access to the care they need by implementing the Make Kids Count Action Plan.

QUOTES:

Today, only one in three kids receives community-based rehabilitation services within the clinical standard while the majority wait almost three years to access care. These numbers are significant; each patient is a child at risk of missing treatment during critical care windows.”

–Jennifer Churchill, CEO of Empowered Kids Ontario

 

Kids across Ontario have taken the brunt of the pandemic, far too much has been asked of them. Now more than ever, it is imperative we have strong provincial support so that our children can access the timely care they critically need.”

-Tatum Wilson, CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario

 

“Our kids have been waiting too long and the time for action is now. Our Children’s Health Coalition looks forward to collaborating with government to give our kids the investments they deserve and need.”

–Bruce Squires, President of McMaster Children’s Hospital and VP Women’s and Children’s Health at Hamilton Health Sciences. 

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About the Children’s Health Coalition: The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of children’s health organizations made up of CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and SickKids.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nicole Helsberg for the Children’s Health Coalition

nhelsberg@cmho.org

 

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March 9, 2022 – With today’s announcement, we want to thank everyone, including students and education staff, for your commitment to and diligence with public health measures throughout the pandemic. We know that masking, daily screening, cohorting and distancing have been tough, but adherence to these measures has allowed schools to remain open. 

Keeping schools open has been the most important goal, and we have been pleased to see the decline in school absenteeism, outbreaks, and pediatric hospitalizations over the past eight weeks. The disruption to in-person schooling, due to illness or school closures, has certainly had a negative impact on kids’ learning, development and mental health. 

Since we know that most cases of COVID-19 identified in schools originate outside of school, we would have preferred to see masks kept in place for two weeks after March Break so we could have assessed the impact of the broader re-opening of Ontario. Masks remain an important layer of protection as the pandemic continues and may be needed in communities with low vaccination rates and where there is a surge in cases. Masks also protect those most vulnerable, including high-risk, immunocompromised and fragile children. 

With the removal of the indoor mask mandate today, for now, we encourage everyone to continue masking in schools, if they are able, to reduce absenteeism and support sustained in-person learning as a precautionary and phased approach as we come out of the Omicron wave. We are pleased that the Chief Medical Officer of Health is continuing to encourage masking as well and that the government is making rapid tests broadly available. We may have to, and would encourage, a return to universal masking when there is a surge in cases that put children and their families at risk.

As a group whose commitment is to the health and well-being of children, we all want the pandemic to be a memory for our kids, not part of their day-to-day. But we’re not quite there yet, and we ask everyone to continue to be thoughtful of those around them and their needs and choices when it comes to masking.

About the Children’s Health Coalition: The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of children’s health organizations made up of CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and SickKids.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine for children at parenthomework.ca.

March 3, 2022 – The school safety plan has been effective. From mid-January onwards, COVID wastewater monitoring indicators, pediatric hospitalizations and school absenteeism have declined. Before making any decision on the removal of masks in schools, we would prefer that decision-makers look at what core indicators say—things like a stabilization or reduction in case counts, hospitalizations, and ICU numbers. Given Ontario’s reopening and March Break, it makes sense to wait until at least two weeks after the end of the break to review those indicators and make a decision for Ontario’s schools. 

COVID in schools tends to reflect COVID in the broader community. Let’s wait until we better understand the impact of a broader re-opening before we change measures that have successfully kept schools open since January.

About the Children’s Health Coalition: The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of children’s health organizations made up of CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and SickKids.

February 28, 2022 – As leaders in children’s health, we know that masking is an important layer of protection to prevent COVID-19 and has prevented widespread transmission in school settings. While there have been recent calls to remove this public health measure, now is not the time. Masking in indoor school settings is still required to protect children and their families.  

Case counts and hospitalizations while on the decline, remain high. Many children remain unvaccinated. Young children are still ineligible. The evidence is clear: Masking helps prevent transmission not only at school but prevents kids from then spreading COVID at home to unvaccinated siblings, family or community members.

While we remain optimistic that this measure can be adjusted soon, we ask that the government continue to require masking in schools to protect children’s health. An increase in vaccination rates for children aged 5–11 and boosters for 12–17, which remain lower in Ontario than in most of Canada, would be one way to do this. As soon as the evidence suggests otherwise—and we rely on evidence to make our recommendations—then alternatives can be considered.

For now, let’s ensure kids remain as healthy as they can in schools by keeping their masks on.

About the Children’s Health Coalition: The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of children’s health organizations made up of CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and SickKids.

February 9, 2022 – As leaders in children’s health, we are pleased that additional Rapid Access Tests (RATs) are being made available to Ontarians. In the absence of widespread PCR testing, RATs are an important tool to continue to monitor and prevent COVID-19 transmission. We urge the government to ensure that every school, child care and health care setting continue to be prioritized in their distribution. Parents and families should be able to access RATs from their school or day care when they need it.

Additionally, we ask that the government exercise caution in lifting public health measures in schools too fast and too soon while we remain in the Omicron wave. Kids, parents and families have been subject to many rules and changes throughout the pandemic. They need stability. Ontario has a comprehensive school safety plan which includes many important public health mitigation measures, and we encourage government to continue with this plan.

We remain optimistic there will be a point when we can adjust these measures—but now is not the time. Many of our children remain unvaccinated, including those under five who are ineligible, and without that level of protection, they are at risk of contracting COVID-19 illness. And as we know too well, complex and medically fragile kids continue to be at greater risk of the effects of COVID. That’s why we must all continue to promote vaccination, masking and reducing of contacts to protect kids and their health. We all have a part to play in keeping our children healthy.

About the Children’s Health Coalition: The Children’s Health Coalition is a collective of children’s health organizations made up of CHEO, Children’s Hospital – London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Empowered Kids Ontario, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Health Alliance, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and SickKids.

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