Item - 2020.HL16.3

The Board of Health:

1.  Approved a change to the review and allocation process for funding proposals submitted to the Toronto Urban Health Fund for the 2020 funding cycle such that Toronto Public Health staff perform the review process, in lieu of Toronto Urban Health Fund Review Panel and Toronto Urban Health Fund Indigenous Review Panel members.

This report outlines the impact of the City of Toronto's COVID-19 response on the Toronto Urban Health Fund funding allocation process for the 2020 funding cycle. Under normal circumstances, funding allocation decision-making is conducted by Toronto Urban Health Fund Review Panel and Toronto Urban Health Fund Indigenous Review Panel members at in-person Committee meetings. The extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak has led to the cancellation of regular City Council and Committee meetings until May 31, 2020, including the April and May meetings for the Toronto Urban Health Fund Review Panel and the Toronto Urban Health Fund Indigenous Review Panel.

This report recommends that the Board of Health approve a change to the review and funding allocation processes for the 2020 funding cycle for the Toronto Urban Health Fund Review Panel and the Toronto Urban Health Fund Indigenous Review Panel. In lieu of Review Panel members, Toronto Public Health staff conducted funding proposal reviews and made funding allocation recommendations for proposals that were submitted. This would prevent a lapse in funding to critical community-based HIV prevention and substance misuse programming.