Item - 2023.HL6.1

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to continue to work with Toronto school boards to monitor data on the ongoing health impacts of the pandemic and collaborate on joint initiatives to improve the health of school-aged children and youth.

2. Requested the Province of Ontario to work with education system partners to address wait times and increase priority access to care for students requiring intensive mental health interventions and supports within the community that exceed those available through school systems.

3. Requested the Ministry of Health work in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and local school boards to address the backlog in mental health and psychoeducational assessments and increase priority access to care for students requiring intensive mental health interventions and supports that exceed those available through school systems.
 

4. Requested the Medical Officer of Health consider new and/or expanded activities that support increasing ISPA-required vaccination rates, in partnership with Ontario Health and primary care partners responsible for the administration of these vaccines, and to include funding to support these program enhancements in the Board of Health Recommended Toronto Public Health 2024 Operating Budget Submission for consideration in the 2024 Budget process.
 

5. Reiterated its request in Item 2022.HL36.3, given the ongoing need for an efficient and comprehensive immunization records system that will help Ontarians stay up-to-date on life-saving vaccines:

a. Requested the Ministry of Health to implement a provincial electronic immunization registry for all vaccines as soon as possible.

The Director, Child Health and Development, Toronto Public Health and the Associate Medical Officer of Health, Toronto Public Health, gave a presentation on Addressing Pandemic Health Impacts on Children and Youth.

As invited by Toronto Public Health, Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Director of Education, Toronto District School Board and Brendan Browne, Director of Education, Toronto Catholic District School Board, gave an oral presentation on Update on actions to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of school-aged children and youth in Toronto.

Building on the 2022 report (Item HL36.3) about the health status of school-aged children and youth, this report provides an update with current evidence on health status for this population. The report provides an overview of the current programs operated by teams across Toronto Public Health (TPH) to support the health needs of school-aged children and youth, and key priorities and actions for the future.

Toronto Public Health children and youth programming is guided by various laws and protocols, including the Immunization of School Pupils Act and the Ontario Public Health Standards. Toronto Public Health programs that promote the health of school-aged children and youth include immunizations, dental, sexual, mental and nutritional health services that are accessed in schools and community clinics.

As documented in Toronto's Population Health Profile, the most recent evidence shows that mental health and well-being, physical inactivity and increased screen time, and overdue student immunizations and dental screening are health challenges for school-age children and youth. While TPH has targeted resources and interventions to address these challenges in partnership with school boards, many of the health issues affecting youth must be addressed through actions and resources from systems such as the education and clinical health care systems that are beyond the scope of local public health services.

Student mental health is one area where immediate additional attention is needed, as the mental health supports available in schools may not be sufficient for students that require intensive interventions. To this end, this report recommends that the Board of Health advocate to the provincial government for support to enhance pathways to mental health care for students that need it.