Events

Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team (CCHOHT) is delighted to announce the formation of the inaugural Primary Care Network Leadership Council (PCLC)

The establishment of the Primary Care Network Leadership Council (PCLC) marks an important step in strengthening collaboration and strategic leadership across the Primary Care Network (PCN). As the network continues to evolve, the PCLC will serve as a key advisory and leadership body, bringing together representatives from across the primary care landscape to help guide priorities, and support initiatives that enhance care for our communities. The formation of this council reflects a shared commitment to building a coordinated, responsive, and sustainable primary care system.

The strong response to the call for Expressions of Interest to join the PCLC, both in terms of the level of interest and the quality of submissions, was extremely encouraging.

The PCLC Council Members will play a vital role in shaping the future of the Primary Care Network (PCN) during this pivotal one-year term. Representing a diverse range of sectors, experiences, and affiliations, the council members bring valuable perspectives and expertise to the table. Together, they will support the development of a strong PCN for the communities of Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville.

Congratulations to the New 2026 PCLC Council Members:

1. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Adriana Dragan
2. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Jane Charters
3. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Justin McNish
4. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Kiran Cherla
5. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Kris Martiniuk
6. Primary Care Physician/NP, Dr. Manisha Verma
7. Primary Care Physician/NP, Meghann Foley
8. Patient, Family, Caregiver Advisor, Mary Rose van Kesteren
9. Patient, Family, Caregiver Advisor, Sangeeta Chopra-Charron
10. Allied Health, Christina Pacheco
11. Social & Community Services, Christine Harrison
12. Public Health, Dr. Joanna Oda
13. Home & Community Care, Trish Maxwell

Not a member of the Primary Care Network (PCN) yet?

Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team (CCHOHT) invites expressions of interest for tri-chair positions in three new working groups:

•  Primary Care Access, Attachment and Enablement
•  Integrated Clinical Priorities
•  OHT Capacity Building

Background:

The Tri-Chair Model has been designed with the involvement of past CCHOHT Working Group membership and Co-Chairs to evolve to ensure that there is balanced leadership voice inclusive of patient, family, caregiver advisors, administrative leadership and clinical voice/expertise to effectively define and deliver focused projects to advance connecting care within our communities.

These Working Groups have been established through engagement focused virtual and in person sessions to develop the CCHOHT Operating Plan and Strategic Plan refresh and took place over the late summer/Fall of 2025. The working groups have been developed to be task focused and membership representative of those who are excited and have capacity to do task focused work. These are not Governance, advocacy or information update focused structures.

Are you interested in becoming a Tri-Chair? See below for what this involves: 

The Ask: We are seeking interest for 9 roles in total (3 per working group).
Term: March 2026 – April 2028
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours per month inclusive of meeting prep, working group sessions and tasks.

Renumeration:

• Patient, Family, Caregiver Advisor Tri-Chair roles compensation as per the CCHOHT Patient, Family, Caregiver Advisor Recognition and Renumeration Policy for 2026-27
• Administrative Roles: in kind/ organizational supported
• Primary Care Network (PCN) Clinician Roles: in kind/organizational supported or CCHOHT Physician/ Nurse Practitioner Renumeration Policy Rates for 2026-27

Responsibilities of Tri-Chairs: Set the annual workplan and priority projects that result in advancement within the objectives of each working group noted below.

Decision and Accountability Structure:

Tri‑Chairs: Accountable for prioritization and timelines for defined initiatives within the scope of the working group mandates (To be set once tri-chairs selected). 

CCHOHT Staff Secretariat/Program Support: Responsible for working group meeting coordination, agenda/action notes, risk log, document management, and meeting logistics.

Working group members: Responsible for delivery of assigned work outputs (max 12 per working group).

Sponsors/Executive: Accountable for final approvals where required; consulted on significant changes, risks, resourcing.

Interested individuals are asked to complete the EOI form by March 9, at 5pm and send to info@cchoht.ca.

Why Join the PCN? 

• Free Membership: Membership is free and open to all eligible participants. 
• Shape the Future:  Members will help shape the future of primary care in our region.
• System Leadership: The PCN will have a seat on the CCHOHT Collaborative Committee, the OHT’s governing body.  
• Targeted Communications: Receive communications directly relevant to primary care and the PCN’s mandate.  
• Click here to join the PCN today – registration is free and easy and takes less than 2 minutes! 

Shape Your PCN’s Future: Join the PCN Leadership Council!

Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) by February 13, 2026, to join the inaugural PCN Leadership Council (PCLC). An appointment panel will review all EOIs and select the first council, which will serve a 12-month term. Future councils will be elected by PCN members. Eligible council members will receive stipends or honoraria for approved activities. Seats available: 7 Family Physicians/Nurse Practitioners with representation from within Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville, 1 Allied Health practitioner, 1 Public Health representative, 1 Social & Community Services representative, 1 Home & Community Care representative, 2 Patient, Family & Caregiver Advisors.

Next Steps 

• Join the PCN – registration is free and takes less than 2 minutes! 
• Get the PCLC Expression of Interest (EOI) template & submission details—due by 4:00pm February 13, 2026, to primarycare@cchoht.ca, subject line: EOI for PCLC 2026! Submitting an EOI automatically signs you up as a member of the PCN – so no need to complete the registration form! 
• Have questions? Join one of our Virtual Q & A sessions on February 3rd at 5:00pm or February 5th at 7:30am to ask any questions you may have about PCNs or submitting an EOI for the PCN Leadership Council. Simply click on the date above to join the meeting or click here to register!

For questions or additional information, please contact primarycare@cchoht.ca.

Dear Halton Physicians,

Ontario Health Central Region has released an update regarding eReferral Ontario, an initiative designed to significantly reduce the administrative burden associated with patient referrals.

For family physicians, referrals—particularly to underserved specialties—are among the most time-consuming administrative tasks. Referrals are frequently declined, and with limited information beyond past experience or word-of-mouth, multiple referral attempts are often required before a patient is seen. This challenge is further compounded for patients who, out of necessity, receive care from family physicians outside their geographic region, making it difficult to identify specialists who will accept out-of-region referrals.

eReferral Ontario aims to address these challenges by streamlining referrals, increasing transparency, and improving access to care.

OceanMD has been selected as the eReferral platform for the Central Region—a welcome choice, as many physicians already use Ocean for secure messaging and online appointment booking.  No action required for existing users of OceanMD.

Standardized Referral Forms

The first phase of eReferral expansion has focused on developing standardized eReferral forms. Over the past year, Amplify Care has engaged physicians to inform this work. Standardized forms have now been completed for 11 specialties, with draft forms for an additional five currently in development.

Central Intake Expansion

The next phase—expected to have the greatest impact—is the expansion of Central Intake for eReferrals across all specialties, as well as for diagnostic imaging and mental health services.

• In the Central Region, Orthopedics is currently live through Central Intake.
• Mental Health and Addictions, Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI), and Cataract Surgery are next to launch.

This approach will improve wait-time visibility, enhance transparency, and support more equitable access to care for our patients.

Self-Serve Onboarding Pilot

Ontario Health and Amplify Care are also testing a self-serve onboarding and training model for eReferral Ontario, allowing providers to onboard at their own pace, with support available as needed.

• Eligibility: Up to 50 primary care clinicians or community-based specialists (MDs, NPs) using an EMR and new to Ocean eReferral or onboarding new users
• Benefits: Early access to onboarding and training and the opportunity to help shape future eReferral adoption processes
• Timeframe: December 2025 – January 2026
• Commitment: Completion of self-directed onboarding, 4–6 hours of administrative time, 1–3 hours of clinician time over ~2 weeks, and 1–2 hours of feedback via interviews, focus groups, or surveys

How to Apply
Please refer to the attached information package for additional details The link to apply is below:

eReferral Opportunity: Testing Self-Serve Onboarding (Page 1 of 4)

Regards,

Dr. Kris Martiniuk, Clinical Lead PCN Advancement CCHOHT Dr. Yasar Razvi, Clinical Lead Digital Projects CCHOHT

December 12^th 2025

To our valued CCHOHT Partners and core members,

We are writing to advise of a recent mutual decision of the Burlington Ontario Health Team (BOHT) Board of Directors and Connected Care Halton Ontario Health Team (CCHOHT) Collaborative Committee. At our most recent meetings, both the BOHT Board and CCH OHT Collaborative Committee approved respective motions to advance planning for integration of the two OHT entities.

This decision builds on a shared history of successful collaboration and synergy between the two Ontario Health Teams (OHTs), which has included projects such as development of a Halton Health Home model, the Community Wellness Hub, and what we hope will be our flagship initiative – the Integrated Health Services Centre campus.

Beyond successful partnerships on targeted initiatives, this decision reflects a recognition that Burlington should not be separate and apart from its upper tier municipality of Halton Region. There are significant and real alignments to the region culturally, as well as from a long-term planning perspective. 

Through the process of a voluntary integration, we expect to be able to make significant gains in the efficiency and delivery not only of our OHT priorities but to greatly ease the administrative burden on many of our partners supporting multiple OHTs. This will allow our partners to focus on what matters most – front line care.

At this time, we are engaging in this work with the expectation that we will have recommendations to our respective governing bodies within six months. We are committed to providing our partners with regular updates as this work progresses.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch if you have any comments or would like to connect further in the interim.

Sincerely,

Kathy Peters, Executive Director BOHT                               Zoe Dawe, Executive Director CCHOHT

Now Recruiting: Halton Crisis Continuum Community Advisory Group

The Halton Crisis Continuum (HCC) brings together community, health, and social service partners across Halton Region to strengthen how mental health and substance use crisis supports are delivered — ensuring people get the right care, at the right time, from the right person.

We’re now inviting community members to join a new Community Advisory Group (CAG) that will help guide this work.

As a CAG member, you’ll:
✔️ Share your experiences and insights about crisis supports and services
✔️ Participate in discussions that shape how care is delivered
✔️ Join a supportive, inclusive, and accessible space for community voice

Who can apply:
People with lived or living experience of a mental health or substance use crisis, caregivers, family members, or friends who have supported someone through crisis. We especially welcome applications from people who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, disabled, neurodivergent, 2SLGBTQIA+, unhoused or precariously housed, first-generation immigrants, youth, and older adults.

Applications open October 27 and close November 14, 2025.

• Apply online or request a paper/phone application: https://forms.office.com/r/8t1cYGkcVL
• Questions? Check out our FAQ on our webpage https://shorturl.at/g08x0 or contact cag@boardwalk-group.com

2026–2027 Interprofessional Primary Care Team Expansion:

The Ontario government has announced a major investment in primary care, launching the 2026–2027 call for proposals to create and expand approximately 75 new primary care teams. This initiative aims to connect 500,000 more Ontarians to primary care as part of the province’s $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan, with the goal of ensuring everyone in Ontario has access to primary care by 2029

October 1st 2025

A message from our Executive Director: Thank you to everyone who joined our engagement
sessions in August and September. Nearly 100 participants shared valuable input on what the
CCHOHT’s operational priorities for this year should be.
As promised, we are sharing with you in this summary document what we heard.

What’s next?: The CCHOHT team will host a town hall on Friday, October 3rd 2025, from 12–1pm to
present the summary and answer questions and share how you can stay involved in joining
working groups. Please continue to reach us through info@cchoht.ca
Thank you again!
Zoë Dawe, Executive Director CCHOHT and Dr. Kris Martiniuk Clinical Lead, Primary Care
Advancement

Katharine – Equity and Access

The Support House Mobile Health Team removes barriers by meeting people where they are – making healthcare and supports easier to access in our community.

Interdisciplinary Care in Community

With a diverse interdisciplinary team, the Mobile Health Team supports the whole person, from counselling and peer support to primary care, delivering integrated services in community spaces to reduce barriers and meet people where they are.

For more information about the Support House Mobile Health Team: https://supporthouse.ca/chc/