Structure

The Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team is made up of various committees, sectors, working groups and project teams, each working collaboratively to deliver on four key priorities:

Improving health outcomes of the OHT’s population using equity-based and Population Health Management (PHM) approaches.
Improving patient access & experience by redesigning processes and leveraging digital/virtual care utilizing an equity-centred approach.
Establishing effective OHT collaborative decision-making arrangements to advancing integrated care, accountability structures, integrated performance management & quality improvement measures.
The involvement of physicians, primary care providers and other clinicians in the OHTs, remains foundational to OHT success and should be a driver of OHT activities and structure.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee includes representation from the chairs of each sector table, plus additional persons agreed upon by the committee. Decision-making power rests with this group. They manage detailed planning and implementation activities necessary to oversee the work of the WEOHT. They are responsible for community engagement, identifying health care priorities, creating an appropriate set of working groups to establish and execute the overall work plan, and for establishing and overseeing a secretariat to support our work in improving healthcare in Windsor-Essex.

Partnership Council

The Partnership Council includes representation from all member organizations and the Patient, Family, and Caregiver Council, as well as other relevant stakeholders. The council is a key body for engaging and building consensus for direction of WEOHT strategy as well as sourcing of support for implementation through participation in working groups.

Advisory Groups

The two WEOHT Advisory Groups provide expertise and insight regarding WEOHT projects and workings.

Patient, Family, and Caregiver- Partnership Council

The Patient, Family, and Caregiver- Partnership Council (PFAC-PC) helps guide WEOHT decision-making by leveraging members’ lived experience and ensuring the inclusion of all voices that use our healthcare system. PFAC-PC co-chairs sit on the WEOHT Steering Committee and members are invited to sit on the various working groups/project teams for co-design.
Primary Care Council

Sector Tables / Working Groups

The six WEOHT Sector Tables represent specific sectors that work together to advance and improve the health care of people in Windsor-Essex through advice and consultation. The chair(s) of the sector tables will also serve as the sector representatives on the Steering Committee.

Acute Care and Emergency Medical Services
Community Service Organizations
Home and Community Support Services
Mental Health and Addictions
The Mental Health and Addictions Network Table (MHAN) works collaboratively to ensure that key sector related decisions align with mental health and addictions evidence-informed best practice, expected patient/client outcomes and with the developing mandate of the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence. The MHAN also provides strategic advice to Ontario Health West Region to advance system planning, performance oversight and informed decision making pertinent to mental health and addictions in Windsor-Essex. The MHAN are also system level experts who are skilled at analyzing operational and performance indicators to proactively identify system gaps requiring additional financial investments.
Mental Health and Addictions Network Table – Working Groups
Coordinated Access Working Group
Members are volunteers from MHAN Sector Table dedicated to focusing on Coordinated Access for our Mental Health and Addiction sector. Coordinated access means that no matter where a person enter the system they will be fully informed of their options for services.
The group is focused on preparing our region for a local coordinated access system for mental health and addictions including:
Mapping current state of our local mental health and addiction system
Enhancing the delivery of mental health and addiction services in Windsor-Essex by considering the input of the primary care sector (and other sectors)

Intake & Assessment Working Group
Goal is to have one intake worker from each core agency providing Mental Health and Addictions services participating. The group also includes members in leadership positions from the agencies involved.
This group is focused on three areas of work:
Current state mapping of assessment tools and identifying opportunities for common tools
Development of a local tool to help Navigators assist clients in understanding their options for Mental Health and Addictions services
Building pathways between agencies to allow for warm hand offs
This group meets monthly

Ocean eReferral Working Group
Members are drawn from organizations within the Mental Health and Addictions sector including both clinicians and leadership staff.
The goal of the group is to expand the use of Ocean eReferral among the partners providing Mental Health and Addictions services through a coordinated approach with support from Ontario Health.

This group meets bi-weekly
Primary Care

The Primary Care Sector Table creates a platform where all team-based primary care OHT signatories can meet as equal partners to provide sector feedback to the Steering Committee to support the advancement of the WEOHT. The WEOHT is developing a WEOHT Primary Care Network (PCN), composed of both Clinicians (Physicians, Nurse Practitioners etc.) and Clinical Leaders (ex. Executive Directors) to create a more collaborative structure.
Residential Facilities
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism (EIDA-R) Working Group
Other Initiatives
Mobile Medical Support – Find more information on Mobile Medical Supports on our MMS Webpage

Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy – Local coalition partnered to implement a Lower Limb Preservation strategy for Windsor Essex including Windsor Regional Hospital, City of Windsor, Windsor Family Health Team, Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre, and Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre

Integrated continuum of care for individuals with lower leg wounds, vascular disease, and/or at risk for a lower limb amputation

Prioritizing homeless and marginalized individuals who disproportionately experience lower limb amputations due to chronic conditions, addictions and social/economic barriers

Enhanced communication and collaboration among healthcare providers to optimize patient outcomes

Development of a comprehensive education strategy aimed at raising awareness about lower limb preservation and preventive foot care to community and healthcare personnel

Windsor-Essex Gets You Home

ConnectMyHealth – the WEOHT is responsible for promoting ConnectMyHealth across our region. ConnectMyHealth is a digital health solution that provides you with an online, single access channel to view your health records from participating hospitals in Southwestern Ontario. Visit the ConnectMyHealth website for more information.

Internal Team

The internal team ensures that the WEOHT pushes forward and is responsible for all backbone supports (e.g. document sharing, meetings, improvement projects, etc.). There are four internal team members:

Transformation Lead
Administrative & Communications Lead
Health System Integrated Lead/Project Lead
Project Manager, Decision Support Lead

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