PREPARED BY: Planning and Strategic Initiatives

DATE: 2025-09-18

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The WECHU’s 2022-2025 Refreshed Strategic Plan provides strategic direction to the organization. The plan defines the organizational vision, goals, and objectives to engage staff and support local public health outcomes within the community - with a specific focus on priority populations.

The Good Governance and Management Practices Domain of the Ontario Public Health Standards (2021) requires the Board of Health to provide governance direction and remain informed about the activities for organizational effectiveness through evaluation of the organization and strategic planning.

DISCUSSION

The WECHU is in the final year of the 2022-2025 plan. All current facets of the plan are on track to be completed or implemented by the end of 2025. 

Highlights for Q2 2025 include:

• Strengthened collaboration with municipal partners by meeting with city and county CAOs to share recent Board of Health resolutions calling for coordinated action on local public health issues such as food insecurity, immunization, gender-based violence, and infectious disease prevention.
• 100% of emerging public health issues have identified partners. New partnerships include a collaboration with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Canadian Mental Health Association, Regional Children’s Centre, and Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare to deliver a school-based mobile mental health strategy as part of the Locally Driven Population Health Model (LDPHM).
• Two advisory committees are now active under the Priority Population Engagement Framework. The 2SLGBTQI+ youth group has begun intervention planning, and a second committee will begin meeting in Q3.
• Staff census results were received and shared with the Board. The ED&I Committee is reviewing recommendations and will develop a response plan by the end of 2025.
• The 2025 priority setting exercise has been completed and shared with the Leadership Team. Mid-year data collection for 2025 performance indicators is underway to inform program planning.
• Planning for the 2026–2030 strategic cycle is well underway, with guidance and oversight being provided by the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee. The final strategic plan is expected to be adopted in late 2025, with implementation set to begin in January 2026.