News Release
August 24, 2020

Starting today, Toronto Public Health (TPH) nurses will begin a phased-in approach to resume in-person home-visiting services to eligible priority families as part of the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) program. Now that Toronto has entered Stage 3 of the provincial reopening plan, TPH is resuming the in-person part of the program for families with young children in the HBHC program.

As with many other organizations across the city, TPH had to temporarily pause some programs and services due to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements. One of the TPH programs impacted was HBHC, which had to suspend in-person home visits to protect the health of our clients and staff. Given the importance of this program, TPH provided a modified virtual model over the past few months to support residents during the pandemic. A key focus of resuming in-person visits is ensuring adherence to required public health measures, including COVID-19 symptom screening of clients and staff.

TPH’s HBHC program is a free home-visiting service supporting clients with:

  • having a healthy pregnancy
  • developing a positive relationship with their child
  • promoting their child’s growth and development
  • connecting families to resources and programs within their community
  • working together to give their child the best start in life

TPH continues to manage the local COVID-19 response, and is actively planning for a potential second wave in COVID-19 activity. Resumption of other critical TPH programs and services is underway within existing capacity and resources. Given the unpredictability of the virus, TPH may need to readjust programming and staff resources in order to addresses any surges in the pandemic.

For more information about HBHC, and to find out who is eligible, please go to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children webpage.

Quotes:

“I’m glad to see the resumption of in-person visits of the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program for families across our city as it plays a vital role in building a healthy foundation for children. As Toronto continues to reopen, we are doing everything possible to support residents and ensure that our City’s services keep people safe and healthy. I want to thank staff at Toronto Public Health for providing this important program virtually and for preparing the safe restart of in-person visits.”

– Mayor John Tory

In the midst of the COVID pandemic our team at Toronto Public Health has worked tirelessly to continue providing the many services that Torontonians rely on. The Healthy Babies Healthy Children program is such a service. During the pandemic this critical service for new parents was quickly modified and delivered remotely. I’m delighted the program will now return with in-person visits following our successful reopening efforts.”

– Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Board of Health

“The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on residents, local businesses, and our city. TPH provides many programs and services, which have also been impacted, including HBHC in-person home visiting, which was temporarily paused due to physical distancing requirements to keep clients and staff safe. We are now pleased to resume the in-person part of this core program that offers important supports to families with young children throughout our city.”

– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health, Toronto Public Health

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Lenore Bromley
Toronto Public Health
416-338-7974