Spotlight on Peterborough & Surrounding Area Public Health and School Boards
“Relationship building is the key to the success of any collaboration.”
Claire Townshend, Manager Peterborough Public Health
In connection with Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit, an online resource that integrates health literacy, digital media literacy and inquiry into discussions about vaccines as part of healthy living, In January, Ophea hosted a Think Tank on enhancing school board and public health collaboration in service of student well-being. We asked interest holders from three regions to tell us about the magic ingredients behind the success of their school board and public health collaborations.
Their presentations not only gave audience members helpful tips, but blueprints for success that they could take back to their own school boards or health units. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on the work of the partnership between Peterborough and surrounding area public health and school boards, as described by panelist Claire Townshend.
A common issue (even if it’s a crisis) can unite a large and diverse group.
While Claire Townshend, Manager of Peterborough Public Health, admitted it felt counter-intuitive to put “COVID-19” on a slide titled “Opportunities & Successes,” she couldn’t deny that the health crisis presented a silver lining to their large public health and school board partnership.
“Having a common issue and having something that wasn’t arbitrarily defined by a geographic issue or boundary—it really did help us to rally together and to further enhance our already existing and strong relationships,” she said. “We had to work with our school boards to think about what the protocols were and how to interpret regulations that were changing every day.”
Between May 2020 and June 2022, the group met 71 times. That’s no small feat! And it's even more impressive when you consider the size of the partnership, which is made up of four different health units (Durham Region Health Department; Haliburton, Kawartha, and Pine Ridge District Health Unit; Hastings Prince Edward Public Health; and Peterborough Public Health) and three school boards (Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board; Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board; and Conseil scholaire catholique MonAvenir). During COVID this partnership actually included Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit and Trillium Lakelands District School Board as well, so a total of 5 health units and 4 school boards!
A Memorandum of Understanding sets out clear expectations.
Townshend credits a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with getting the partnership off on the right foot. “It solidified the importance of us working together,” she said, “as well as allowing both health units and school boards to dedicate staff at the various working group and committee levels.” The partnership then worked to operationalize the MOU by setting up platforms to share information about joint initiatives.
Regular meetings at various levels also contribute to keeping the momentum going. The Medical Officers of Health, CEOs and Directors of Education of each board and health unit meet three to four times a year. At the management level, there are meetings between communication and school health managers every other month, and at the staff level various committees and working groups meet regularly as well. “All of these committees are connected,” said Townshend, “and we filter back to each other for an informed planning process as we move forward.”
Consistent communication is key.
“As a collaborative we were really able to come together around consistent joint communication, which our school board partners appreciated,” continued Townshend.
One example of this communication in action was seen around immunization enforcement this school year. Public Health was able to work with superintendents on a plan to communicate and amplify messages about where and when vaccinations clinics for their grade 10 students would be held and what the outcomes would be if students who needed vaccines didn’t get them by the deadline.
“We’d never gone into the high schools prior to COVID,” Townshend explained. “But our immunization team was able to reach out directly to the schools, and we were able to get the clinics set up. It was seamless, and it was because of those relationships that we had created. All of our suspension notices were rescinded for that grade 10 cohort!” she reported. “It was a great success for our collaboration.”
Leveraging opportunities and connecting to curriculum can meet community needs.
“Sometimes we approach [the school boards] with programs that would be mutually beneficial and are tied to curriculum,” said Townshend. “We would also approach school boards with initiatives if we found data surprising or worrisome.”
And thanks to the partnership, school boards know they can also pick up the phone any time to seek support around health issues they see happening in their region.
Just a few of the programs and resources the group has developed to meet identified needs lately include a revised Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) resource, a food literacy program, a vaping cessation program, and—most recently—a fact sheet public health is putting together in answer to school boards seeking support around the upcoming solar eclipse.
It’s a reciprocal relationship.
“Staff capacity is a challenge,” said Townshend. “Educators and school staff are stretched thin.” Likewise, public health agencies often struggle to meet their mandates with limited resources.
“There’s a reciprocal nature to school boards and public health sharing,” said Townshend. “We talk a lot in our programming about the importance of relationships as a protective factor for health and building resilient individuals, families and communities, and I think the same is true when we’re talking about our school boards and health units working together. Relationship building is the key to the success of any collaboration.”
Access the video of Townshend’s full presentation.
The Enhancing School Board and Public Health Collaboration in Service of Student Well-being Think Tanks as well as Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit were made possible through funding support from the Immunization Partnership Fund delivered by the Public Health Agency of Canada. However, the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Ophea’s Vaccination Talks Toolkit is a free online resource that integrates health literacy, digital media literacy and inquiry into discussions about vaccines as part of healthy living. Explore this bilingual resource at: ophea.net/vaccination-talks-toolkit