How are Ontario Heart Health Sites Addressing Integrated CDP?
Ontario heart health sites have chosen to address chronic disease prevention in a variety of ways. Some continue to focus solely on the areas that were the original focus of the Ontario efforts (i.e. physical activity, nutrition, tobacco). Others have added additional risk factors (e.g., stress, alcohol). Some have changed their names and their visions to include a broader chronic disease prevention approach. Others have kept heart health focused names, but modified their mandate. In a practical sense, the typical work of heart health projects has remained the same. However, opening themselves up to a chronic disease approach has provided increased opportunities for liaison with other types of organizations and initiatives within their own region, as well as provincially and nationally. The Heart Health Sites facilitate collaboration and partnerships instead of competition among groups.