SERVICE PROFILE INCLUSION


thehealthline.ca is a tool to help people in Ontario find the regional health and social services they need.

Service profiles are housed in a single provincial database, creating an online resource that can be accessed 24 hours a day. These service profiles can list an organization or agency, a branch or satellite office, a program or service offered by an organization, or an individual providing a service.

Each of the LHINs across Ontario act as record stewards, responsible for service profiles in their respective regions. Record maintenance includes an annual review to ensure content is up-to-date and accurate. thehealthline.ca data editors also maintain provincial service profiles published on all regional sites simultaneously. The collective result is an online platform that supports system navigation needs across the entire province, created and maintained by importing data and/or administering collected data.

Every effort is made to have comprehensive and detailed service profiles that are sufficiently descriptive for the purpose of helping people access services. Organizations, agencies, and programs are described in a consistent manner to facilitate comparison.

  • Inclusion within thehealthline.ca provincial database is free
  • Inclusion within thehealthline.ca provincial database does not imply endorsement nor does exclusion indicate lack of endorsement
  • Content within thehealthline.ca provincial database does not reflect any recommendation of services, or any comparative judgments of the quality of services they provide

Inclusion criteria are administered by thehealthline.ca Information Network to guide the collection and maintenance of service profiles in the provincial database. thehealthline.ca Information Network reserves the right to remove or exclude any service from the database for any reason.

For example, grounds for removal or exclusion from thehealthline.ca provincial database may apply to any organizations, agencies, programs, of individuals that:

  • Contravene the Ontario Human Rights Code of the Canadian Charter of Rights
  • Engage in fraudulent, discriminatory, or criminal activities
  • Misrepresent themselves or spread hatred
  • Have serious complaints reported by a regulatory body
  • Are not licensed in an area where licensing standards exist
  • Discontinue providing a health or social service (or otherwise fail to meet the inclusion criteria)
  • Refuse to or are unable to adequately maintain their service profile(s)

When determining whether or not a service should be included in the database, the following factors are taken into consideration:

Subject Area


The database lists health and social services. The focus is on health care services that are integral to Ontario's public health care system and help facilitate community care. Social services are included if they are deemed pertinent to health care. Priority is given to organizations, agencies, and programs which employ evidence-based practices.

In general, individuals in private practice are not listed (e.g., physicians, psychologists, nurses, therapists). Instead, professional associations and other referral services that provide an avenue to access individual practitioners are included. Group practices, such as family health teams and various clinics offered through publicly-funded organizations or programs, may be listed.

Health services include organizations, agencies, and programs from across the health care system continuum, and those that address the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals and populations at every stage of life.

Social services include organizations, agencies, and programs which address the social determinants of health, such as basic subsistence and quality-of-life issues (as they impact health and well-being). A broad range of risk factors may represent barriers to health services—and consequently, optimal health—including social isolation, low income, homelessness, mobility, age, disability, language, and culture.

Funding Status and Cost


Priority is given to publicly-funded health and social services offered through government and non-profit sectors. Priority is given to services offering free or low-cost options.

Commercial organizations, agencies, and programs which may be considered for inclusion, if they have employees, include:

  • Services that may be required to supplement/complement non-profit and public sector services
  • Services in a priority subject area not addressed by non-profit or public sectors
  • Services having contractual agreements with various levels of government

Geographic Area


Services must be located in Ontario and serve all or part of its population. Federal government services, non-profit organizations, and registered charities that meet a service gap in Ontario may reside outside Ontario. Services outside Canada will be included only if deemed to provide a high-priority and unique service.

Direct Service


Priority is given to those organizations, agencies, and programs providing a direct service to the general public. Also included are networks or coalitions of direct service providers, and those involved in licensing, planning, or coordinating direct services.

Availability


Consumers must be able to access the service. For example, consumers could access a service by telephone, mail, email, text, through the internet, or in person.

Priority is given to services available to the general public. Organizations, agencies, and programs that provide services only to their own members are usually not included, unless membership is available to the community at large. Referral requirements are not a determining factor for database inclusion; services may or may not require a referral.

Stability


Listed services must demonstrate stability in providing services. Stability is evaluated by many factors, including length of time in existence, the number of employees, a permanent office, an established and secure funding base, registered charitable status, or the support of an established parent organization. Exceptions may be made in emerging or under-funded service areas. Additionally, the criteria may vary for certain service types (e.g., self-help groups may be included even if they do not meet all the above requirements).

Questions regarding service profile inclusion can be directed to usersupport@thehealthline.ca.