Item - 2022.HL36.3
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Board of Health on April 11, 2022 and was adopted with amendments.
HL36.3 - Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Youth
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Amended
- Wards:
- All
Board Decision
The Board of Health:
1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to work with the Province of Ontario and Toronto School Boards to conduct further research and establish a baseline assessment of the mental health and well-being of youth in Toronto, to be used to measure the performance of future interventions.
2. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to work with Toronto School Boards to assist in the development of short and long-term approaches to promote the mental health and well-being of children and youth in Toronto and report back to the Board of Health with a status update in the second quarter of 2023.
3. Requested the Province of Ontario to provide resourcing to address the service backlog in the School Immunization and Dental Screening programs and support efforts to expedite this work through new service delivery channels and approaches.
4. Requested the Ministry of Health to implement a provincial electronic immunization registry for all vaccines as soon as possible.
5. Requested the Ministry of Health to work with local public health units and other relevant stakeholders to explore and implement approaches and activate more channels to further facilitate access to vaccines for children and youth, including vaccines that are traditionally administered in the School Immunization Program.
6. Forwarded the report (March 30, 2022) from the Medical Officer of Health to Canada's Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development.
7. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to provide further updates on the pandemic's impacts on children and youth as they become available.
Origin
Summary
This report responds to the Board of Health's request for an update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-age children and youth, including current programs operated by Toronto Public Health (TPH) to support this population (see Item HL35.7).
The COVID-19 pandemic has had both direct and indirect impacts on the health of children and youth. Data on COVID-19 cases and outcomes over the course of the pandemic show that children and youth have generally experienced less severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection, relative to older age groups. Although rare, instances of serious illness and loss of life have occurred among children and youth. These are tragic outcomes for those who have been impacted, as well as their family, friends, and communities.
Children and youth have experienced a wide range of indirect physical and mental health outcomes that are concerning and merit further investigation and attention. The COVID-19 pandemic led to multiple interruptions to in-person learning for Toronto's children and youth resulting from both school closures and loss of educational days due to illness and isolation requirements. Although these and other public health measures were necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and its associated health impacts, evidence shows that they had unintended impacts for many of Toronto's children and youth in the areas of mental health, substance use, nutrition, physical activity, and negative impacts on their access to dental health services and vaccines against preventable diseases.
Remote learning has also led to widening pre-existing educational disparities due to limited support and resources for remote learning among students with pre-existing behavioural concerns, lower socio-economic backgrounds, single parent homes, racialized and marginalized groups, Indigenous communities, or those that have pre-existing mental health concerns.
Nonetheless, the experience of children and youth has not been uniform, and there are indications that the shift to remote learning was beneficial for some. This points to a need for further investigation to inform approaches that address the urgent need for focused policy, strategies, and population-level interventions targeting the vulnerable population of school aged children and youth to promote mental health recovery, growth, and development.
While the direct provision of mental health services falls outside of TPH's mandate, staff will continue to collaborate with schools, school communities and school boards, providing the public health expertise necessary to integrate these interventions into the school system and TPH's existing school health offerings. Toronto Public Health will also provide expertise regarding the need to understand current and future mental health issues through research and the evaluation of interventions.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-223213.pdf
Communications
Speakers
Motions
That:
1. The Board of Health forward the report from the Medical Officer of Health to Canada's Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development.
2. The Board of Health request the Medical Officer of Health to provide further updates on the pandemic's impacts on children and youth as they become available.