What is The Health Communication Unit?
The Health Communication Unit (THCU) at the Centre
for Health Promotion, University
of Toronto (U of T), is one of 22 members of the
Ontario Health Promotion Resource System funded by the Ontario
Ministry of Health Promotion. Begun in 1993, we were developed
to provide training and support in health
communication. In 1997/98,
our mandate was expanded to include health
promotion planning, evaluation,
and policy
change. In 2000, it was again expanded to include sustainability.
What is your goal?
Our goal is to increase the capacity of community and public health
agencies to plan for, conduct, and evaluate a wide range of health
promotion programs
(within a comprehensive and population-based approach).
If you wish to view the THCU logic model (
),
detailing our goals, objectives, services, and clients, please click
here.
What services are available?
We provide provincial and regional workshops, tailored consultations,
and quality resource materials.
Who can use the services?
THCU's services are available free of charge to Ontario health promotion practitioners from public health units, community health
centres, district health councils, voluntary agencies, and others working in the
field of health promotion.
Do you provide services in French?
As a member of the OHPRS,
we are committed to providing services and resources for our
Francophone clients.
We work with our partners, including the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse,
to provide workshops and consultations based on client demand.
We have translated a number
of our core resources into French and
will continue to add new ones.
Download the Overview of French Language Services Pamphlet.
As with all our services, time, travel, and resource limitations exist.
If you have any questions, please contact us at hc.unit@utoronto.ca.
Do you offer degree courses in health communication?
Currently, there are no Canadian health communication programs.
U of T offers a graduate-level course, Health Communications, through
the MHSc in Health Promotion program.
The course is taught by Larry Hershfield (The Health Communication Unit) and Margaret MacNeill (Faculty
of Physical Education and Health).
THCU is part of some fledgling plans to offer additional health communication, and health promotion, training at U of T:
 |
We are in discussion with Public Health Sciences to develop a practical, part-time degree for health promoters with a health communication component. |
|
We are hoping to collaborate with other universitie to develop distance education and online learning opportunities. |
|
The Centre for Health Promotion at U of T is in the early stages of developing credit courses for health promotion professionals and students, both through their annual Health Promotion Summer School curriculum and THCUs workshops. |
There are a number of US schools offering degrees in health communication, notably Michigan State University's Master's in Health Communication.
Are you hiring?
We have three types of positions at THCU: staff consultants, part-time contracts for office assistance, and U of T unionized positions.
Staff consultants are hired for their expertise in health promotion and provide consultations and workshops or develop resources. When we are looking for someone in this category
we usually advertise in the Ontario Health Promotion
Email (OHPE) Bulletin or through Charity Village.
We occasionally hire temporary, part-time people to provide administrative support or for specific skills-based tasks such as website work and desktop publishing. These positions are filled either through our existing pool of temporary help or through RFPs (again, posted at Charity Village or in the OHPE).
Our office administration positions are unionized and filled through U of T Human Resources. Their website is http://www.utoronto.ca/jobopps/.
Good luck in your job search!
Do you have volunteer positions?
We do not use volunteers at this time.
NEW What is your policy regarding travel costs of THCU consultants for consultations and regional workshops?
Due to steadily increasing budget pressures, THCU must now request that our clients pay part or all of the THCU travel costs for regional workshops, presentations, and consultations. Payment is not a requirement of service, as we do have some travel funds available for organizations who are unable to pay. However, these funds are limited. If travel costs prove prohibitive, we may explore alternative service delivery methods (e.g., do a webinar instead of a face to face event).
Please note that all consultant costs for preparation, delivery, administration and evaluation of our services will still be provided at no cost to our clients, thanks to our annual grant from the Ministry of Health Promotion.
When you complete a THCU Service Request Form, you will be asked about your ability to cover travel costs. The THCU consultant assigned to your service request will also discuss these costs in more detail. We apologize for this inconvenience. Thank you for understanding as we work to deliver our high quality service within budget constraints.
