The Ontario Hospital Association serves as the voice of the province's 136 public hospitals supporting them
through advocacy, knowledge translation and member engagement, labour
relations, and data and analytics, to build a better health system.
Ontario's hospital sector is extremely diverse. When people think of hospitals, they often think of acute care and emergency departments, but there is a wide range of other hospital types across the province. Each plays a distinct role within their communities – some with a broader, regional mandate. Here is a breakdown of Ontario's hospitals:
16 Acute Academic Hospitals
Ontario's Acute Academic Hospitals, including two specialty pediatric hospitals, are affiliated with a medical school and have a significant teaching and research mandate. In addition to offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services to their community, they also offer highly specialized assessments, diagnostics, procedures and treatments on a regional and provincial level that may not typically be available in a community hospital (e.g., PET scans, neurosurgery, and organ transplants).
47 Community Hospitals
Community Hospitals, often characterized as General Hospitals, range in size and offer inpatient, outpatient, community and outreach services tailored to the needs of their local communities. Many community hospitals are affiliated with medical schools and have a teaching mandate.
12 Complex Continuing Care (CCC) and Rehabilitation (Rehab) Hospitals
CCC and Rehab Hospitals are stand-alone facilities offering specialized programs ranging in complexity and intensity depending on the medical, clinical and therapeutic needs of patients. These programs are offered in an inpatient, ambulatory, community or outreach setting. There are also many more hospitals with designated CCC and Rehab units/programs that also offer a range of services to people living with either medically complex conditions or recovering from injury/trauma.
56 Small Hospitals
Typically located in rural communities, small hospitals are often considered the "focal point" for the coordination and delivery of a broad range of primary care and selected secondary care services to their communities. This may include community lab services, seniors' housing, assisted living, mental health and addictions services and even primary care.
5 Mental Health and Addiction Hospitals
Mental Health and Addiction Hospitals are stand-alone facilities designated under the Public Hospital Act. These hospitals differ from other hospitals designated as mental health facilities under the Mental Health Act as they are a regional and provincial resource for people across the province.
Supporting Our Hospitals – Networks and Committees
To ensure the unique needs of each hospital type are met, the OHA convenes members from across the province through its networks and committees to represent the context, perspectives and issues of our diverse membership.
Building on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, the OHA introduced a network model for member engagement that is focused on high-value engagement. These networks are intended to keep members well-informed, encourage active participation in generative discussions and balance a two-way flow of information. Both networks and committees provide members with a forum to connect with one another, while also offering the OHA guidance on issues within their area of focus.
Learn more about our active networks and committees:
