Healthy Ontario

Prevention & Wellness simply refers to the action taken to prevent chronic disease and enhance optimal health and wellness. While modern medicine can help address diseases as they occur, the best way to live a comfortable, long life and reduce your expenses on health care is through adopting various healthy habits. Four of the ten leading causes of death (heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer) have been linked to obesity, poor nutrition and lack of sufficient physical activity.

There are a number of services, programs and facilities within the City of Ontario that provide support to individuals who want to take a proactive approach to their health by eating healthy and being physically active.

The Healthy Ontario Initiative Prevention & Wellness goals and objectives are:

GOAL 1: Environments, systems, and policies that minimize chronic disease and enhance optimal health and wellness.

• Objective 1.1: Increase awareness and consumption of and access to healthy foods and food preparation
• Objective 1.2: Increase opportunities for, and participation in, physical activity
• Objective 1.3: Increase opportunities to support positive mental health
• Objective 1.4: Increase awareness and opportunities for regular health and dental screenings

Prevention & Wellness Resources

CalFresh: The CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can add to your food budget to put healthy and nutritious food on the table. The program issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy most foods at many markets and food stores. 

City of Ontario Recreation: Creating community and economic value through diverse opportunities for personal growth and a healthy lifestyle by providing quality programs and services.  

Covered California: Covered California’s mission is to increase the number of Californians with health insurance, improve the quality of health care for all Californians, reduce health care coverage costs and make sure California’s diverse population has fair and equal access to quality health care. Click here for information about the Enrollment Assistance Program.

Huerta Del Valle Community Garden and Urban Farm: Our mission is to cultivate an organization of community members to grow our own organic crops. Through growing our food we work toward sustainable community empowerment and health: creating meaningful work, building lasting skills and developing strong relationships within the city of Ontario.

Park Tree Community Health Center: Comprehensive services and programs for patients of all ages. From routine check-ups to health screenings for diseases such as diabetes; the trained and experienced staff is there to help you and your entire family.

San Bernardino County Department of Public Health: Works to prevent epidemics and the spread of disease, protect against environmental hazards, prevent injuries, promote and encourage healthy behaviors, respond to disasters and assist communities in recovery, and assure the quality and accessibility of health services throughout the county. WIC.

West End YMCA: The West End YMCA is an association of YMCA Branches that serves the communities of Chino, Chino Hills, Ontario, Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, and Fontana.

The Healthy Ontario Collaborative partners work with health care providers and local, regional, state and federal agencies to attract and retain a diversity of affordable, quality healthcare facilities and providers to serve the entire community.

A person’s ability to access health care services has a dramatic effect on every aspect of one’s life. One of the primary factors is the high cost of medical insurance, which makes quality health care unavailable to many people.  A lack of medical services in some areas and a nationwide shortage of Primary Care Providers negatively affect people’s ability to access health care services. These barriers are often compounded by other social determinants, such as age, gender, ethnicity, and income. Concerted efforts to improve access can result in improved healthcare and prevention of serious long-term disease for all residents.

The Healthy Ontario Initiative’s Health Care Access & Utilization goals and objectives are:

Goal 2: Diverse, affordable, quality healthcare providers and services.

• Objective 2.1:   Bring affordable, quality health care to Ontario
• Objective 2.2:   Attract and retain quality health care agencies
• Objective 2.3:  Connect the community to resources through outreach and collaborative partnerships

Health Care Resources:

Prescription Discount Program: Click on the link to learn more about how Ontario residents who are without health insurance, a traditional benefits plan, or have prescriptions that are not covered by insurance can save on prescription drugs.

Covered California Covered California’s mission is to increase the number of Californians with health insurance, improve the quality of health care for all Californians, reduce health care coverage costs and make sure California’s diverse population has fair and equal access to quality health care. Click here for the Enrollment Assistance Program.

Park Tree Community Health Center: 1556 S. Sultana Ave. Ontario, CA 91761. Park Tree Community Health Center is a medical community built on compassion, serving the entire family.

Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center: 2295 S. Vineyard Ave. Ontario, CA 91761. With care and coverage working together, Kaiser Permanente gives you the information and support you need to live healthily.

San Antonio Regional Hospital:  999 San Bernardino Rd. Upland, CA 91786. At San Antonio Regional Hospital we’re dedicated to providing you with one of the very best Urgent Care facilities in Southern California – with the experts and technology to treat life’s unexpected interruptions. From simple sprains to colds and the flu- we’re here for you when you need us most.

San Bernardino County Department of Public Health: Ontario Health Center -150 E. Holt Blvd. Ontario, CA 91761. Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday from 8:00 am-5:00 pm. Appointment Line: 1-800-722-4777. Health Center Services include Primary Care, Pediatric Care, Reproductive Health Care, Prenatal Care, Immunizations and a TB Clinic. Our dedicated staff works to prevent epidemics and the spread of disease, protect against environmental hazards, prevent injuries, promote and encourage healthy behaviors, respond to disasters and assist communities in recovery, and assure the quality and accessibility of health services throughout the county.

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center: 400 N. Pepper Ave. Colton, CA, 92324. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) is a 456-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health and operated by the County of San Bernardino. The hospital, located on a 70-acre campus in Colton, California, is a designated Level II trauma center. ARMC operates a regional burn center, a primary stroke center, a behavioral health center located on the hospital campus, four primary care centers including three family health centers, and provides more than 40 outpatient specialty care services.

Chino Valley Medical Center: 5451 Walnut Ave, Chino, CA 91710. Chino Valley Medical Center (CVMC), established in 1972, is a 126-bed community hospital centrally located in beautiful Southern California. CVMC serves a diverse population and incorporates elements of urban, suburban, and rural medicine, offering a wide array of patient services. We have a bustling emergency department, 10 intensive care beds, full radiological and laboratory services, as well as a comprehensive operative suite with separate GI and pain facilities.

United Way 211: 211 is an Information and Referral (I&R) Service that can help you find resources that may be able to assist you with health and social services. By dialling 2-1-1 (or 888-435-7565) in San Bernardino County, you will be assisted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by bilingual staff (Spanish). If you need assistance in another language, 211 utilizes a translation line, available to communicate in over 150 languages.

Ontario’s prosperity is determined, to a great extent, by its ability to provide a skilled and educated workforce capable of meeting the requirements of business. A key factor for businesses and residents deciding whether or not to locate in Ontario is the availability of quality preschool, elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and vocational training. Ontario fosters lifelong learning so that its citizens can lead more fulfilling and productive lives by providing access to libraries, culture, community events andactivities.

The relationship between educational attainment and health outcomes has been well documented. Individuals that have obtained a higher level of education typically have lower rates of the most common acute and chronic diseases. High School graduates earn higher salaries; have better self-esteem, more personal life satisfaction, have less involvement in criminal activity, work in better jobs, and live healthier lives. Through concerted efforts, individuals can better utilize educational resources for their own personal growth, as well as help create a culture of peer mentoring.

The Healthy Ontario Initiative’s Education & Lifelong Learning goal and objectives are:

GOAL 3:   Provide a range of educational and training opportunities for residents and workers of all ages and abilities that improves their life choices and provides a skilled workforce for our businesses.

• Objective 3.1:   Provide educational resources and services that improves and fosters a community that values education and life-long learning.
• Objective 3.2:  Partner with educational institutions throughout the region in order to expand the range and quality of educational offerings available to the community.
• Objective 3.3: Work with industrial organizations, businesses and educational institutions to create opportunities for workforce training.
• Objective: 3.4: Increase awareness and utilization of the broad array of education and career opportunities in Ontario.

Education & Lifelong Learning Resources:

Chaffey College:  Chaffey College improves lives within the diverse communities it serves through equal access to quality occupational, transfer, general education, and foundation programs in a learning-centered environment where student success is highly valued, supported, and assessed. 

Loma Linda University: A Seventh-day Adventist educational health-sciences institution with more than 4,000 students located in Southern California. Eight schools comprise the University organization. More than 55 programs are offered by the schools of Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Religion and Behavioral Health. 

Ontario Library: Your place to connect to each other and the world—where you are inspired by its materials, innovative programs and services, and are delighted by its commitment to the community. 

Ontario-Montclair School District (OMSD): Was founded in 1884 and is currently the third largest elementary school district in California. The district covers most of the City of Ontario, Montclair, portions of Upland, and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. Serving 22,755 students, the district has 26 elementary schools, and six middle schools.

Pitzer College: Produces engaged, socially responsible citizens of the world through an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary liberal arts education emphasizing social justice, intercultural understanding and environmental sensitivity. Our community thrives within the mutually supportive framework of The Claremont Colleges, which provide an unsurpassed breadth of academic, athletic and social opportunities. 

Promise Scholars: Ensures a place in college for our students. All OMSD students who complete preparatory requirements will be provided access and admission to a partner college. Promise Scholars is one of the first universal comprehensive college going programs of its kind in San Bernardino County.

The Chaffey Joint Union High School District: Serves the communities of Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy. With over 25,000 students, the District is the fourth largest high school district in California. It has eight comprehensive high schools, a continuation high school, an online high school, a community day school, an adult school, and alternative programs. 

Cucamonga Elementary School District:  Serves the communities of Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario. The Cucamonga School District, with an appreciation for diversity, provides a comprehensive education that promotes academic, emotional and social development, which enables students to be lifelong learners and realize their full potential as contributing members of society.

Mountain View Elementary School District:  Mountain View School District is a school community whose members focus on the whole child: ensuring each child is safe, that each child’s needs are met, and that each child is provided an education of the highest quality. Our continuing mission at Mountain View School District is to provide a foundation for sustained educational excellence for students and staff by setting clear goals and high expectations in a safe and trusting environment that supports individual success.

Chino Valley Unified School District: Chino Valley Unified SD is home to 19 California Distinguished Schools, some that have been named Distinguished Schools more than once. It is also home to a National Blue Ribbon school, Title 1 Achieving Schools and a California Department of Education Service-Learning Leaders School.

Trade Schools in Ontario: Whether you are looking for an online or on-campus school in your city, we have the tools you need to find the right vocational school in the right area.

A complete neighborhood has convenient options for physical activity, goods and services and places for enrichment and enjoyment such as schools, churches, parks, markets and community centers.  A complete neighborhood serves most of the daily needs of its residents within an ideal walking distance of ¼ to ½ mile, with convenient and safe pathways of travel.  People who live in safe and complete neighborhoods have opportunities for physical activity and social gatherings.  When residents feel safe in their neighborhoods, they are more likely to be physically active outdoors and have reduced levels of stress.

Ontario promotes neighborhoods that support a healthy lifestyle and strives to preserve existing neighborhoods through maintenance and improvement of streets, sidewalks, parks and facilities, and by providing public programs and services.

For more information about complete communities, designing and maintaining our neighborhoods, and participating in neighborhood watch or other recreational activities in your neighborhood, please see the resources below:

• MyOntario Phone App Smart phone point and click app to report maintenance issues such as graffiti, potholes, weed abatement, sprinkler problems, etc.
• Ontario Living Magazine
• Area Command Center  Day to Day Policing including Community Oriented Problem Solving (COPS)
• The Ontario Plan Community Economics, and Community Design Elements

The Healthy Ontario Initiative’s Safe & Complete Neighborhoods goal and objectives are:

GOAL 4: Safe, complete and distinct neighborhoods that support healthy lifestyles

• Objective 4.1: Create neighborhoods that sustain economic prosperity, safety, physical and mental health and access to employment and other means of economic prosperity for residents of all ages and income levels.
• Objective 4.2: Create places that provide safe and enjoyable gathering points for the community. (i.e. Health Hubs such as Town Square, Huerte del Valle community garden,  parks and community centers, and Farmers Markets).

Safe & Complete Neighborhoods Resources:

Community Improvement: Responsible for enforcing Municipal Code regulations on private property throughout the city. The Ontario Municipal Code regulates parking on private property, zoning, property maintenance, and other substandard conditions on residential, commercial, and industrial properties.

Ontario Fire Department: The Department responds to more than 15,000 calls per year serving and protecting a city population of approximately 167,000.

Planning Department: Plays a critical role in achieving the City Council’s goals and objectives relative to the physical development of the community.

Ontario Police Department: The mission of the Ontario Police Department is to protect life and property, solve neighborhood problems, and enhance the quality of life in our community. We do this by providing superior police services while fostering successful community partnerships.

The Ontario Plan: The Ontario Plan is a dynamic Framework for sustained, comprehensive leadership in building our community.  It integrates components of city governance that are typically disconnected.  The Plan states community direction at a point in time (2009) and integrates it into a single guidance system that will shape the Ontario community 20 years or more into the future.  The Ontario Plan provides for lasting policies to accommodate change.  It consists of a six part Component Framework:  1) Vision, 2) Governance Manual, 3) Policy Plan, 4) City Council Priorities, 5) Implementation, and 6) Tracking and Feedback. 

Get Around Ontario: The City of Ontario is currently working on an Active Transportation Master Plan aimed at improving pedestrian, bicycle and transit-related safety, accessibility, and connectivity. The goal is to engage the residents and participate in community events and meetings to provide input, and help identify safety concerns.

Kaiser HEAL Zone

Inspired by its mission to improve community health, Kaiser Permanente developed the HEAL program in 2004 to support healthy behaviors and reduce obesity through clinical practice and sustained community-level change.  In 2005, the HEAL initiative grew to include place-based work, known as Community Health Initiatives (CHI). Since the program began, Kaiser Permanente will have committed more than $21 million to support HEAL efforts across Southern California.

Ontario is one of six HEAL Zones in Southern California. The City of Ontario received a grant from Kaiser Permanente to work with Healthy Ontario partners and residents to promote Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) in the HEAL Zone. The HEAL program focuses on neighborhoods between 10,000 and 20,000 residents, called HEAL Zones, and engages the residents and local organizations to create positive changes.  The Ontario HEAL Zone is a pilot project designed to make the healthy choice the easy choice for residents within the boundaries.  Our partners include the City of Ontario, Partners for Better Health, Ontario-Montclair School District, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, Kids Come First Community Health Center, West End YMCA, Pitzer College, Loma Linda University, HEAL Zone residents and Kaiser Permanente.

Three main goals associated with the Kaiser HEAL Zone are: 

1. Increase physical activity;
2. Increase consumption of healthy food and beverages such as fresh fruit and vegetables and drinking water;
3. Decrease calorie consumption of unhealthy food, especially sugar-sweetened beverages.

Let's Move!

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. It gives parents helpful information and fosters environments that support healthy choices and ensures that every family has access to healthy and affordable food. 

Everyone has a role to play in reducing childhood obesity, including parents, elected officials from all levels of government, schools, health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private sector companies. Your involvement is key to ensuring a healthy future for our children.

By following a few steps, the City of Ontario has involved our community, schools, elected officials, health care providers and other non-profit organizations to take action in the Let’s Move! initiative.

The BUILD Health Challenge

In 2015, The BUILD Health Challenge awarded eleven planning and seven implementation grants across the nation. The Build Health Challenge is funded by The Advisory Board Company, the Colorado Health Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Healthy Ontario Initiative (HOI) was selected as one of seven BUILD implementation grants and receives funding and technical assistance to stimulate and support innovative partnerships between hospitals, public health, and communities for improved health outcomes in low-income neighborhoods. The partnering health systems on each implementation award have also committed a 1:1 match with financial and in-kind support to advance the partnership’s goals.

HOI’s BUILD project focuses on a 1.3 mile radius within the City of Ontario where community partners are working collectively to minimize obesity and obesity-related health conditions through a “Health Hub” approach. The BUILD health hubs include two City parks with community centers, two family health centers, a community garden, and three places of worship.

Other BUILD project objectives include:

• Improving the type of fresh food through a locally grown produce distribution model;
• Implementing systems and policies to promote farm to table partnerships between local growers and restaurants who want to incorporate a variety of healthy options; and
• Creating health literacy programs in collaboration with San Antonio Regional Hospital, OMSD, the Department of Public Health and Community Health Workers

Lead Agency: Partners for Better Health
Partner Agencies: City of Ontario, San Antonio Regional Hospital, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health,  El Sol, Ontario-Montclair School District, Huerta del Valle Community Garden

Healthy People 2020

The vision of the Healthy people 2020 initiative is to provide “a society in which all people live long, healthy lives.” 

Healthy People 2020 strives to:

• Identify and inform determinants of health, disease, disability and opportunities for progress.
• Attain high-quality, longer lives 
• Achieve health equity
• Create social and physical environments that promote good health
• Promote quality of life

Choose My Plate

The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP),  a Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was established in 1994 to improve the nutrition and well-being of Americans. Toward this goal, the Center focuses its efforts on two primary objectives:

• Advance and promote dietary guidance for all Americans, and
• Conduct applied research and analyses in nutrition and consumer economics.

My plate is a resource to help individuals become and stay healthy. This initiative focuses on helping individuals keep track of their physical activity, and nutrition. It provides customized meal plans, and healthy recipes.

Champions for Change

Champions for Change are people — just like us — who are using their power to help their families prevent serious health problems. These health problems include
obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

Champions for Change, now CalFresh Healthy Living, is committed to helping their families eat more fruits and vegetables and be more physically active. They are also involved in making healthy changes in their neighborhoods. 

This initiative offers:

• Free information tips and tools for families in need of healthy opportunities by providing:
  • Recipes
  • Healthy eating proportions
  • Exercise tutorials

Promise Scholars

The vision of the Promise Scholars Initiative is to prepare all Ontario-Montclair School District (OMSD) students to be successful in a global society by increasing high school completion and college attendance.

Vital Signs

San Bernardino County Community Vital Signs: Community Vital Signs is a community-driven effort in partnership with the County of San Bernardino to establish a health improvement framework. It provides an in-depth analysis of the current health of the County of San Bernardino, and develop evidence-based goals and priorities to align with national and statewide efforts through Healthy People 2020 and Healthy California 2020. The resources gathered will assist organizations and agencies in the County to develop or enhance programs and policies to better meet the needs of residents.

HEAL Cities Campaign

Healthy Eating, Active Living Cities Campaign:  Promoting physical activity and nutrition policies in California cities.

HEAL Cities campaign aims to reduce and prevent obesity by encouraging cities to adopt policies and promote opportunities for residents in their communities.

We have recognized that obesity is a threat to the wellbeing of our families. By making social and environmental changes, we have committed to adopt the Healthy Eating, Active Living campaign to strengthen our health by providing:

1. A system of trails and corridors that facilitate and encourage bicycling and walking
2. Access to information, services and goods that improve their health and wellbeing.
3. Continuing to develop and maintain our environmental infrastructure to ensure community prosperity.
4. Promote community engagement, economic investment and quality design in our neighborhoods, parks and recreational facilities
5. Promoting healthy food options in the community, including the development of community gardens and farmers markets

Implementation of outdoor fitness equipment and shade structure at Bon View Park.

Healthy Ontario Collaborative partners include public, private and non-profit organizations, school districts and volunteers who are joining together to leverage resources and improve the physical, social and economic health and well-being of our community.  Our partners are committed to providing the community with opportunities to make healthy choices the easy choices. We continue to expand our network of partners, leverage resources and align initiatives to improve health. Below is a partial list of community partners with links to their websites and initiatives.

• City of Ontario
• Kaiser Permanente
• Ontario Montclair School District
• Chaffey Joint Union High School District
• San Antonio Regional Hospital
• Loma Linda University
• Cucamonga School District
• YMCA
• Huerta del Valle Ontario Community Garden
• Chino Valley Unified School District
• County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health
• Mountain View School District
• Pitzer College
• Kids Come First
• Partners for Better Health
• The Social Impact Artists
• El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
• Community Healthy Improvement Association of Ontario