Planning French-language health services: a case illustration of Niagara region.

Niagara's health plan for the '90s includes a French-language service component and is a joint effort of the Niagara District Health Council (NDHC) and l'association canadienne française de l'Ontario (ACFO), whose mandate includes the promotion of francophone objectives and perspectives in Ontario. The planning process undertaken contains traditional "hard" elements of planning such as the collection of data, data analysis and recommendations. It also contains the "soft" elements, which are discussed by a review of the major tasks: designing the project structure; designing the research method; formulating a network of health and related social services; and building consensus toward the final plan of action. The results of the study produced 23 recommendations to address five key issue areas, which will ensure that plans become a reality with tangible results for Niagara's French-speaking community.