Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/Nov. 2, 2022
The Hastings Prince Edward Board of Health (BOH) met today for the regular monthly meeting. The meeting was conducted in person at the office in Belleville.
Board of Health approves budget for 2023
Today, the Board of Health approved the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) budget for 2023 in the amount of $17,695,790. HPEPH has requested a levy increase of 1.5% from municipalities for the 2023 budget year, which will ensure that staffing levels are maintained and recovery plans can be implemented.
The BOH also committed to continuing their strong advocacy to the Ministries of Health and Education, as well as local school boards, to support continued funding for HPEPH’s school-focused nursing initiative.
The 2023 budget represents an intentional focus on program delivery and ongoing community support. Key investments in technology and staff training will result in improvements to organizational efficiency, cyber security and the modernization of service delivery for clients. A complete overview of the budget can be accessed at hpePublicHealth.ca.
Residents urged to get vaccinated, limit close contacts, and stay home when sick in response to rising COVID-19 cases
Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Medical Officer of Health and CEO for HPEPH, informed the BOH that a difficult respiratory virus season is expected this year and he urged local residents to get their flu vaccine and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
To help improve awareness of the rates of infection locally, HPEPH has launched a new dashboard to track and report confirmed respiratory infections and outbreaks in the region. To read more about the new dashboard, and learn about steps you can take to reduce the spread of respiratory infections, please see the media release issued earlier today.
Group cognitive behavioural therapy to be offered in the spring
Dr. Toumishey also announced that the HPEPH Healthy Growth & Development Team is launching a new component of the Healthy Families program, in which Public Health Nurses will deliver group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for postpartum depression and anxiety. Training for staff will begin in early 2023, with plans to offer the therapy sessions in the spring.
Up to 20 per cent of pregnant and postpartum people struggle with their mental health and recent studies have demonstrated that Public Health Nurses are able to deliver effective group CBT to improve depression and anxiety, which leads to better childhood outcomes through improving the parent-infant relationship and bonding.
Dietitian will support food security efforts
HPEPH is in the final stages of recruiting a Registered Dietitian who will continue working with community groups such as the Community Development Council and networks of charitable meal providers on food security in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPE).
The Registered Dietitian will be completing the nutritious food basket project which measures the basic cost of healthy eating (based on Canada’s Food Guide) in HPE. When measured against the average rents, it becomes clear that certain groups of people (individuals living in low income) are forced to choose between eating nutritious food and paying rent, and purchasing other basic necessities such as transportation.
Harm reduction and decriminalization
HPEPH has seen an alarming increase in drug-related deaths. In 2021, over 40 people lost their lives as the result of suspected drug-related poisonings and the majority (68%, n=28) of drug-related deaths last year (2021) involved opioids. Over the past seven years, from 2014 to 2021, the rate of opioid-related emergency department visits increased by 251% (rate per 100,000 in 2014 was 32.4 and 113.8 in 2021).
In a presentation to the BOH, Stephanie McFaul, Clinical Services Manager Sexual Health & Harm Reduction and Jeremy Owens, Sexual Health & Harm Reduction Public Health Nurse, explained that evidence suggests policies intended to prohibit or criminalize drug use contribute both directly and indirectly to risk of death due to overdose or drug toxicity.
Owens explained that evidence from Portugal, where drugs for personal use have been decriminalized since 2001, shows:
- 91% reduction in new diagnoses of HIV among people who use drugs from 2000 to 2013
- 91% reduction in overdose deaths from 2000 to 2016
- 60% reduction in the number of criminal drug offences from 2000 to after decriminalization
Upon review of a draft letter to the federal government to decriminalize drugs for personal use, the BOH opted to further engage community partners to establish a coalition on decriminalization. An update will be provided at a future BOH meeting.
Interim BOH Chair named
Board member Dr. Craig Ervine was named interim BOH Chair, effective November 15, when Jo-Anne Albert’s time on the BOH comes to an end.
Albert, who has served on the Board of Health for 10 years, the last five as chair, expressed her thanks to her fellow BOH members and praised the exceptional work of the HPEPH staff.
Strategic Plan Progress Report and updated 2022-2023 Strategic Plan
The Board of Health has reviewed and approved the 2021-2022 Strategic Plan Progress Report and the updated 2022-2023 Strategic Plan.
HPEPH’s strategic priorities for recovery were considered in the preparation of the progress report and updated Strategic Plan, which will guide HPEPH operations over the next year. This plan continues to support HPEPH’s mission of working with our communities to help people become as healthy as they can be.
With the impending completion of the term of the current strategic plan, HPEPH will begin planning the next strategic plan in 2023 with planned completion in 2024.
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For more information contact:
Maureen Hyland, Communications Specialist
hyland.maureen@hpeph.ca
Emily Tubbs, Communications Specialist
etubbs@hpeph.ca
About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is a public health agency that serves the counties of Hastings and Prince Edward from four local offices. HPEPH is situated and provides services on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people. We monitor the health of our local population, deliver programs and services within our communities, and help develop healthy public policies. We provide information and support in many areas to help improve the health and well-being of our residents. Together with our communities, we help people become as healthy as they can be. For more information, please visit hpePublicHealth.ca. You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
We invite community partners and residents to share this Media Release with their respective networks.
