Board of Health Meeting Documents

BACKGROUND

The WECHU is a publicly funded organization; as such, the WECHU has a responsibility to spend funds prudently with the objective of providing public health programs and services as required by the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) and the Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services, and Accountability (OPHS).

The WECHU receives funding in the following manner:

  • The Province of Ontario, more specifically the Ministry of Health, annually grants the WECHU funding to a maximum of 75% of admissible expenditures for its Mandatory Program. In addition, the WECHU receives required contributions for the Corporation of the City of Windsor, the Corporation of the County of Essex, and the Corporation of the Township of Pelee (hereinafter collectively referred to as the Obligated Municipalities) at a minimum of 25% of admissible expenditures.
  • The Ministry of Health annually provides grants for certain related health protection and promotion programs at a rate of 100% of admissible expenditures. More specifically this includes the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) and the Associate Medical Officer of Health (AMoH)/Medical Officer of Health (MoH) Compensation Initiative.
  • The Ministry of Health annually provides grants for certain one-time program initiatives funded at a rate of 100% of admissible expenditures. Historically, this has included: Support for COVID-19 general and vaccination programs; Replacement of Vaccine Fridges; Small capital requests; etc. 
  • The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) provides annual grants to fund the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program Initiative and the Nurse Practitioner Program Initiative at a rate of 100% of admissible expenditures. The operating budgets for programs funded by MCCSS will be reported to the Board of Health in a separate report in March of 2024 as the fiscal year for this program runs April through March annually.

Mandatory Program

The 2024 Budget contemplates the Programs and Services as outlined in the draft 2024 Annual Service Plan which will be included in the January 2024 Board of Health Meeting Package.

For the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, the proposed budgeted total net expenditures are $24,957,466. Details of the financial statement captions that comprise the budgeted total net expenditures are follows:

Details of the financial statement captions that comprise the budgeted total
  A B C B+C=D A-D=E A-B=F
  2024 2023    
Item Mandatory Mandatory COVID Total Change Change
Salaries and employee benefits 20,583,385 19,213,856 4,931,638 24,145,494 - 3,562,109 1,369,529
Other operating expenditures:  
  Association and membership fees 43,925 48,925   48,925 - 5,000 - 5,000
  Mileage 274,905 254,925   254,925 19,980 19,980
  Professional development 92,560 92,560   92,560 - -
  Travel and meetings 37,000 37,000 74,486 111,486 - 74,486 -
  Advertising 3,000 3,600   3,600 - 600 - 600
  Bank charges 7,500 6,000   6,000 1,500 1,500
  Board 11,009 19,171   19,171 - 8,162 - 8,162
  Office equipment rental 77,000 77,000   77,000 - -
  Office supplies 34,900 30,000   30,000 4,900 4,900
  Postage and freight 25,600 35,000   35,000 - 9,400 - 9,400
Professional fees:  
  Program - Dentistry 25,000 50,000   50,000 - 25,000 - 25,000
  Program - Legal 15,000 15,000 25,000 40,000 - 25,000 -
  Corporate - Legal 450,500 175,000   175,000 275,500 275,500
  Corporate - Audit 16,100 15,500   15,500 600 600
  Corporate - Consulting 6,800 6,700   6,700 100 100
Supplies:  
  Programs 804,430 1,222,177 485,062 1,707,239 - 902,809 - 417,747
  Corporate 855,908 717,257   717,257 138,651 138,651
Purchased services:  
  Programs 150,875 110,054 61,565 171,619 - 20,744 40,821
  Corporate 121,793 103,526   103,526 18,267 18,267
  Building maintenance 169,100 161,500   161,500 7,600 7,600
  Insurance 252,906 227,000   227,000 25,906 25,906
  Parking 93,800 60,000   60,000 33,800 33,800
  Property taxes 231,739 217,000   217,000 14,739 14,739
  Rent 797,225 697,000   697,000 100,225 100,225
  Security 35,110 38,298   38,298 - 3,188 - 3,188
  Telephone 137,000 137,000 14,320 151,320 - 14,320 -
  Utilities 141,500 148,000   148,000 - 6,500 - 6,500
  Vehicle 4,700 3,700   3,700 1,000 1,000
Total other operating expenditures 4,916,885 4,708,893 660,433 5,369,326 - 452,441 207,992
Total budgeted expenditures 25,500,270 23,922,749 5,592,071 29,514,820 - 4,014,550 1,577,521
Less: Offset revenue - 542,804 - 492,867   - 492,865 - 49,937 - 49,937
Total net expenditures 24,957,466 23,429,882 5,592,071 29,021,955 - 4,064,489 1,527,584

It is important to note that the 2023 WECHU Budget included $5,592,071 in additional Provincial Ministry of Health funding for Covid-19 Response programming. It was just recently confirmed by the Province that PHU’s should not plan to receive that funding for the 2024 year.

In the latter portion of August, the Ministry of Health announced the current 2023 operational year funding approval along with the following 2 years allotment.  The new budgetary allotment for 2024 announced by the province incorporates the base funding for 2023 with the addition of one-time mitigation funding with a 1 % increase.  Recognising quickly that the new provincial funding allotment does not support the current inflationary pressure of operations and union contracts (CUPE and ONA), the leadership at the WECHU performed a detailed program prioritization analysis to make decisions in an effort to further reduce expenses in the organization. These decisions, although based on evidence and evaluation, have significant programming and services consequences that reduce the WECHU’s ability to meet certain aspects of the provincial OPHS. Although the COVID-19 Extraordinary Expense funding will no longer be provided by the Province, there continues to be pressures on the WECHU and other Ontario health units with regards to high rates of COVID-19 outbreaks in high risk congregate living settings, in addition to ongoing vaccine administration and distribution requirements, in particular to reach those most at risk in our community. These ongoing COVID-19 response activities require an increased staffing footprint to meet the needs of our community.  In addition to the increased expectations of the COVID-19 response activities, other key factors in our community such as increases to local population levels, particularly in priority populations and an influx of asylum seekers, vaccine preventable disease clusters and outbreaks, increased rates of food insecurity, opioid overdoses, youth vaping and cannabis rates, and increasing rates of sexually transmitted and blood born diseases such as syphilis (including neurosyphilis cases for the first time in a decade). The following decreasing trends also pose a higher demand on WECHU resources, decreasing COVID-19 vaccination rates, poor rates of mental health in school aged children and youth, decreasing breastfeeding rates, and folic acid consumption during pregnancy. As these and other factors that affect the collective level of health of our community continue to worsen, in particular post pandemic, the WECHU continues to focus on our strategic priority of partnerships wherever possible in order reduce negative impact of shortfalls in programming and service in our community.

From a monetary perspective, please note that the proposed budget changes include: 

  • A total salaries and employee benefits decrease in 2024 of 14.5% from 2023, with a valuation of $24,145,494 to $20,583,385 (with respect to the 2023 overall budget with COVID-19 funding incorporated). 
  • Of the 2024 combined salary and benefits total, $15,900,326 (2023 - $18,883,923) relate to salaries and $4,683,059 (2023 - $5,261,571) relate to employee benefits. In comparing both the 2023 and 2024 mandatory budget, an increase of $1,369,529 (7.1%) toward salaries and benefits is demonstrated. 
  • Total other operating expenditures decreased $452,441 over 2023 (covid funding included) from $5,369,326 to 4,916,885 in 2024. In comparison of only mandatory budgets, the 2024 budget increases to $207,992 (4.4%) mostly resulting from an increase in the legal ($275,000) and rent ($100,225) line items.

2023 Mandatory Program Funding

As it relates to the 2023 Mandatory Program Budget, Administration has confirmed with the ministry the following:

The grant from the Ministry of Health is consistent with the base funding increase granted in 2023 of 
$16,303,000, plus the Mitigation funding of $1,260,800 and an increase of 1 % in 2024. The resulting total in the Ministry of Health funding is $17,739,438 which calculates to a percentage of 71.1%.

  • A proposed increase of $92,061 (1.29%) in the contributions from the Obligated Municipalities, resulting in a Municipal funding contribution percentage of 28.9% as compared to 30.4% in 2023. Total municipal contributions for 2024 would total $7,218,028.  Increases broken down by municipality are as follows: City of Windsor increase of $50,000 The County of Essex increased by $42,011 The Township of Pelee increased by $50.

The following table details the contributions from obligated municipalities for the 2024 and 2023 fiscal years. Contributions are calculated based upon their proportionate share of the population in our catchment area. For 2024 and 2023, population figures are calculated using 2021 census data. 

Contributions from obligated municipalities for the 2024 and 2023 fiscal years
2024 Contributions 2023 Contributions Change
3,920,192 3,870,192 50,000
3,293,910 3,251,899 42,011
3,926 3,876 50
7,218,028 7,125,967 92,061
Summary of Mandatory Budget (Ministry and Municipal Contributions)
Total Mandatory Funding compared to Total Mandatory Program Expenditures Code Amount
Total Mandatory Program Funding Approval per Budget ? Ministry of Health (A) 17,739,438
Total Contributions per Budget ? Obligated Municipalities (B) 7,218,028
Total Mandatory Program Funding (A+B) 24,957,466
Total Mandatory Program Budgeted Expenditures, net   24,957,466
Variance   -

Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP)

The OSDCP is fully funded by the Ministry of Health. The OSDCP provides free, routine dental services for low-income seniors who are sixty-five (65) years or age or older to reduce unnecessary trips to the hospital, prevent chronic disease and increase their quality of life. More specifically, the coverage includes:

  • Check-ups (including scaling, fluoride, and polishing)
  • Repairing broken teeth and cavities
  • X-rays
  • Removing teeth or abnormal tissue
  • Treating infection and pain
  • Treating gum conditions and diseases
  • Dental prosthetics

For the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, the proposed budgeted total net expenditures for the OSDCP are $3,115,427. Details of the financial statement captions that comprise the budgeted total net expenditures are follows:

Financial statement captions that comprise the budgeted total net expenditures
Item 2024 2023 Change
Salaries and employee benefits 1,995,020 2,173,915 - 178,895
Other operating expenditures:      
Association and membership fees 2,000 2,000 -
Building occupancy 215,236 129,624 85,612
Mileage 15,883 18,000 - 2,117
Professional development 10,000 10,000 -
Program supplies and other:     -
Bank charges 1,000 1,000 -
Clinical and other supplies 290,000 290,000 -
Information technology 6,000 97,925 - 91,925
Office supplies 4,000 4,000 -
Purchased services:     -
Professional services 530,000 300,000 230,000
Security 12,288 12,288 -
Translation 30,000 30,000 -
Travel and meetings 4,000 4,000 -
Total other operating expenditures 1,120,408 898,837 221,571
Total budgeted expenditures 3,115,427 3,072,752 42,675

For 2024, the total OSDCP has increased from $3,072,752 in 2023 to $3,115,427 in 2024. Significant changes in the financial captions from the 2023 budget include:

  • Under Salaries and employee benefits, A decrease in FTEs supporting the OSDCP of 1.5 from 2023, which is due to change in proportion between Health Smiles (under the mandatory program budget) and OSDCP resulting from the limited number operatories within the current clinics. Resulting decrease of $178,895 in this line item.
  • Under Other Operating Expenses: Building occupancy: The 2023 OSDCP Budget contemplates building occupancy costs (i.e., rent, property taxes, insurance, utilities, telephone, etc.) for the Windsor and Leamington Offices.
  • Under Program supplies and other: Information Technology: In 2023, the OSDCP implemented a new dental records management system. Only licensing of $6,000 will remain under this line item. Resulting decrease of $91,925 under this line item.
  • Under Purchased Services: Professional Services: $530,000 will be attributed to the significant wait list of approximately 8 months to receive care. In an effort to reduce the wait times for the senior clients of our community, care is outsourced to external dental professionals that agree to work within the program guidelines. Resulting increase of $230,000 for this line item.

Risk Assessment

  • Changes to the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) or other relevant legislation. WECHU’s 2024 Budget does not contemplate changes in direction from the Province of Ontario or any governing legislation that could have implications for programs and services (i.e., changing in funding model; expansion of mandatory program requirements, etc.). Within the 2024 fiscal year, the ministry has indicated that a full review of the program standards will be conducted, with a target implementation of January 1, 2025.  The results of this process could see changes in required programming and services standards across all PHUs in Ontario, resulting in additional staffing fluctuations (augments or reductions). The budget and FTE reductions proposed to the board at this time is reflective of what evidence and evaluation we have available to date. 
  • Inflation. The 2024 Budget factors in the on-going impact of inflation on the purchase of goods and services. Administration will continue to mitigate this risk by ensuring procurement processes and procedures are appropriate and are in accordance with WECHU’s Procurement Policy. Furthermore, Administration will actively monitor budgets to actual financial results and implement mitigation strategies (i.e., prioritization) when required.

Motion

Whereas the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit receives grants annually from the Ministry of Health to a maximum of seventy (75%) percent of admissible expenditures associated with the Mandatory Program. In addition, WECHU receives required contributions from the Obligated Municipalities at a minimum of thirty (25%) percent of admissible expenditures, and

Whereas the Ministry of Health annually provides grants for certain related health protection and promotion programs at a rate of one hundred (100) percent of admissible expenditures.

Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the 2024 Mandatory Program Budget, requiring $17,739,438 (71.1%) in base funding from the Ministry of Health and $7,218,028 (28.9%) in contributions from the Obligated Municipalities, the Corporation of the City of Windsor, the Corporation of the County of Essex, and the Corporation of the Township of Pelee, be approved.

Further that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the 2024 Mandatory Program Budget with total expenditures of $24,957,466 and offset revenue of $539,404, and

Further that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the 2024 Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program, funded at a rate of one hundred (100) percent with total budgeted expenditures of $3,115,425.

2024 Budget Document - PDF
View Document Page

PREPARED BY:

Communications Department

DATE:

November 20, 2023

SUBJECT:

August 15, 2023 – September 14, 2023, Communications Update

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:

Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.

SOURCE August 15 - September 14 July 15 - August 14 DIFFERENCE

News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued

9

6

3

Media Requests Received

16

10

6

Wechu.org pageviews* 

124,245

95,692

28,553

YouTube Channel Subscribers

1,744

1,745

-1

Email Subscribers

7,270

7,309

-39

Emails Distributed

18

12

6

Facebook Fans 

19,167

19,133

34

Facebook Posts

67

57

10

Twitter Followers

8,658

8,637

21

Twitter Posts

68

57

11

Instagram Followers

1,588

1,568

20

Instagram Posts

38

31

7

LinkedIn Followers

1,613

1,563

50

LinkedIn Posts

15

15

-

Media Exposure

62

91

-29

Data Notes can be provided upon request

Media Exposure Overview Graph

Media exposure overview - August - September 2023

Notes: Between August 15 – September 14, we experienced one large peak, and one smaller peak in exposure:

August 24 – On this date, a variety of news stories were released including beach water results, a boil water advisory for Kingsville, and a mental health / suicide awareness event to promote the awareness month of September.

August 30 – 31 – Across these dates, beach water results were shared, the WECHU conducted an interview on sexually transmitted infections, and stories around SafePoint funding approval.

Website Overview Graph

Website overview chart - August - September 2023

Notes: During the timeframe of August 14 – September 15, we saw similar website traffic patterns as the previous month. We did have a peak in web traffic on August 24, which corresponds with two big news stories – the boil water advisory as well as the weekly beach water testing results. 

Social Media Overview Graph

Social media overview - August to September 2023

Lighter blue line represents the current month, darker blue line represents the previous month.

Note: Overall, we saw small increases in our follows on all platforms over the month.

DISCUSSION

STI Campaign graphic

The Communications Department worked closely with the Environmental Health Department on the Fight the Bite campaign which raises awareness on the prevention of vector borne illness, specifically West Nile Virus. The campaign was multi-faceted including, commercials on two local radio stations (Blackburn and AM800), digital billboards, and interior bus posters. A variety of online mediums were also used including organic social media posts, paid advertisments on Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and Google Response Display Ads.

The Google Response Display Ads ran for approximately 8 weeks, and had a total of 15,014 impressions (the number of times the ad was on a screen), which yielded 875 link clicks to the Fight the Bite webpage. Paid advertisements on Meta had a total reach of 13,452 (number of people who saw the ad at least once), which yielded 175 link clicks to the Fight the Bite webpage.
 

View Document Page

BACKGROUND

Overview

  • SafePoint officially opened on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, serving clients 7 days per week between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily.
  • In order to ensure transparency related to SafePoint operations, the Board of Health will be provided with regular updates.

Application Status

  • In July of 2023, Health Canada authorized the WECHU’s exemption request to operate SafePoint as a Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site. 
  • The approval from Health Canada was shared with the Ontario Ministry of Health to complete the provincial application to operate a fully funded CTS site. 
  • The Ministry of Health application for CTS funding continues to remain under review. An announcement was made that a review of the safety components of all operating sites is underway and that until such time that this is completed, all pending applications for funding will be placed on hold.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Operational Data

It has been five months since SafePoint opened on April 26th and there have been a total of 601 client visits and 149 unique clients to date, with no overdoses reported on-site to date. Additional details about the services provided at SafePoint during the month of September are presented in Tables 1-3.

Table 1.   
Brief overview of unique clients at SafePoint over the period of September 1st to September 30th.

Total Unique Clients: 30

Demographic

Number of Unique Clients

Age

Under 25

1

 

25-64

28

 

Unknown

1

Gender

Man

20

 

Woman

10

Race

White

22

 

Indigenous

1

 

Black, African, or Caribbean

2
  Arabic 1
  South Asian 1
  Declined to answer 2
  Race not listed 1
Table 2.   
Brief overview of client visits at SafePoint over the period of September 1st to September 30th, 2023.

Total Number of Client Visits: 183

Indicator

Number of Visits

Visit by Time of Day

10:00 – 11:59 a.m.

54

 

12:00 – 2:59 p.m.

72

 

3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

57

Type of Visit

Consumption

95
  Other 88

Consumption Visits Reported

Crystal methamphetamine

38
  Morphine 4

 

Dilaudid

3
  Fentanyl 45
  Ritalin 1
  Speedball Crystal/Fentanyl 4

Consumption Visits by Method of Consumption

Injection

96
Table 3. 
Brief overview of other services provided at SafePoint over the period of September1st to September 30th, 2023.

Total Number of Client Visits: 183

Indicator

Number of Times Service Offered

Drug Checking

 On-site fentanyl drug checking

2

Basic Care

First aid

15
  Wound/abscess 28
  Foot care 7

Wraparound Services

 

On-site

Referral

 

Addictions treatment

-

4

 

Mental health

-

-

 

Primary care

15

10
  Social services 126 3


Client Experience Narrative

Beyond the number of client visits recorded in the month of September, SafePoint continues to demonstrate that the services being offered are having a positive impact on clients, as highlighted through the following client experience narrative:

Anonymous Client

The Mobile Medical Support (MMS) Team visited SafePoint to complete dental screenings to identify clients who may need oral health services. Through this outreach, the Dental Hygienist identified that a client required dental services but those services were not covered. The Dental Hygienist worked with the client to complete an application for funding to cover the cost of the procedure and the client was later able to have their tooth extracted.

Community Engagement

  • On September 21st, 2023, SafePoint staff walked to the Housing and Homelessness Help Hub (H4), the Transitional Stability Centre, and the Downtown Mission of Windsor for outreach. Staff distributed business cards and resources during the interactions held and received feedback about SafePoint from potential clients to help improve future operations. 

FUTURE PLANS

SafePoint is preparing to launch a business engagement strategy, which will involve regular outreach with area businesses to address any questions or concerns about the site. SafePoint will also be partnering with the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA) to share information and resources with their membership about the supports available to businesses as SafePoint operates.
 

View Document Page

PREPARED BY:
Planning and Strategic Initiatives

DATE:
November 20, 2023

SUBJECT:
2023 Q3 Organizational Risk Report

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The Ontario Public Standards requires the Board of Health to have a risk management framework in place that identifies, assesses, and addresses risks. The WECHU risk registry currently tracks 26 risks across 13 categories. Risk categories cover a diverse array of topics such as finances, security, service delivery, equity, and privacy, for example.

Health Units are also expected to submit a list of corporate risks and mitigation strategies to the Ministry of Health during Q3 Standards Activity Reporting.

DISCUSSION

The 2023 WECHU risk registry was reviewed and updated by risk owners in the organization. The risk registry review identified 13 risks scoring “high” before consideration of mitigation strategies and 7 remaining “high” after mitigation measures. 

The Ministry requires reporting of up to 10 highly ranked risks. The WECHU’s submission includes the following 7 high risk types for 2023: 

  • Knowledge/Information-Information
  • People/Human Resources-Work Disruption
  • People/Human Resources-Succession Planning
  • People/Human Resources-Staff Engagement
  • Privacy-Privacy Requirements
  • Security-Work
  • Technology-System Outages

Additionally, as part of the 2023 operational planning process, the risk registry was migrated into the WECHU’s information management system. This project builds upon the risk management system the WECHU already has in place and will modernize it by improving automation and collaboration.

View Document Page

PREPARED BY:
Planning and Strategic Initiatives

DATE:
November 20, 2023

SUBJECT:
2023 Strategic Plan Q3 Info Report

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The WECHU’s 2022-2025 Refreshed Strategic Plan provides strategic direction to the organization. The plan defines the organizational vision, goals, and objectives to engage staff and support local public health outcomes within the community - with a specific focus on priority populations.

The Good Governance and Management Practices Domain of the Ontario Public Health Standards (2021) requires the Board of Health to provide governance direction and remain informed about the activities for organizational effectiveness through evaluation of the organization and strategic planning.

DISCUSSION

The 2023 Q3 Strategic Plan Progress Report provides the objectives under each strategic priority with corresponding updates to measure our advancement towards achieving the goal.

Progress has continued on a majority of the strategic objectives. The program impact review has been completed, and members of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (ED&I) Committee have been selected and the first meeting has been scheduled.

The number of partnerships and collaborations to address needs for emerging public health issues continued to grow this quarter. 

View Document Page

2023 Q2 STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS REPORT

WINDSOR-ESSEX COUNTY

HEALTH UNIT

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

2023 Q2 WECHU Strategic Plan Progress - At a Glance

 

Partnerships

Advancing meaningful partnerships that focus on health equity and priority populations.

2023

Q1

2023

Q2

2023

Q3

2023

Q4
1.1 Increase the number of collaborations

 

Objective met or is on track

Objective met or is on track

 
1.2 80 %f emerging public health issues have partners

 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

 
1.3 90%of partners serving priority populations satisfied with relationship with the WECHU

 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

 

 

Organizational Development

Advancing operational excellence by increasing employee capacity and knowledge, and through continuous quality improvement efforts.

2023

Q1

2023

Q2

2023

Q3

2023

Q4
2.1 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (ED&I) framework is developed and implemented by 2025

 

Objective met or is on track

Objective met or is on track

 
2.2 Leadership Training Series completed by all managers and succession planning

 

Objective met or is on track

Objective met or is on track

 
2.3 100% of departments have a developed CQI plan in place

 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

 
2.4 Leadership Team direct engagement and communication with staff

 

Objective met or is on track

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

 
2.5 Staff mental assessment score improves year over year

 

Progress being made towards achieving objective

Progress being made towards achieving objective 

 

 

Effective Public Health Practice

Advancing programs and services through evidence informed decision-making, effective planning, and evaluation.

2023

Q1

2023

Q2

2023

Q3

2023

Q4
3.1 50% of programs w/ integrated priority population steering group feedback into plans & implementation

 

Progress being made towards achieving objective

Progress being made towards achieving objective

 
3.2 100% of programs in cost-shared budget have been assessed for requirements, needs, and impacts

 

Work needed towards objective

Objective met or is on track

 
3.3 Bi-Monthly Corporate Content Marketing Plan is on track

 

Work needed towards objective

Objective met or is on track

 
3.4 Epidemiological report on the incidental impacts of COVID-19

 

Objective met or is on track

Objective met or is on track

 

Legend

Work needed towards objective

  

Progress being made towards achieving objective

  

Objective met or is on track

  

PARTNERSHIPS

OBJECTIVE GOAL Q3 UPDATE
1.1 Increase collaborations to support equitable long-term approaches to addressing local public health needs. Increase the total number of collaborations.

Research projects with the University of Windsor to enhance access to safe supply options and local harm reduction.
Building local healthy eating food strategies with the Green Heart Lunch Club.

11 new collaborators as support resources for Quit Smoking & Vaping Support Options in WEC.

Promoting Preconception Health with Leamington’s Bridge Youth Centre.

Facilitating Hepatis C testing with Street Health.

Identifying IPAC needs and expanding outreach opportunities with the Mexican Consulate.

Improving Oral Health through collaborations with the City of Windsor, Early ON Centres, Low German Working Group and Harrow Family Health Team.
1.2 Foster strategic partnerships that advance and support action plans on emerging public health issues that reflect and advance WECHU’s core valuesand priorities.

80% of emerging public health issues have partners.

Current emerging public health issues include:

  • Opioids
  • Extreme Weather – Emergency Preparedness
  • Mpox
  • Respiratory Illnesses
  • Vector Borne Diseases
  • School Aged Immunization
  • HPV
  • Syphilis
  • Food Insecurity

75% of public health issues have identified partners (6 out of 8). New partnerships for this quarter include:
Food Insecurity partnerships with Ontario West School Nutrition Program, Windsor Youth Centre, and WRH family birthing centre.

Partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee Ontario to educate staff on pertussis with a focus on the Low German (Plattdeutsch) population.

Partnership with United Way/Centraide and Multicultural Council of WEC to address tuberculosis. 
Working with Windsor Police, Windsor Youth Centre, and WEOHT in regards to syphilis.
1.3 Develop and enhance relationships with local priority population groups to address local health priorities. 90% of partners serving priority populations satisfied with relationship with the WECHU. Priority groups and their representatives will be mapped according to the workplans submitted for the 2024 Annual Service Plan (ASP). 

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

OBJECTIVE GOAL Q3 UPDATE
2.1 Develop and implement a framework for embedding diversity, equity, and inclusive (ED&I) approaches across the organization. Under the direction of the Human Resources Department, develop a singular overall ED&I framework for the organization and implement it by 2025. The ED&I Committee has been selected and the first meeting of members has been scheduled.
2.2 Establish a structure for leadership development to ensure continuity of programs and services, supportive environments, and operational excellence. Completion of Leadership Training Series for all Managers and select staff. Currently 100% of applicable management staff have completed the Leadership Training Series. Additional staff are being identified as candidates to enroll in this course.
2.3 Incorporate continuous quality improvement (CQI) into organizational processes to ensure effective operations, resource management (human and physical), and adaptation to change. 100% of programs in cost-shared budget have been assessed for requirements, needs, and impacts. Exploring approaches and best practices to develop a Quality Improvement plan for corporate and departmental implementation. The plan will provide a framework for corporate and departmental quality improvement.
2.4 Advance internal communications efforts to improve employee knowledge and transparency of organizational goals, objectives, and priorities. Leadership Team directly engages all staff through various internal communication channels three(3) times per quarter.

During this quarter we engaged staff on:

  • Improving Organizational Health Equity with the deployment of an online E-Learning module.
  • Clarifying the guidance on preventing transmission of respiratory illness in the workplace.
2.5 Support employee mental health and well-being through effective and evidence informed strategies. Improvement on staff mental health assessment scores. Continuing to explore opportunities to develop survey with a concrete plan expected to be complete by end of the year.

EFFECTIVE PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE

OBJECTIVE GOAL Q3 UPDATE
3.1 Ensure the inclusion of priority populations in the planning, development, and implementation of programs. 50% of programs w/ integrated priority population steering group feedback into plans & implementation. Framework developed and pilot testing is planned before the end of the year.
3.2 Evidence-based processes are embedded within the organization for planning, implementation, and evaluation to inform locally relevant programming. 100% of programs in cost-shared budget have been assessed for requirements, needs, and impacts. The process of conducting an organizational priority setting exercise process in cooperation with Departmental Directors and Managers to systematically assess program requirements, needs, and impacts has been completed.
3.3 Continue to support and advance public communication of local health data and information. Bi-Monthly Corporate Content Marketing Plan is on track.

Key public health messages for the quarter included campaigns focused on vector-borne illnesses (Fight the Bite), sexually transmitted infections (MPox and syphilis specifically), and healthy sleep tips. Additionally, weekly beach water testing results with the public via emails and social posts were shared. Other public health messaging included school readiness tips, mental health awareness, and physical activity. 

An article was also submitted an article to Biz X for the Parenting section of their magazine which provided information on the immunizations required for students to attend school, and how parents can keep their child’s immunization record up to date.
3.4 Assessing and reporting on disproportionate health impacts related to COVID-19 and other key health indicators. Complete the report on the Incidental Impacts of COVID-19. Complete
View Document Page

PREPARED BY:

Planning and Strategic Initiatives Department

DATE:

November 20, 2023

SUBJECT:

Annual Service Plan Q3 2023 Reporting

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

In 2018, the Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced a new Annual Service Plan (ASP) that Health Units are required to submit each year. To ensure a single and integrated approach to evaluating progress on this requirement, the Planning and Strategic Initiatives (PSI) department worked with the Information Technology (IT) department to align our planning system with the provincial Ontario Public Health Standards requirements to provide quarterly progress reports. 

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Q3 Intervention Work Plan Progress

Project Leads have submitted individual progress reports for work plans in their programs for Q3, 2023. 

The 2023 Annual Service Plan - Q3 Status Report indicates:

  • For external client facing programs, there are 139 workplans in progress, 4 were completed, and 77% are on target.
  • For internal organizational programs, there are 36 workplans in progress and 67% are on target.

Annual Service Plan Development for 2024

Planning for 2024 began in July, 2023. Programs have been selected to be active in the WEHCU’s 2024 service plan and their descriptions updated. The Intervention Work Plans (IWP) that support these programs have been prepared and are currently being reviewed for final approval and budgeting.

2023 Operational Plan Reporting 
Q2 STATUS REPORT

Reporting Structure

This report provides a status summary for Intervention Work Plans (IWP) in the 2023 Annual Service Plan that were in active and in progress during Q3 (July 1 through September 30). 

The project lead for each active IWP was asked to provide a progress report on their work. The status updates consisted of the following categories:

  • On Target (the intervention is progressing at the planned pace)
  • Variance (the intervention is behind the planned pace)
  • Complete (the intervention has been completed)
  • Deferred (current work on the intervention has been stopped – with potential to continue next year)
  • Cancelled (the intervention will no longer occur)

If the intervention was identified as ‘Variance’, ‘Deferred’, or ‘Cancelled’, a reason was provided. In these cases, the most relevant reason was selected from the following list:

  • Adjusted Program Priorities (program priority alterations resulted in changes to the IWP)
  • Human Resource Issue (staffing circumstances resulted in changes to the IWP)
  • Partnership Limitations (external partner(s) did not to meet their obligations)
  • Public Health Emergency (a significant emergency resulted in changes to the IWP)
  • Internal Resource Limitation (financial, material, or internal support limitations resulted in changes to the IWP)
  • External Resource Limitation (External financial, material, or internal support limitations occurred with partnerships, collaborations, funding, or regulations)

It is important to note that reporting reflects a snapshot summary of progress made on interventions based on the predetermined milestones for the intervention for this quarter. This does not necessarily represent the amount or scope of work captured under each program.

Operational Plan Status Summary

Part 1: External Community Facing Programs

Overall Quarterly Status Summary 

There were 139 active external interventions evaluated for progress in Q3 2023, and 99 of the interventions were reported to be on target. 4 workplans were completed this Quarter. Of all active interventions, 77% are currently on target.

Figure 1 displays the percentage of interventions that were reported on target, indicated a variance, deferred, cancelled, or were completed.

View Document Page

PREPARED BY:
Planning and Strategic Initiatives

DATE:
November 20, 2023

SUBJECT:
Q3 2023 Board of Health Feedback Survey Results

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The Ontario Public Health Standards (2021), under the Good Governance and Management Practices Domain, states: “the board of health shall have a self-evaluation process of its governance practices…”. 

In addition to a yearly self-evaluation process, the WECHU has developed a quarterly self-assessment survey for Board of Health (BoH) members. The survey provides an opportunity for feedback on BoH operations and is used to inform quality improvement efforts. 

DISCUSSION

Responses in the third quarter of 2023 related to BoH operations continued to be positive. In most cases, 80% or more of the responses were Agree or Strongly agree regarding the aspects queried. The one exception was related to the item ‘All material notices of wrongdoing or irregularities were responded to in a timely manner’, where 70% of the responses were Agree or Strongly Agree (20% of responses to this item were ‘Don’t Know/Unsure’). In terms of overall perceived BoH effectiveness, 70% of the responses were either a 9 or a 10 (on a 10-point scale), where the average score was 8.9. 

Suggestions for improvement included future quality improvement efforts related to BoH operations and increased engagement with members of the community in public health efforts. Other recommendations included collaboration with all levels of the government and flexible approaches/use of technology to allow the BoH to respond promptly and effectively to new challenges.

View Document Page

PREPARED BY: 
Environmental Health

DATE: 
November 20, 2023

SUBJECT: 
Seasonal Program Summary Report 2023

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The Environmental Health Department delivers various seasonal programs that are mandated under the Ontario Public Health Standards.  These programs include monitoring beach water quality and heat events, as well as surveillance of West Nile Virus (WNV), Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Zika Virus, and Lyme disease activity in Windsor and Essex County (WEC). This report provides a summary of these 2023 seasonal programs.

DISCUSSION

Beach Monitoring: The 2023 beach monitoring season ran for a total of 13 weeks, with weekly water sampling conducted from June 12, 2023 to September 5, 2023. There were 20 water quality warnings issued (201-999 E. coli/100ml), and 3 beach closures (≥1000 E. coli/100ml). This season had significantly less water quality issues when compared with 2022, which had 41 warnings and 13 closures. The permanent closure of Mettawas Beach partially accounts for this difference.

Cumulative Warnings and Closures for beaches monitored in 2023
Name of Beach Warnings Closures
Cedar Beach 1 0
Cedar Island Beach 1 0
Colchester Beach 2 0
Holiday Beach 3 0
Lakeshore Lakeview Park W. Beach 3 1
Point Pelee North West Beach 2 0
Sandpoint Beach 6 2
Seacliff Beach 2 0
TOTAL 20 3

Harmonized Heat Warning Information System: Starting in May of each year, the WECHU monitors the Environment Canada and Climate Change’s forecast for heat events and issues heat warnings or extended heat warnings in accordance with the Ontario Harmonized Heat Warning and Information System (HHWIS). In 2023, there were no heat warnings (two consecutive days are forecasted to have a daytime high temperature greater than or equal to 31°C and a nighttime temperature greater than or equal to 21°C or a humidex greater than 42°C ) and three extended heat warnings (three or more than three consecutive days are forecasted to have a daytime high temperature greater than or equal to 31°C and a nighttime temperature greater than or equal to 21°C or a humidex greater than 42°C) issued. This summer had significantly less number of days under heat warning (11 days) as compared to 22 days in 2022. 

Mosquito Surveillance program: The Mosquito Surveillance Program ran for a total of 21 weeks from May 23 to Oct.13, 2023. Once a week, 41 mosquito traps (26 CDC light traps and 15 BGS 2 traps) were set up across WEC to collect mosquitoes for identification and viral testing.  

Number of Mosquitoes caught – 73,028 
Number of pools tested -1159 
Number of WNV positive pools - 11 
Number of WNV human cases - 1 
Number of Aedes albopictus caught -84

There were no positive pools or human cases for EEE or Zika identified this year.

Active Tick Surveillance: Active surveillance is used to assess the local distribution and incidence of black-legged ticks in WEC. It involves the dragging of a white cloth through grassy areas whereby ticks attach themselves to the fabric and can be easily spotted and identified. Any black-legged ticks identified are sent to an accredited laboratory for testing for Lyme disease. Tick dragging is performed twice yearly in the spring and the fall.

In 2023, tick dragging was conducted at 4 sites across WEC (Ojibway Prairie Nature Reserve, Ruscome Shores Conservation Area, Cipher Systems Green Way – Essex and Hilman Marsh Conservation Area) In May and October. 41 blacklegged ticks were found through tick dragging and have been sent to lab for testing. As of September 30th, 2023, there were six human cases of Lyme disease reported in WEC.

View Document Page

BACKGROUND

Overview

  • SafePoint officially opened on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, serving clients 7 days per week between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • In order to ensure transparency related to SafePoint operations, the Board of Health will be provided with regular updates.

Application Status

  • In July of 2023, Health Canada authorized the WECHU’s exemption request to operate SafePoint as a Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site. 
  • The approval from Health Canada was shared with the Ontario Ministry of Health to complete the provincial application to operate a fully funded CTS site. 
  • The Ministry of Health application for CTS funding continues to remain under review. An announcement was made that a review of the safety components of all operating sites is underway and that until such time that this is completed, all pending applications for funding will be placed on hold.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Operational Data

It has been six months since SafePoint opened on April 26th and there has been a total of 859 client visits and 182 unique clients to date, with no overdoses reported on-site to date. Additional details about the services provided at SafePoint during the month of October are presented in Tables 1-3.

Table 1.   
Brief overview of unique clients at SafePoint over the period of October 1st to October 31st.

Total Unique Clients: 33

Demographic

Number of Unique Clients

Age

Under 25

2

 

25-64

30

 

65+

1

Gender

Man

23

 

Woman

9
  Not list 1

Race

White

23

 

Indigenous

4

 

Black, African, or Caribbean

4
  Race not listed 2
Table 2.   
Brief overview of client visits at SafePoint over the period of October 1st to October 31st.

Total Number of Client Visits: 258

Indicator

Number of Visits

Visit by Time of Day

10:00 – 11:59 a.m.

60

 

12:00 – 2:59 p.m.

105

 

3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

93

Type of Visit

Consumption

101
  Other 157

Consumption Visits Reported

Crystal methamphetamine

42
  Morphine 4

 

Dilaudid

7
  Fentanyl 22
  Ritalin 23
  Speedball Crystal/Fentanyl 3

Consumption Visits by Method of Consumption

Injection

101
  Intranasal 1
  Oral 0
Table 3. 
Brief overview of other services provided at SafePoint over the period of October 1st to October 31st, 2023.

Total Number of Client Visits: 258

Indicator

Number of Times Service Offered

Drug Checking

 On-site fentanyl drug checking

5

Basic Care

First aid

20
  Wound/abscess 47
  Foot care 3

Wraparound Services

 

On-site

Referral

 

Addictions treatment

2

8

 

Mental health

1

5

 

Primary care

39

20
  Social services 223 12


Client Experience Narrative

Beyond the number of client visits recorded in the month of October, SafePoint continues to demonstrate that the services being offered are having a positive impact on clients, as highlighted through the following client experience narrative:

Anonymous Client

Staff from SafePoint, Canadian Mental Health Association’s Safe Beds Program, Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Withdrawal Management Service, Family Services Windsor-Essex, Windsor Regional Hospital, and the Toldo Neurobehavioural Institute (TNI) all coordinated to ensure a client’s successful access to the TNI for stabilization and substance use support.

View Document Page

Board Members Present:

Fabio Costante, Renaldo Agostino, Mark Awuku, Joe Bachetti, Fred Francis,
Michael Horrobin, Judy Lund, Hilda MacDonald, Angelo Marignani, Robert Maich, Michael Prue, Rob Shepley

Board Member Regrets:

N/A

Administration Present:

Dr. Ken Blanchette, Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, Dan Sibley, Kristy McBeth, Eric Nadalin, Linda Watson, Lee Anne Damphouse

WECHU Guests:

William Willis, Willis Law

  1. Call to Order     
    Board of Health Chair, Fabio Costante, called the meeting to order at 10:00 am
    1. Quorum – Confirmed
    2. Land Acknowledgement - Read by Board Chair, F. Costante
    3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest – 1 Conflict Declared

      Introduction:  New Board of Health Member, Provincial Appointee Mark Awuku   
      Board Chair, F. Costante, introduced and welcomed the WECHU’s newly appointed provincial member, Mark Awuku, to the Board of Health effective November 9, 2023 for a term of 3 years. M. Awuku noted that he was happy to be appointed, and looked forward to serving in the capacity of a Provincial Appointee to the Board of Health.
  2. Approval of Agenda     
    Motion:       That the agenda be approved.     
    CARRIED
  3. Approval of Minutes:  September 21, 2023     
    Motion:       That the minutes be approved.     
    CARRIED
  4. Consent Agenda
    1. Information Reports (for approval)
      1. Q3 2023 Organizational Risk Report
      2. Q3 2023 Annual Service Plan and Accompanying Report
      3. Q3 Strategic Plan and Accompanying Report
      4. Q3 Board of Health Feedback Survey Results
      5. Seasonal Program SummaryReport - Summer 2023
      6. Ontario Nutritious Food Basket and Food Insecurity
      7. Monthly SafePoint Site Operations Updates
        1. September 2023
        2. October 2023
      8. Communications Reports:
        1. September 2023
        2. October 2023

          F. Costante noted that numbers at SafePoint continue to rise. F. Francis asked if those accessing services at SafePoint are expected to increase during the winter months. E. Nadalin said that inclement weather may draw more individuals indoors but attendance at the site is typically to access services.

          Motion:       That the above information be approved.
          CARRIED
    2. Correspondence
      1. Lisa Gretzky, MPP Lisa Gretzky, MPP, Windsor-West - Letter to Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health – SafePoint, Consumption and Treatment Services Site advocacy for provincial funding – for information
      2. Public Health Sudbury & Districts – Letter to Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Premier and Ministry of Finance, Hon. Jenna Sudds, Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development, Hon. Lawrence MacAuley, Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Ministry of Public Services and Procurement – Support for a Funded Healthy School Food Program in Budget 2024 (Federal) – for information (WECHU sent a similar letter to these Ministries in September 2023)
      3. Middlesex-London Health Unit – Letter to Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Chair Fabio Costante and CEO Dr. Ken Blanchette in response to WECHU’s Letter on September 21, 2023 to Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Minister and Ministry of Finance, Hon. Jenna Sudds, Ministry of Families, Children and Social Development, Hon. Lawrence McAuley, Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Ministry of Public Services and Procurement – Support for a Funded Healthy School Food Program in Budget 2024 (Federal) – for information
      4. Public Health Sudbury & Districts – Letter to Hon. Doug Ford, Premier, Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Hon. Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions - Public Health Strengthening and Chronic Disease Prevention– for support

        Motion:    That items 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and 4.2.3 be received for information, and that the Board support Public Health Sudbury & Districts Letter to advocate for appropriate investments in health promotion and chronic disease prevention and that the Chief Medical Officer of Health ensure proactive local engagement in the sector-driven review of the Ontario Public Health Standards.
        CARRIED
  5. Presentations
    1. 2024 Risk Registry (K. McBeth) (for information and approval)
      K. McBeth presented to the Board the 2024 Risk Management Plan. She introduced Marc Frey, WECHU Manager of Planning & Strategic Initiatives, and Ken Hudak, WECHU Performance Improvement and Quality Coordinator and the work they perform in our Planning and  Strategic Initiatives Department on risk assessments.

      The WECHU Risk Management procedures are governed by the Risk Management Policy and Procedures and align with the WECHU Risk Registry. Each risk is managed by an individual who is accountable, owns and controls the risk. An annual risk registry is provided to the Board of Health for approval, as part of its governance structure. The Risk Registry monitors 22 risks across 12 categories, and there are 3 levels of risk; low, medium and high.

      The high residual risks to bereported to the Ministry of Health for 2024 are related to:
      - Financial
      - People/Human Resources
      - Privacy
      - Security
      - Technology

      High risks increased last year from 7 to 10, but our risks will never be zero. Cyber Security is one example where as an organization we can try to be prepared but the environment is ever changing.

      K. McBeth brought forward the Resolution – WECHU Risk Registry Update for Board approval.

      Motion: That the Board of Health approve the Risk Assessment outlined in the 2024 WECHU Risk Registry
      CARRIED
  6. Business Arising - None
  7. Committee of the Whole (Closed Session in accordance with Section 239 of the Municipal Act)
    The Board moved into Committee of the Whole at 10:20 am
    The Board moved out of Committee of the Whole at 11:52 am
  8. Resolutions/Recommendation Reports
    1. 2024 Budget (K. Blanchette)
      K. Blanchette noted that the Ministry of Health funding for public health units has become more restrictive. The Ministry announcement in August of a 1% increase in our public health funding for the next 3 years is not sustainable and, although Covid work continues with outbreaks, immunizations and case and contact management, we were advised not to expect additional Covid funding.

      We are proposing and bring forward a Resolution to the Board of Health to approve a 2024 Budget of $24,957,466 with an increase to the obligated municipalities of $92,061 to continue our public health programming with some limitations.

      Motion: That the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the 2024 Mandatory Program Budget with total expenditures of $24,957,466 and offset revenue of $539,404, and

      Further that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the 2024 Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program, funded at a rate of 100% with total budget expenditures of $3,115,425. CARRIED, unanimously
    2. SafePoint (K. Blanchette/E. Nadalin)
      K. Blanchette said that SafePoint has experienced exponential growth between May and October of this year with 859 visits from 182 unique clients.  The WECHU is currently funding operations at SafePoint, and although we have been successful in securing some High Priority Community Funding we continue to look at other funding options.

      With the recent announcement that the provincial government has placed all pending Safe Consumption Site applications on hold until they have completed a critical incident review, we are recommending that the Board of Health pause operations at SafePoint effective January 1, 2024.

      F. Francis commended the Board and Staff who went above and beyond to ensure the opening of SafePoint. There has been a steady increase in the number of visits and the tragedy that has occurred in another jurisdiction could not be foreseen. That being said, we move forward in a responsible way, continue to keep and record all of the relevant data and provide such data to the Ministry and other agencies who wish to obtain it.  We are hoping that the province will complete their incident review in a timely manner and can assist in providing provincial funding to sustain operations.

      F. Francis said he would be prepared to move forward with a motion barring any new information from the province and that the Board revisit this item in July 2024, assuming no other information comes prior to that date, and that any and all committees with respect to SafePoint’s operations mirror that pause.

      F. Costante said that knowing what we know now, we can never regret the decision to open SafePoint. Individuals have received referrals to programs and services, relationships have been built with local businesses and the data will speak for itself. This has been a model that has worked with much success, but funding is at the discretion of the ministry. We did what we could to assist individuals in a drug crisis and this is a contentious matter in our community. F. Costante agrees that we put in place a pause due to ministry funding being out of our control, and we continue to advocate and work with the ministry for a response and timeline for funding to resume operation of the site.

      Motion:    That the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health temporarily pause the operations at SafePoint, effective January 1, 2024, and any and all committees with respect to SafePoint mirror the same pause, until such time as the provincial Ministry of Health provides funding for its operations;

      Further that communication take place to community partners and current clients of SafePoint to notify them of the pause in operations;

      Further that advocacy take place to the Ministry of Health to reiterate the importance of a timeline for their review for the need of a funded site in the City of Windsor;

      Further that the WECHU seek to conduct additional safety assessments of the site to be prepared to respond quickly and adjust planned operations to the results of the provincial critical incident review;

      Further that the Board of Health revisit this item in July 2024. CARRIED, unanimously
       
  9. New Business
    1. CEO Report (K. Blanchette) (for information)     
      K. Blanchette noted that there were no further updates.
    2. CEO Quarterly Report (July 2023 – September 2023) (K. Blanchette)
      K. Blanchette advised that there was nothing unusual to report.
    3. Windsor and Essex County Schools and Public Health – Strategic Partnership Agreement (2023- 2024) (English, French)(K. Blanchette/K. McBeth)

      K. Blanchette said the purpose of this Partnership Agreement is to establish the terms and conditions under which the Board(s) of Education and the WECHU will meet and function, to collaboratively support the well-being of Windsor and Essex County students. The commitment of this partnership formalizes the collective actions to support the children and youth of Windsor Essex County through the creation of healthy school environments.

      This partnership was developed through K. McBeth’s leadership, and a Declaration of Commitment to this Agreement has been signed by the WECHU and all the Directors of Education in Windsor-Essex, in both English and French institutions. Each respective School Board will be posting this Partnership Agreement in their schools. F. Costante commended this partnership and A. Marignani was pleased to see the continued focus on schools and education.
  10. Next Meeting: At the Call of the Chair or  January 18, 2024 @ 4:00 pm

  11. Adjournment     
    Motion:               That the meeting be adjourned.     
    CARRIED

    The meeting adjourned at 12:10 p.m.

RECORDING SECRETARY: L. Damphouse

SUBMITTED BY: K. Blanchette

APPROVED BY: WECHU BOH – January 18, 2024

View Document Page
  1. For the period covered by this CEO Quarterly Compliance Report:
    1. The undersigned has personal knowledge of the matters herein reported or has made due inquiry with respect to the same.
    2. Except as reported in any previous CEO Quarterly Compliance Report, the undersigned reports as follows:
      1. that the Health Unit has been in material compliance with all laws, regulations, orders, judgments or decrees applicable to it. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing the Health Unit is current in respect of all tax and related withholding and remittances required by law;
      2. the Health Unit has been in material compliance with its By-laws;
      3. the Health Unit has been in material compliance with all other Board resolutions;
      4. the Health Unit has been in material compliance with all contracts and commitments to which the Health Unit is a party including without limitation all funding and accountability agreements;
      5. the Health Unit is current with respect to the payment of all remuneration (including salary and benefits) to its employees;
      6. there are no material variances between what is contemplated by the Operational Plan and what in fact transpired or appears likely to transpire;
      7. more specifically, no material changes are required in respect of financial resource allocation plans to address shifts in need and capacity;
      8. no material adverse change has occurred in the operations of the Health Unit or its assets and liabilities taken as a whole;
      9. there have been no material breaches of the Ethics Code of Conduct by anyone who is subject to it;
      10. there have been no claims made pursuant to any insurance policies maintained by the Health Unit, except as noted below, and
      11. nothing has come to the attention of the undersigned which would materially adversely change any previous CEO Quarterly Compliance Report, except as detailed below:             

                  Items (vii), (viii) and (xi) have been revised due to the COVID -19 pandemic as follows:

  • The Organizational Emergency Response that was reported on the previous CEO Compliance Report concluded on April 30, 2023.
  • The WECHU continues to have operational plans and finances that are dedicated to the current public health demands related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  This includes:
    • Augmented staff to facilitate our response to the pandemic associated with case and contact management, outbreaks, and vaccinations.
    • Increased expenses related to case and contact management, outbreaks, and vaccination to address Ministry requirements.

Date:  November 20, 2023                 

Dr. Kenneth Blanchette    
Chief Executive Officer

View Document Page

BACKGROUND

An enterprise risk management framework and corresponding risk registry are important foundational elements in managing risk from an organizational governance perspective. The Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) specifies that “the board of health shall have a formal risk management framework in place that identifies, assesses, and addresses risks”. The Ministry of Health (MOH) requires yearly reporting on the highest residual risks to the organization and the related operations. Residual risks are defined as the assessed risk level after consideration of associated mitigation strategies.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) maintains a corporate risk registry; this risk registry monitors 22 risks across 12 risk categories. Based on the categorization and reporting requirements by the MOH, 10 of these risks were identified as being high residual risks.

The high residual risks to be reported to the MOH for 2024 are related to: Financial, People/Human Resources, Privacy, Security, and Technology. Each identified high risk includes documentation of current and future mitigation approaches in the registry.

PROPOSED MOTION

Whereas, the Ontario Public Health Standards requires the identification, assessment, and mitigation of enterprise risks; and

Whereas, the Ministry of Health requires yearly reporting on the highest residual risks to the organization; and

Whereas, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit identifies and establishes risk mitigation approaches;

Now therefore be it resolvedthat the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health accepts the risk assessment outlined in the 2024 WECHU Risk Registry and the proposed mitigation approaches;

FURTHER THAT, risk mitigation approaches will be adopted and monitored by the organization and reported to the Board of Health on a yearly interval.

View Document Page

  1. Call to Order - F. Costante, Chair (4:00pm)
    1. Land Acknowledgement
    2. Quorum​​
    3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
  2. Approval of Agenda
  3. Approval of Minutes: June 15, 2023
  4. Presentations (4:05pm)
    1. Student Immunization Coverage and Vaccine Opportunities (K. McBeth) (for information)
  5. Consent Agenda (for approval)
    1. Information Reports
      1. Annual Service Plan Q2 2023 Reporting and accompanying Report
      2. 2022-2025 Strategic Plan Q2 Report and accompanying Report
      3. Monthly SafePoint Site Operations Updates:
        1. July 2023
        2. August 2023
      4. Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Use Strategy  Update
      5. Immunization Coverage in 7, 12 and 17 year olds in W-E County
      6. Seasonal Influenza and COVID-19 Season 2023/2024
      7. Q2 2023 Board of Health Feedback Survey Results
      8. Communications Reports:
        1. June 2023
        2. July 2023
        3. August 2023
    2. Correspondence (4:40pm)
      1. Municipality Chatham-Kent Public Health - Letter to Hon. Doug Ford, Premier, and Hon Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health - Universal, No-cost Coverage for all Prescription Contraceptive Options to all People Living in Ontario - for support
      2. Windsor-Essex County Health Unit - Federal School Food Policy and Advocacy Letter - Letter to Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Hon. Lawrence MacAuley, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Policy and Procurement - Investing in a Sustainable Federal School Food Policy - for approval
  6. Resolutions/Recommendation Reports (4:45pm)
    1. HPV Vaccine Coverage in Ontario (K. McBeth) (for approval)
  7. New Business
    1. CEO Report (K. Blanchette) (for information) 
    2. Ministry of Health, Public Health Announcement (K. Blanchette) (for information)
      1. Correspondence from Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa)
      2. Correspondence from Association of Ontario Public Health Business Administrators (AOPHBA)
    3. Review of 2023 Ministry of Health Funding Approval Presentation (K. Blanchette) (for information)   
  8. Committee of the Whole (Closed Session in accordance with Section 239 of the Municipal Act) (5:00pm)
  9. Next Meeting:  At the Call of the Chair, or Tuesday, October 3, 2023 - 2:30 pm, University of Windsor
  10. Adjournment (5:25pm)
View Document Page
Public Health Funding and Capacity Announcement Correspondence - PDF
View Document Page
Association of Ontario Public Health Business Administrators Correspondence - PDF
View Document Page
Letter to Premier re: Universal, no-cost coverage for prescription contraceptive options - PDF
View Document Page
Letter to Ministry of Finance re: Investing in a sustainable Federal school food policy - PDF
View Document Page

PREPARED BY:

Communications Department

DATE:

September 21, 2023

SUBJECT:

May 15, 2023 – June 14, 2023, Communications Update

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:

Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.

SOURCE July 15 - August 14 June 15 - July 14 DIFFERENCE
News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued 8 5 3
Media Requests Received 25 22 3
Wechu.org pageviews 90,097 86,896 3,201
YouTube Channel Subscribers 1,731 1,729 2
Email Subscribers 7,419 7,438 -19
Emails Distributed 10 7 3
Facebook Fans 19,097 19,069 28
Facebook Posts 65 58 7
Twitter Followers 8,691 8,697 -6
Twitter Posts 66 59 7
Instagram Followers 1,555 1,539 16
Instagram Posts 31 31 -
LinkedIn Followers 1,511 1,456 55
LinkedIn Posts 17 17 -
Media Exposure 99 57 42

Data Notes can be provided upon request

Media Exposure Overview Graph

Media exposure graph - May - June 2023

Notes: Between May 15 – June 14, we experienced one large peak, and four small peaks in media exposure:

Friday May 19 – At the Board of Health meeting the night before, three presentations were given, including a  SafePoint update, a new mental health training program, and water testing programs. A total of 26 news stories were released based off the information shared.

May 28 – 30 – We issued a news release announcing the official start of the beach water testing, following incorrect dates reported by the media. Additionally, Dr. Aloosh participated in five media interviews as an introduction to the position. A total of 15 stories were released in this date range on these topics.

Friday June 2 – The media were invited to an active tick dragging event to announce the start of the surveillance program. This resulted in 11 stories.

Thursday June 8 – Environment Canada issued a Special Air Quality Statement for our region due to smoke from wildfires, and we issued a media statement regarding the topic. Eight news stories featured this topic.

Wednesday June 14 – We issued the first set of beach water testing results, resulting in 8 stories.

Website Overview Graph

Website overview graph - May - June 2023

Notes: During the timeframe of May 14 – June 15, we saw similar website traffic as the previous period of April 14 – May 15. There was a small uptick on June 8, corresponding with the media statement regarding the wildfires and air quality (the statement and the webpage ranked second and third, respectively, in page views that day).

Social Media Overview Graph

Social media graph - May to June, 2023

Note: Overall, our social media followers / fans remained consistent over the month.

DISCUSSION

tick dragging photo

Communications Department worked closely with the Environmental Health Department to announce the start of the active tick surveillance program which will ast throughout the summer and early Fall months. Two members of the Communications team attended the event on Friday, June 2, 2023 to assist with the media, and capture photos and videos of the activity.

A media advisory was released inviting the media to an event at the Ojibway Nature Centre, of which three different media outlets attended. Additionally, a news release was issued, which included tips to help prevent tick bites. The email sent to our General Subscribers list had an open rate of 54%.

A social media post went out on Monday, June 5 which included a short video of a Public Health Inspector dragging for ticks. The video received 571 views on Facebook, 992 views on Twitter, and nearly 400 views on Instagram.

May 15, 2023 - June 14, 2023 Communications Update - PDF
View Document Page

Prepared By:

Planning and Strategic Initiatives Department

Date:

September 21, 2023

Subject:

Q2 2023 Board of Health Feedback Survey Results

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The Ontario Public Health Standards (2021), under the Good Governance and Management Practices Domain, states: “the board of health shall have a self-evaluation process of its governance practices…”.

In addition to a yearly self-evaluation process, the WECHU has developed a quarterly self-assessment survey for Board of Health (BoH) members. The survey provides an opportunity for feedback on BoH operations and is used to inform quality improvement efforts.

DISCUSSION

Responses in the second quarter of 2023 related to BoH operations were generally positive. In most cases, 80% or more of the responses were Agree or Strongly agree regarding the aspects queried. The one exception was related to the item ‘All material notices of wrongdoing or irregularities were responded to in a timely manner’, where 78% of the responses were Agree or Strongly Agree. In terms of overall perceived BoH effectiveness, 78% of the responses were either a 9 or a 10 (on a 10-point scale), where all responses were greater than an 8.

Suggestions for improvement included providing a complete summary of the reports when they are given to the BoH, providing suggested actions by administration resulting from presentations to the BoH, increased frequency of BoH meetings, and additional information about marketing and communication information.
 

Q2 2023 Board of Health Feedback Survey Results Report - PDF
View Document Page