March 2018 Board Meeting - Minutes

1. Regular Board Meeting: February 15, 2018.
   It was moved
   That the minutes be approved.
   CARRIED

1. Information Report – Shared Calendar Project
2. Information Report – Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation Smoke-Free Policy
3. Information Report – Immunization of Schools Pupils Act Implementation Update
4. Information Report –Windsor-Essex County Living Wage Program
5. Media Coverage Summary Report
   It was moved
   That the consent agenda be received.
   CARRIED

1. Reserves

   At the last Board meeting, the topic of Reserves was briefly discussed and materials were subsequently distributed, at the request of the Chair, to the Board.

   Other public health units within the Province have reserves funded through contributions from their respective obligated municipalities as the Province of Ontario does not permit grant monies to be contributed to a reserve.   The Board Chair provided background on Health Unit funding, indicating that the WECHU receives a grant from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (“the Ministry”) to a maximum of 75% for the Cost-Shared Program and that the Municipalities are obligated to fund public health.  Furthermore, the timing of budget approvals by the Ministry presents a challenge for public health units to spend their budget in a given year.

   Establishing municipal reserves would allow for the use of unspent municipal dollars already allocated to the Health Unit through the annual budget process.

   It was decided that the Board’s position be stated in the form of a resolution. Administration will bring forward a resolution recommendation to the April board meeting.  It was further requested that Administration’s report include information regarding the need for a reserve fund by the WECHU as well as a brief chronology of what has happened in the past for the benefit of new members and a refresh for past members.

   The Board discussed taking a more assertive approach to increasing Windsor-Essex’s base budget.

   In 2015, there was lobbying to increase this health unit’s base budget. As a result, approximately 1.2 million dollars was received. This additional funding translated to an 8% base budget increase. The Province did agree that Windsor-Essex received 80% of what it should be receiving in comparison to other health units. Of the 36 health units, this health unit still remains one of the lowest funded health units.

   It is the full responsibility of municipalities to pay for public health. The Ministry provides a grant of up to 75% of individual health unit budget requests while the municipalities are responsible for the remaining percentage. The Board has agreed that the funding model for health units is flawed. Furthermore, the Board needs to look at what is needed for to address public health needs in this community rather than getting fixated on the 75/25 funding formula. This Health Unit has different needs than some others because of its geographic location being a border community.

   With the recent introduction of the 2018 Standards, some of the mandates will require more resources and dollars.

   The Board Chair would like to see continued dialogue with the Province. It was further proposed by the Board that the WECHU needs to develop a three to four-year plan for increasing the base budget in advance so that the municipalities are aware of the plan and the strategies for moving forward.

1. Annual Service Plan
   Further to the WECHU’s 2018 budget submissions, the Ministry requested completion of an annual service plan. Public health units were asked to link relevant funding with program activities and staffing. The Annual Service Plan and Budget Submission was submitted to the Ministry by the March 1, 2018 deadline. Seventy-three program plans were submitted.

   The CEO reviewed the WECHU Annual Service Plan and Budget Submission 2018 document as distributed highlighting the ten base funding requests and ten one-time funding requests submitted.

2. Annual Service Plan – Resolution and Recommendation Report
   Public Health Units are required to have a board resolution to support the submission of Annual Service Plan and Budget Submission.

    

   As presented by the WECHU in January of 2018, the 2018 Cost-Shared budget contemplated a base funding request of 3.23% or $429,974.  Of that, $355,528 related funding to address operational pressures allowing the WECHU to maintain current service levels in Windsor and Essex County.  The remaining $74,446 represented a staff augment relating to mental health requirements within the modernized OPHS.  The $74,446 request is included as part of the Mental Health Specialist full-time equivalent base funding request.  The $355,528 increase is included as part of the General Base Funding request of $1,026,092.  The remainder of the General Base Funding request or $670,574, represents an ask to help reduce the funding disparity that was highlighted in the global funding formula review of 2015.  The funding review indicated that the WECHU was not receiving its model share of public health funding.  Base funding requests put forward in the 2018 Annual Service Plan and Budget submission outside of the $429,974 contemplated in the January 2018 budget presentation, will not be operationalized until such time as approval is received from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (“the Ministry”).

   L. Gregg provided a summary of the base funding and one-time funding requests. One-time funding request are typically funded at a rate of 100% by the Ministry.  Base funding requests can be funded to a maximum of 75% by the Ministry or at a rate of 100% depending upon their nature. In the budget presented in January of 2018, the Ministry’s funded share of the 2018 budget was 71.51%.  If the General Base Funding, Mental Health Specialist, School Screening, and Public Health Inspector full time equivalents base funding requests are approved, the Ministry’s funded shared of the 2018 budget would increase to 72.81%.

   A question was raised by the Board regarding the expected timing of Ministry approvals.  L. Gregg responded that approvals could be expected in late summer or early fall but reminded the Board that 2017 approvals were received as late as November of 2017.

   A motion to support the following 2018 budget requests (the first three were approved as part of the 2018 budget) is needed for submission to the Ministry.
   It was moved
   That the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve the following:

   i) Budget for Mandatory Cost-Shared Program of $19,222,184.
   ii) Budget for Vector-Borne Disease Cost-Shared Program of $128,000.
   iii) Budget for Small Drinking Water Systems Program of $13,733.
   iv) Budget for Mandatory 100% Funded Programs of $3,357,033.
   v) Additional Base Funding Requests of $1,678, 924.
   vi) One-Time Funding Requests of $724,888.

   CARRIED

That the Board move out of Committee of the Whole at 5:40 p.m.
CARRIED