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West Nile Virus, SARS surveillance priorities for Health Unit in 2004

The North Bay and District Health Unit has announced its priorities for 2004. Details are included in the following news release issued by the health unit around 9 a.m.
The North Bay and District Health Unit has announced its priorities for 2004.

Details are included in the following news release issued by the health unit around 9 a.m. Thursday:
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HEALTH UNIT LOOKS AHEAD TO CHALLENGES OF 2004


The first Board of Health meeting of 2004 was held at the North Bay & District Health Unit on January 28, 2004. Elections for the two top positions resulted in the election of Bill Russell as chair and Gwen MacDougall as vice-chair. MacDougall, Mac Bain, Peter Chirico, Jim Kilroy, Alex Steele, Dian Papineau-Magill and Daryl Vaillancourt are all board members appointed by the City of North Bay. Don Fortin is the appointee by West Nipissing; Wendy Adams is the appointee by the municipalities in the east, while Russell is the appointee representing municipalities in the south. Rick Champagne joined the Board in mid-2001 as a public appointee; one public appointee vacancy is still to be filled. Five of the 11 members are new to the Board.

Following are a few of the Health Unit’s strategic directions for 2004:
· Implementation of the SARS/Febrile Illness Surveillance standards;
· Increased surveillance and continued implementation of the West Nile Virus plan;
· Outbreak response and continued implementation within the Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health programs including infection control in institutions, inspections of day care centres and personal service settings, food safety and safe water;
· Support for implementation of 100 per cent smoke-free by-laws across the district;
· Support for children living in poverty, including initiatives to improve food security (having access to adequate, safe, nutritious and personally acceptable food);
· Continued implementation and evaluation of the Early Child Development initiatives
· Enhanced emergency management and response.

Enhancement of the Board of Health’s budget for 2004, the final year of the Health Unit’s three-year plan, was necessary to ensure continual movement towards 100 per cent implementation of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s (MOHLTC, “the Ministry”) current Mandatory Health Programs and Services, and to respond to evolving risks, such as West Nile Virus, childhood obesity, SARS, and food safety, to the health of our communities.

The Health Unit’s three-year plan (2002, 2003 and 2004) has been adjusted annually to reflect new mandated requirements and the evolving risks to public health. Health units are an integral part of the emergency management system both provincially and locally. Health Unit staff are required to be available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.

As of 2001, the Health Unit’s overall compliance rate for the MOHLTC’s Mandatory Health Programs and Services, as reported from the Ministry, was 78.0 per cent. We are awaiting our results for 2002 and project an overall compliance rate of 85 per cent by the end of 2004.

Increases to the 2004 budget correspond to meeting program requirements and service demand operating costs and the changing role of public health.

Increased program delivery-related costs include:
· Increased mosquito surveillance activity across the district (West Nile Virus);
· Increased febrile/respiratory illness surveillance requirements within institutions and community
· Increased gastro-intestinal outbreak activity and associated follow-up;
· Increased temporary food premise operations due to tourism-related events (10 major events)
· Need to meet food premises inspections as stated in the Provincial auditor’s report; there are over 800 food premises in the district;
· Need for personal service settings inspections such as tattoo parlours, estheticians and hairdressing salons; there are 152 across the district;
· Improving health outcomes for children, such as reducing childhood obesity;
· Continued implementation of 100 per cent smoke-free by-laws.

Increased operating costs include:
· Renovating, securing and allocating additional space to accommodate increased staff and clinics;
· Public utility, insurance, OMERS pension and benefit cost increases;
· Ongoing recruitment and retention of health professionals, a challenge consistent with other health organizations.

Board of Health chair Bill Russell said, “The unflagging efforts of the staff of the North Bay & District Health Unit in meeting the requirements of the Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines are admirable. The Board of Health is impressed with the steady improvement in compliance with the requirements and we know that Health Unit staff, with our ongoing support, will continue to do an excellent job.”