Exploration of a merger of the Chatham-Kent and Lambton County Health Units is advancing.
The Chatham-Kent Board of Health met behind closed doors Thursday for a presentation on the feasibility of a merger. The board of trustees has instructed staff on the proposal, says a motion approved at a brief public meeting before the session adjourned.
During the closed session, he also provided an update on the ongoing collective bargaining with the Ontario Nurses Association.
Board of Health President Brock McGregor said the Lambton Board of Health will discuss the proposed merger at its Feb. 21 meeting.
“Once the two forums have had a chance to meet, we will factor in an earnings statement,” he said.
The two councils announced in December their goal of exploring a merger, with provincial investment as an incentive.
Last August, the Ministry of Health unveiled a one-time investment, resources, and local public fitness agencies that are voluntarily merging. This includes plans to repair $47 million in annual base investment for public fitness equipment to the point planned in the past under cost. -Participation ratio of 75 percent with the province and 25 percent with the municipalities.
There are 34 public fitness teams in Ontario, each of which is guilty of supplying systems and advertising and protecting public fitness in its service area.
The province said it will work with partners to “refine and explain the functions of local public fitness units, reduce duplication of services, and focus resources on improving people’s access to systems and close to home. “
To obtain one-time financing, mergers must be completed by January 1, 2025.
The province previously proposed more expansive public health merger plans.
Doug Ford’s progressive conservatives announced in their inaugural 2020-2021 budget that Lambton and Chatham-Kent would be part of a proposed regional fitness unit that would involve five public fitness agencies from Windsor to Woodstock, adding London-Middlesex.
In 2018, health units in St. Thomas-Elgin County and Oxford County merged to become Southwestern Public Health.
With files via Jennifer Bieman
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