GetaKit Project
In 2024, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) partnered with Core Medical Centre (Windsor) and the University of Ottawa to enhance access to testing for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C, gonorrhea, and chlamydia through the GetaKit website. GetaKit offers free, mail-out self-testing kits and lab requisitions across Ontario. To ensure seamless linkage to care, Core Medical Centre provides treatment for individuals with positive test results, including those without health insurance.
Since the partnership launched on March 1, 2024:
- 110 residents in Windsor-Essex accessed services through GetaKit.
- 54.4% identified as members of Ontario’s HIV priority populations.
- 33% were first-time testers.
Sexual Health Promotion and Education
WECHU continued to support community partners by distributing free condoms, with 74,404 condoms supplied in 2024—a 12% increase from 2023. Educational pamphlets were also developed to promote proper condom use among populations with limited access to sexual health information. To further promote awareness and education, WECHU participated in events including World Hepatitis Day and Windsor-Essex Pride Fest and engaged with the public through local media, such as AM800.
Building Capacity through Collaboration
Quarterly Community of Practice meetings were convened in 2024 with local healthcare providers to facilitate knowledge sharing, enhance collaboration, and strengthen public health capacity. These meetings serve as forums for collaborative problem-solving, continuous learning, and the exchange of best practices, with a particular focus on STIs in alignment with provincial public health standards.
School Age Immunizations
Public health units in Ontario are required by law through the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) to maintain records and ensure children attending school have their required vaccines. Parents/guardians must report immunizations to their local health unit.
The WECHU offers immunization programs and services that protect school aged children and the community they live in from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and chicken pox. In the fall of 2024, the immunization records of all enrolled elementary and secondary students in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) were reviewed (65,633 records). Of these, 18% had incomplete immunization records.
In 2024, the WECHU:
- Provided 429 student immunization clinics.
- Administered 22,291 doses of vaccines to WEC students.
- Immunized 9,704 WEC students.