PREPARED BY: Communications
DATE: 2025-06-26
SUBJECT: 2024 Annual Report
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has been supporting the health of Windsor-Essex County residents for over 100 years. The skilled and dedicated staff at the WECHU work diligently towards the vision of healthy people in a healthy community, through the provision of both health promotion and health protection initiatives.
As a public health unit in Ontario, the WECHU is mandated to work under the guidance of the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS). The OPHS details the expectations for public health programs to be delivered, holding health units and their boards of health accountable to specific protocols and guidelines. The OPHS consists of nine Program Standards, which are addressed by the WECHU’s various departments.
Each year, an Annual Report is compiled to inform our Board of Health, community partners, and the residents of Windsor-Essex County about the important work conducted by public health. The Annual Report also supports the WECHU’s core value of Accountability – providing transparent information around our programs, services, and finances.
The Annual Report highlights some of the impressive work carried out by the WECHU throughout 2024. The report includes 14 Feature Stories and key program statistics from our seven corporate programs:
- Better Oral Health
- Disease Prevention
- Healthy, Active Living
- Pregnancy & Parenting
- Safe Food, Water, & Homes
- Safe Outdoor Living
- Substance Use Prevention
Feature Stories were selected based on a variety of criteria such as the topic’s impact on the public, the positive difference made in the community, and previous media coverage received.
It should be noted that the 2024 Annual Report contains highlights of the work carried out by the WECHU. It does not capture all of the important work completed by our staff.
DISCUSSION
A draft version of the 2024 Annual Report will be available for review at the June 26th Board of Health meeting with content to be made publicly accessible on wechu.org following the meeting.
Once launched, various communication channels will be utilized to make the public aware of the report. Emails will be distributed through the WECHU’s circulation lists to the General Subscribers, Key Executive Partners, and Non-Accredited Media contacts. Additionally, social media posts will be published, providing a link to the report on the webpage.