An FAQ document that provides answers to commonly asked questions about the provincial (CTS) and federal (Supervised Consumption Services) application and program requirements.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
An FAQ document that provides answers to commonly asked questions about the provincial (CTS) and federal (Supervised Consumption Services) application and program requirements.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
Results from a community consultation study conducted by the WECHU, in partnership with the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid & Substance Strategy and the CTS Stakeholder Advisory Committee, in 2021 that yielded community support/acceptance and demonstrated a local need for establishing a CTS at 101 Wyandotte Street East in the City of Windsor.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
Letters in support of the proposed CTS operations at 101 Wyandotte Street East are being submitted on behalf of the following agencies:
An accessible version of this document will be posted when available.
Meeting held via video: https://youtu.be/4H0fxliV3RM
2023 Budget Presentation (L. Gregg/K. Blanchette)
Healthy Schools Department - Immunization
January 19, 2023
Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) Catch up and Enforcement in Elementary Schools and Grade 7 In-School Immunizations
In Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) R.S.O. 1990, requires children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school to be immunized against mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, meningococcal, varicella and polio, or have a valid Medical, Conscience or Religious Belief exemption on file at the Health Unit. As outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS), health units in Ontario are required to have a complete immunization record, or a valid exemption on file, for every student attending school in their area.
The Windsor and Essex County School Board Liaison Committee and representatives from private schools were surveyed about their recent experience with the secondary student school ISPA enforcement process. The results of that survey, which indicated that additional communication resources at the school level, were embedded in the planning process for 2023 activities. A Communication Workgroup has been established with communications staff from the four local school boards and the WECHU. The working group has collaborated on a communication plan for the ISPA-based catch up and enforcement activities planned for elementary school students in the 2022-2023 school year. The plan includes new resources and messages catering to the specific needs of local elementary school communities.
The WECHU has reviewed immunization records for students attending elementary school in Windsor and Essex County, as mandated by the ISPA. As of December 12, 2022, there were more than 12,000 students in the birth cohort years between 2009 and 2018 who were either overdue for one or more of the ISPA-based vaccines or who had not submitted their updated records to the WECHU. The parent(s)/guardian(s) of these students received an immunization notice in December, informing them of their child’s missing vaccines along with information on how and where to receive any missing vaccinations and/or how to update the child’s records.
The WECHU is hosting catch-up immunization clinics for eligible students from December to March to service families with children born between 2009 and 2018. Parents/guardians can book an appointment for their child at either the WECHU’s Windsor or Leamington office by phone at 519-960-0231 or online at wechu.org/getimmunized. Over 30 immunization clinics were held in the WECHU offices in December. In January, the WECHU will continue to provide daily clinics in its 2 offices, with after school hour clinics at both sites. As of January 9, 2023 there are 9,069 elementary school students at risk of school suspension on March 20, 2023.
Families can also contact their health care provider to receive any missing vaccinations and are reminded to update their child’s immunization records online. The WECHU is working with local health care providers to provide them with the necessary vaccines and ensure their patients’ records are updated.
As part of the strategy to reach parents/guardians, the WECHU developed a detailed communications plan that included news releases, social media posts, a 211 email blast, and paid Facebook and Google ads. To reach Arabic speaking parents, an Arabic radio ad will be purchased on CINA 102.3 FM. Starting December 12th, organic Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram messages were posted on WECHU’s social media channels, ranging from general messaging about the benefits of vaccination, to where to find an immunization clinic and how to update a student’s immunization records. A video of a Public Health Nurse explaining how parents can report their child's immunization record online was created. A short form of this video was posted on the WECHU’s website, in order to meet the needs of families who may need additional support when uploading their child’s immunization records.
According to Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program, public health units offer vaccines for Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Meningococcal Disease to students in Grade 7 at no cost each year through the school-based immunization program. The Meningococcal vaccine is an ISPA-required vaccine to attend school in Ontario; Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines are not required, they are highly recommended.
School-based immunization clinics for Grade 7 students have returned to the regular pre-pandemic schedule for the 2022-2023 school year. The in-school clinics were offered to all Grade 7 classes in Windsor and Essex County and started on October 20. The WECHU team has provided 3,349 doses of meningococcal vaccine (i.e., Men C ACYW), 2,519 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine, and 2,728 doses of HPV vaccine so far this school year. The second round of clinics is scheduled for the spring.
Communications Department
January 19, 2023
November 15 – December 14, 2022 Communications Update
Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.
SOURCE | Nov 15 – Dec 14 | Oct 15 – Nov 14 | DIFFERENCE |
---|---|---|---|
News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued |
1 |
5 |
-4 |
Media Requests Received |
15 |
29 |
-14 |
Wechu.org pageviews |
127,885 |
123,940 |
+3,945 |
YouTube Channel Subscribers |
1,729 |
1,733 |
-4 |
Email Subscribers |
7,649 |
7,687 |
-38 |
Emails Distributed |
6 |
9 |
-3 |
Facebook Fans |
18,908 |
18,897 |
+11 |
Facebook Posts |
60 |
63 |
-3 |
Twitter Followers |
8,674 |
8,698 |
-24 |
Twitter Posts |
45 |
60 |
-15 |
Instagram Followers |
1,503 |
1,498 |
+5 |
Instagram Posts |
31 |
28 |
+3 |
LinkedIn Followers |
1,290 |
1,271 |
+19 |
LinkedIn Posts |
19 |
25 |
-6 |
Media Exposure |
91 |
94 |
-3 |
Data Notes can be provided upon request
Note: Twitter experienced a large drop in users following Elon Musk’s purchase and take over of the platform at the end of October. User drop-off has been on-going, and is projected to continue throughout the upcoming year.
For six weeks, the Communications Department supported Environmental Health with the promotion of Foods Safety At Home. The campaign ran for a total of eight weeks and included Google Display ads and radio ads, as well as organic (unpaid) social media posts.
The focus of the campaign was to increase food safety knowledge among people who are preparing food at home – for themselves and others. Messages contained educational information and directed viewers to food safety webpages.
The Google Display ads logged a total of 51,353 impressions (e.g., the number of times the ads were on screen), and 590 link clicks. Our website metrics showed a total of 785 page views (696 unique page views) for the Food Safety At Home webpage.
Renaldo Agostino, Joe Bachetti, Fabio Costante, J. Lund, Hilda Macdonald, R. Maich, Angelo Marignani, Michael Prue, Rob Shepley
Fred Francis
Dr. Ken Blanchette, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Lorie Gregg, Kristy McBeth, Eric Nadalin, Dan Sibley, Lee Anne Damphouse
Dr. Felicia Lawal, CNO
QUORUM: Confirmed
Dr. K. Blanchette asked if there were any nominations for the position of Chair for the Board of Health. One nomination was put forward for Board member Fabio Costante, and was seconded. F. Costante stands and accepted the nomination for the position of Chair.
K. Blanchette asked for further nominations from the floor (three times). Given that there were no further nominations, nominations for the position of Chair were closed. F. Costante having accepted the nomination, was appointed Chair by acclamation. K. Blanchette passed the chair to F. Costante.
Nomination for Vice-Chair
Chair F. Costante opened the floor for nominations for the position of Board of Health Vice-Chair. One nomination was put forward for Board member Joe Bachetti, and was seconded. J. Bachetti stands and accepted the nomination of Vice-Chair. F. Costante asked for further nominations from the floor (three times). Given that there were no further nominations, nominations for the position of Vice-Chair were closed. J. Bachetti having accepted the nomination, was appointed Vice-Chair by acclamation.
Nominations for Treasurer
Chair F. Costante opened the floor for nominations for the position of Board of Health Treasurer. One nomination was put forward for Board member Hilda MacDonald, and was seconded. H. MacDonald stands and accepted the nomination of Treasurer. F. Costante asked for further nominations from the floor (three times). Given there were no further nominations, nominations for the position of Treasurer were closed. H. MacDonald having accepted the nomination, was appointed Treasurer by acclamation.
Motion: That the nominations for the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer stand
CARRIED
Nominations for Project Governance Committee Members
F. Costante passed the chair to K. Blanchette who advised that recent municipal elections resulted in two vacancies on the Project Governance Committee, being one representative from the City of Windsor and one representative from the County of Essex. K. Blanchette opened the floor for volunteers or nominations.
One nomination was put forward for Board member Rob Shepley, and was seconded. R. Shepley stands and accepted the nomination as a Project Governance Committee member from the County of Essex. K. Blanchette asked for further nominations from the floor, and given there were no further nominations, nominations for a county representative for the Project Governance Committee were closed. R. Shepley having accepted the nomination was appointed to the Project Governance Committee by acclamation.
K. Blanchette asked if there were any nominations for a City of Windsor representative for the Project Governance Committee. There were no nominations. R. Agostino volunteered to sit on the committee as a representative for the City of Windsor. R. Agostino was appointed to the Project Governance Committee by acclamation.
Motion: That the nominations/volunteer for the positions of Project Governance Committee members stand
CARRIED
Motion: That the information be received.
CARRIED
4:31 pm – R. Maich joined the meeting – quorum maintained
K. McBeth and E. Nadalin provided a high level description of the following Program Standards:
-Chronic Disease Prevention and Well-Being
-Healthy Growth and Development
-Food Safety
-Safe Water
-Healthy Environments
-Infections and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control
-Immunization
-School Health
-Substance Use and Injury Prevention
The link to the Annual Service Plan Presentation is provided for your information.
Chair, F. Costante noted the excellent work undertaken by health unit staff, and the local touch and evidence-based approach to this Annual Service Plan.
A board member thanked the health unit for their guidance and support in managing Covid-19 outbreaks in the schools and noted that we should lobby the province to make the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory under the Immunization of School Pupils’ Act (ISPA).
K. Blanchette noted this presentation is only a highlight of the work of public health. The pandemic created a heightened awareness of what the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit can do to create a higher standard of public health in our communities.
5:08 pm – J. Lund left the meeting – quorum maintained
The health unit has 5 different streams of funding as follows:
1. The Ministry of Health – funds on a cost shared basis at 70%
2. Ministry of Health – funds certain programs at 100%
3. Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services – funds certain programs at 100%
4. Obligated Municipalities – funds our mandatory programs at 30%
5. Other Smaller Funding Allotments – grants such as Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Hub funding; High Priority Community funding, and various offset revenue, i.e. user fees, vaccine reimbursement, parking recoveries, inspection fees (fluctuates on an annual basis)
L. Gregg provided 3 different scenarios that could arise based on Ministry funding which would ultimately have an impact on funding by the obligated municipalities. There are programs that are funded 100% by the Ministry of Health, bearing no burden on obligated municipalities, including:
-Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program
-Associate Medical Officer of Health/Medical Officer of Health
-One-time Business Cases such as:
-Covid-19 (general and vaccination)
-Public Health Inspection Student Practicum
-School-focused Nurses
-Vaccine Fridge Replacement
-Small Capital Funding projects, etc.
We will bring any one-time business cases that may fall into our Annual Service Plan submission, which is due March 2023, to the Board for review and approval at our February 2023 Board of Health meeting. They do not pose a burden on the obligated municipalities.
The link to the Budget Presentation is provided for your information.
Our total Mandatory Program Budget is $23,428,882, a $495,626 increase over our 2022 Budget. The rationale for the increase is an increase of full-time employees assigned to programs compared to the 2022 year, along with contractual obligations.
Other Operating Costs have increased such as Program Supplies, Information Technology, WECHU Corporate Public Awareness Program, and Epidemiology and Evaluation to support the acquisition of local data.
Other net increases to the budget are costs incurred are on account of the WECHU’s Capital Project Redevelopment Costs for relocation of the Windsor office. We will be submitting a one-time business case to the Ministry of Health to support some of the capital costs. To support us from a cash flow perspective, there will be a request to the municipalities to fund us in the interim until we receive that approval of approximately $185,000.
From a funding perspective, in developing funding assumptions for the current year, we assumed a 1% increase in funding from the Ministry of Health. That 1% increase would bring the total Base Funding to $16,302,915. We have assumed a 2% increase in funding from the obligated municipalities bringing the total contribution to $7,125,967.
There were no questions from the Board regarding any of the above items.
Motion: That the Board move into Committee of the Whole at 5:35 pm
CARRIED
Motion: That the Board move out of Committee of the Whole at 5:42 pm
CARRIED
Motion: That the Board approve the 2023 Budget as presented.
CARRIED unanimously
RECORDING SECRETARY: L. Damphouse
SUBMITTED BY: K. Blanchette
APPROVED BY: WECHU Board of Health – February 16, 2023
Please contact us if you require this presentation in an alternate format.
Please contact us if you require this presentation in an alternate format.
Meeting held via video: https://youtu.be/34y5kioi6GY
Communications Department
November 10, 2022
September 15 – October 14, 2022 Communications Update
Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.
SOURCE | Sep 15 – Oct 14 | Aug 15 – Sep 14 | DIFFERENCE |
---|---|---|---|
News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued | 2 | 13 | -11 |
Media Requests Received | 20 | 40 | -20 |
Wechu.org pageviews | 148,144 | 169,974 | -21,830 |
YouTube Channel Subscribers | 1,737 | 1,735 | +2 |
Email Subscribers | 7,719 | 7,759 | -40 |
Emails Distributed | 11 | 16 | -5 |
Facebook Fans | 18,888 | 18,869 | +19 |
Facebook Posts | 73 | 89 | -16 |
Twitter Followers | 8,754 | 8,737 | +17 |
Twitter Posts | 68 | 84 | -16 |
Instagram Followers | 1,485 | 1,474 | +11 |
Instagram Posts | 32 | 45 | -13 |
LinkedIn Followers | 1,227 | 1,202 | +25 |
LinkedIn Posts | 35 | 34 | +1 |
Media Exposure | 144 | 313 | -169 |
Data Notes can be provided upon request
A series of ads was created to promote the Legacy for Children Parenting Program, administered by the Healthy Families Department.
The campaign ran for 13 days, and over this timeframe, the ad had a total reach of 5,068 people with 14,888 total impressions.
The Communications department also updated The WECHU’s Strategic Plan which involved redesigning the files, creating web images, and making it accessible via wechu.org.
The 2022-2025 Strategic Plan was approved at the September Board of Health meeting, and was available online on September 15, 2022.
Epidemiology & Evaluation and Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
Novemeber 10, 2022
Windsor and Essex County Living Wage Program
Income inequality has been recognized as one of the most significant social determinants contributing to poor population health outcomes. As such, many communities across Ontario, nationally, and internationally have implemented living wage programs to raise awareness, encourage adoption, and advance healthy public policy. A living wage is the minimum amount a person must earn to afford to live and participate in a specific community. In a general sense, it uses a calculation for family living expenses, relative to income from employment or government sources, and deductions from things like Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) premiums, and Federal/Provincial taxes. A living wage is not the same as the minimum wage, which is the lowest rate an employer can legally pay for work performed.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has led the Windsor and Essex County Living Wage program since 2017 and has since certified 35 living wage employers, which are employers that pay their direct staff (full-time and part-time) the living wage in a given year. Certified living wage employers maintain their status for a period of two years and must reapply to be re-certified for another two-year cycle. Certified living wage employers proudly display the “Certified Living Wage” window decal to encourage other businesses to follow suit and often use that as a selling point in recruiting and retaining staff. The overarching goal of this program is to raise awareness about the minimum salary a person would need to earn to have a greater chance of having a basic standard of living in Windsor and Essex County. The program encourages local employers to be a part of the solution and also works to advance policies, partnerships, and practices that promote health and well-being for the community.
For the first time, the Ontario Living Wage Network embarked on developing a first full coverage of the province in living wage rates in 2022. The resulting 10 wage rates reflect “Economic Regions” that can include multiple jurisdictions. Windsor and Essex County are part of the Southwest Economic Region, which includes the Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent regions. Local data is still sourced from individual communities to develop this shared calculation.
Each year the living wage calculation is updated and shared with the community. The living wage calculation report is intended to provide an overview of the Living Wage, how it is calculated, and the assumptions that are made in the calculations. The 2022 Living Wage calculated for the Southwest Economic Region is $18.15/hour for full and part-time employees. This represents a 9.3% per hour increase over the 2021 Living Wage. Table 1 highlights the local living wage rates compared to the minimum wage rates from 2018 to 2022. Historically, local living wage rates have been higher than the provincial minimum wage rate as the living wage takes into account the actual cost of living in a particular community by considering the cost of food, clothing, shelter, childcare, transportation, medical expenses, recreation, and expenses associated with breaks from work. Worth noting is that, the minimum wage often is too low to lift someone working full-time above the poverty line and the living wage aims to address this.
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Living Wage in WEC | $14.81 | $15.15 | $15.52 | $16.60 | $18.15 |
Minimum Wage | $14.00 | $14.00 | $14.25 | $14.35 | $15.50 |
Difference | -$0.81 | -$1.15 | -$1.27 | -$2.25 | -$2.65 |
In order to reach more local employers, enhance promotional capacity, and provide consistency for employers who operate in multiple regions of the province, the WECHU has partnered with the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN). In this partnership, the OLWN will be responsible for the certification of local living wage employers at a provincial level, while providing them consistent support in developing and promoting their living wage policies. The WECHU will continue to provide the annual local calculation to OLWN to ensure the local costs are reflected on an annual basis.
Beginning in 2023, the new process for certification will be as follows:
Gary McNamara, Joe Bachetti, Tracey Bailey, Rino Bortolin, Aldo DiCarlo, Gary Kaschak, Judy Lund
Fabio Costante, Robert Maich, Ed Sleiman
Dr. Ken Blanchette, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Lorie Gregg, Kristy McBeth, Eric Nadalin, Dan Sibley, Lee Anne Damphouse
Dr. Felicia Lawal, CNO
QUORUM: Confirmed
Board Chair, G. McNamara, called the Regular meeting to order at 3:34 p.m.
Cancer
Dr. Nesathurai shared his thoughts on cancer, noting that every family and every community has been touched somehow by this disease. In individuals in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, approximately 30% pass away from some sort of cancer, the most common being lung, colon, pancreatic and prostate. There are approximately 1,200 deaths in Windsor-Essex each year, smoking being the leading cause of illness. The WECHU has smoking cessation classes available with an average of 40-50 individuals in each class. Currently, 1 in 5 people in Windsor-Essex smoke.
Cervical Cancer
One tool that we have in medicine and at the health unit is vaccination. We have been advocating the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for youth, which prevents certain types of cancer and can ultimately save lives. Screening for cervical cancer is typically every 3 years.
Breast Cancer
The most important tool for early detection of Breast Cancer is screening, and our goal as public health leaders is to focus on prevention.
Lifestyle can also play a role in our health and we all have the responsibility to take care of ourselves through regular physical checkups, screening and vaccinations.
Motion: That the information be received.
CARRIED
K. Blanchette mentioned that commencing January 2023, Board of Health meetings will likely be held in-person. This is particularly important with new Board members.
Motion: That commencing January 2023, Board of Health meetings will be held in person.
CARRIED
Board of Health By-Laws and Policies (For Approval) (L. Gregg)
The following Board of Health By-laws and Policies presented today to the Board of Health are for final approval.
Public Attendance and Delegations at Board of Health Meetings
Brought to the November Board of Health meeting for final approval.
J. Lund asked if these By-laws were prepared under the Ontario Non-Profit Corporations Act. L. Gregg will confirm with legal that these requirements were satisfied.
L. Gregg noted that our previous By-laws contained various legislation and policies imbedded into them. These policies were extracted and brought forward. We found our By-law to be somewhat onerous and modeled our updated By-laws after other Ontario health units, and feel they are much more succinct.
G. McNamara believes a yearly review of the By-laws is a good opportunity to keep up to date with current legislation and that these four By-laws should be part of our strategic outlook going forward. L. Gregg noted we will be striking a Governance Committee as previously discussed. G. McNamara noted that this is particularly important with a new contingent of board members to understand the duties and role of Board of Health member and moves to add an Audit and By-Law Committee to the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health list of Board committees. The Board of Health will revisit Board Committees in the new year.
Motion: That the By-laws and Policies 6.1.1 to 6.1.7 presented to the Board be approved, and that Board Committees be revisited in the new year.
CARRIED
Q3 Report (L. Gregg)
L. Gregg advised that the Q3 Report was submitted to the Ministry on October 31, 2022, and provided a brief update on Mandatory Program Funding, COVID-19 General Funding and One-Time Funding requests. This report has been brought to the Board for information.
Windsor-Essex County Living Wage Program (E. Nadalin)
E. Nadalin said that the Living Wage Program aims to provide what a Living Wage is and encourages local employers to become Living Wage certified. The health unit took over this program in 2017, and we have partnered with the Living Wage network to advance this program using provincial channels. Living Wage in Windsor-Essex is $18.15, and the current Minimum Wage is $15.50. This report has been brought to the Board for information.
Communications Report (October 2022) (E. Nadalin)
E. Nadalin noted a recent joint media release with WECHU and a number of local partners encouraging people to stay up to date with vaccinations. This is particularly important with hospitals operating over capacity. This report has been brought to the Board for information.
Motion: That the information be received.
CARRIED
New Business - None
Committee of the Whole (CLOSED SESSION, in accordance with Section 239 of the Municipal Act)
The Board moved into Committee of the Whole at 4:31 pm
The Board moved out of Committee of the Whole at 5:05 pm
Chair, G. McNamara, wanted to take the opportunity on behalf of the Board to thank Rino Bortolin and Aldo DiCarlo for their role on the Board of Health. He thanked R. Bortolin for his support and his work with the Consumption and Treatment Services Site, and improvements to the downtown core was done with professionalism. His work with the Board has been exemplary.
R. Bortolin reiterated the work he has been able to do with the health unit, and how COVID changed the face of public health in this region. Prior to COVID, many members of the public did not know the role of public health in their communities. Health unit staff lead us through the pandemic and made us proud to be a part of this organization.
Chair, G. McNamara, thanked Aldo DiCarlo for stepping in as a Board of Health member and thanked him for his support, advice and professionalism and becoming a part of the organization when it was needed.
A. DiCarlo mentioned the continued hard work by health unit staff, and how important public health is in the community. It took a pandemic to demonstrate that. A. DiCarlo said it has been a privilege to serve on the Board of Health.
K. Blanchette thanked the Board for their work with public health over the last 4 years, and hopes to see many return for another term.
Motion: That the meeting be adjourned.
CARRIED
The meeting adjourned at 5:10 pm.
RECORDING SECRETARY: L. Damphouse
SUBMITTED BY: K. Blanchette
APPROVED BY: WECHU Board of Health, January 19, 2023
Meeting held via video: https://youtu.be/VE-wNwRmCM4
Delegation of Duties
Performance of MOH and CEO
By-Law No. 1 – Governance
By-Law No. 2 – Finance
By-Law No. 4 – Management of Real Property
Nutritious Food Basket (E. Nadalin)
Communications Report (September 2022) (E. Nadalin)
Adjournment
Healthy Schools Department – Immunization
October 20, 2022
Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) Enforcement in Secondary Schools and Grade 7 In-School Immunizations
In Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) R.S.O. 1990, requires children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school to be immunized against mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, meningococcal, varicella and polio, or have a valid Medical, Conscience or Religious Belief exemption on file at the Health Unit. As outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS), health units in Ontario are required to have a complete immunization record, or a valid exemption on file, for every student attending school in their area.
Beginning in the spring, the WECHU reviewed immunization records for students attending secondary school in Windsor and Essex County, as mandated by the ISPA. In June 2022, 13,254 secondary school students had incomplete immunization records and were either overdue for one or more vaccines or had not submitted their updated records to the WECHU. These students received an immunization notice in June, informing them of their missing vaccines along with information on how and where to receive any missing vaccinations and/or how to update their records. A suspension order was then mailed in early August to any secondary student who had not yet submitted the required immunization information to the WECHU.
Throughout the summer, the WECHU hosted catch-up immunization clinics in all municipalities in Windsor and Essex County, to ensure that these students had the opportunity to complete their vaccine series prior to the 2022/2023 school year and to avoid suspension. The WECHU also worked with local health care providers to provide them with the necessary vaccines and ensure their patients’ records were updated.
In addition to the secondary school student immunization record review, an immunization record review was also conducted for children in kindergarten to grade 3 in early 2022. 8,687 immunization notices were sent to parents informing them of the student’s missing vaccines and encouraging them to get their child vaccinated. The enforcement process (i.e., issuing suspension notices and suspension) for elementary students will begin in 2023.
Prior to enforcing the ISPA through the suspension process, the WECHU worked with local school boards to host onsite immunization clinics in local secondary schools, in addition to the clinics in each municipality and WECHU offices. As part of the strategy to promote these clinics, the WECHU developed a detailed communications plan that included news releases, social media posts, paid Facebook and SnapChat ads, a 211 email blast, and radio ads. From June 1st to August 31st, 54 organic Facebook, Twitter, Instagram messages were posted ranging from general messaging about the benefits of vaccination, to where to find an immunization clinic and how to update a student’s immunization clinics.
In August, 7,554 secondary students still had incomplete immunization records and were mailed suspension orders. As of the suspension deadline on Monday, September 12th, there were 1,519 secondary students who had not provided updated records to the WECHU. These students were suspended on September 14th, 2022. The WECHU has continued to provide walk in clinics and updated records with information received by health care providers and online submissions through ICON.
In order for a student to return to school after being suspended, the student or parent/guardian must provide the WECHU with an updated immunization record. Clinics for students who were suspended have been operational at both WECHU locations with evening and weekend appointment availability to ensure every student has the opportunity to receive their vaccine. Additionally, WECHU nurses have been contacting every student on the suspension list and reviewing their immunization records with them to ensure they are complete. Once the student’s immunization record is up-to-date with the WECHU, the school principal is informed that the student can return to school. This process involves sending a daily up-dated suspension list to every secondary school in Windsor and Essex County. As of October 3rd, 49 students are still suspended for incomplete immunization records.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption of regular public health and education services, the WECHU was unable to fully implement in-school immunization programs over the last two years, in particular to students in grades 7 for Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Meningococcal Disease. These vaccines were made available to local health care providers to administer free of charge to eligible patients. However, some families have not been able to visit their health care providers to update their child’s vaccinations due to the pandemic or other external factors.
School-based immunization clinics for Grade 7 students will return to the normal pre-pandemic schedule in the 2022-2023 school year. In-school clinics are being offered starting October 20th to all local schools. As of September 28th, there are 4,455 students eligible for the HPV vaccine, 3,941 students eligible for the Hep-B vaccine, and 4,308 students eligible for the Men-C-ACYW-135 vaccine. Given the student’s previous vaccination history, they may be eligible for one or more of these vaccines. These clinics will be offered this fall and a second round of clinics will be scheduled next spring. These publicly-funded vaccines are free of charge, to eligible Grade 7 students. Parents of Grade 7 students will receive a letter informing them of the date for their school’s clinic. Parents will complete an online consent for the vaccines they want their child to receive and will be informed that the meningococcal vaccine is a required vaccine under the ISPA.
Planning and Strategic Initiatives Department
October 20, 2022
Renewal Plan Q3 Reporting
At the May 2022 Board of Health meeting, a Renewal and Transformation plan was presented to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) Board of Health, detailing the short-term priorities and planning expectations for the WECHU for 2022. This plan includes 5 priority renewal efforts in response to the stabilization of the COVID-19 Pandemic response requirements. Those 5 priorities are: Health Assessment and Surveillance, Addressing Backlog of Services, Mental Health and Substance Use, Healthy Growth and Development, and Capacity Building. Beyond these priorities, the plan outlines sustained COVID-19 response efforts as required, based on local needs and Ministry of Health requirements.
Since the release of the Renewal and Transformation Plan, departments have developed operational plans aligning with key areas. The progress made on these plans to date includes work spanning from May 2022 until the end of Q3 (September 30th). Overall, 39% of project objectives are complete, 46% of project objectives are in progress, and 15% or project objectives had no progress. Additional reporting on the progress related to the Renewal and Transformation plan will occur in January 2023 and outline the progress made in Q4 of 2022.