A new era in public health begins Wednesday as Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH), Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health Unit (KFL&A) and the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit (LGLDH) officially merge into the the South East Public Health Unit.
All three boards of health officially approved the merger earlier this month.
Since the final approval, HPE Public Health Board Chair Jan O’Neill says the South Eastern Transition Team has been working diligently to get ready, holding several meetings over the last few weeks.
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“There will be one board with one Medical Officer of Health and two Deputy or Associate Medical Officers of Health. It will operate much the same but it will be over a huge geographic area with a big population, about 560,000 I believe.”
O’Neill says there will be another meeting on New Year’s Day.
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“We have a meeting to vote for the chair and the vice chair and to appoint the Medical Officer of Health and pass the necessary by-laws because, as of January 1 at midnight, it’s a new corporation.”
The new board is expected to approve Dr. Piotr Oglaza as the new Medical Officer of Health with Dr. Ethan Toumishey and Dr. Linna Li to each be named Associate Medical Officers of Health.
The provincial government has offered one-time funding, resources and supports to smaller public health agencies that agree to merge voluntarily by January 1, 2025.
In all, nine public health units are merging into four new organizations.
