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March 16, 2017 - Board of Health Meeting

Minutes

Members Present:

Mr. Michael Clarke
Mr. Jesse Helmer (Chair)
Mr. Trevor Hunter
Mr. Marcel Meyer
Mr. Ian Peer
Mr. Kurtis Smith

Regrets:
Ms. Maureen Cassidy
Ms. Tino Kasi
Ms. Patricia Fulton
Ms. Joanne Vanderheyden (Vice-Chair)

Others Present:

Ms. Laura Di Cesare, Secretary-Treasurer
Ms. Elizabeth Milne, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health and Communications (Recorder)
Mr. Jordan Banninga, Manager, Strategic Projects
Ms. Rhonda Brittan, Manager, Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention
Mr. Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager
Dr. Gayane Hovhannisyan, Acting Medical Officer of Health
Ms. Melissa Knowler, Public Health Nurse
Ms. Heather Lokko, Manager, Healthy Start
Mr. John Millson, Associate Director, Finance
Mr. Chimere Okoronkwo, Manager, Oral Health
Mr. Stephen Turner, Director, Environmental Health and Infectious Disease
Mr. Alex Tyml, Online Communications Coordinator
Ms. Suzanne Vandervoort, Director, Healthy Living 

Chair Helmer called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.

Chair Helmer recognized and welcomed the Board’s new Provincial Appointee, Dr. Michael Clarke.

Disclosures of Conflict(s) Of Interest

Chair Helmer inquired if there were any disclosures of pecuniary interest. None were declared.

Approval of Agenda

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the AGENDA for the March 16, 2017 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Approval of Minutes

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the MINUTES of the February 16, 2017 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Committee Reports

1) Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting Update – March 2, 2017 (Report No. 010-17)

Mr. Peer provided a summary and update regarding reports reviewed at the March 2 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting.

Financial Controls Checklist (Report No. 009-17FFC)

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 009-17FFC re: Financial Controls Checklist for information. Carried

Impact of Consent Process on Dental Screening Outcomes (Report No. 010-17FFC)

Mr. Peer explained why the committee had asked staff to put together a report on this, and discussed the dental consent form for screening and its use in schools.

Mr. Peer noted that the April 6 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting is cancelled.

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Hunter, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 010-17FFC comparing screening practices between school boards within the jurisdiction of the Health Unit and in Ontario for information; and
2) Direct staff to bring forward this report and the earlier report from 2007 to the next Finance & Facilities Committee meeting for review and input.
Carried

Discussion ensued about the dental screening consent form, its use in schools and the directive that staff bring forward the earlier 2007 report at the May Finance & Facilities Committee meeting.

Chair Helmer asked whether the Board would like to forward this report to the Chair of the Thames Valley District School Board for further review and discussion on the consent process.

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health forward Report No. 010-17FFC to the Chair of the Thames Valley District School Board for further discussion on the consent process. Carried

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that staff bring forward the report from 2007 for review and input to the Finance & Facilities Committee in May. Carried

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Minutes of the March 2 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting be received. Carried

2) Governance Committee Meeting, March 16, 2017 (Verbal Update)

2017 BOH Self-Assessment Results (Report No. 004-17GC)

Mr. Hunter summarized the discussion on this report and described the work soon to happen in regard to Board of Health development.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 004-17GC re: Board of Health Self-Assessment Results for information; and
2) Consider the survey results and incorporate the feedback into Board development planning for 2017.
Carried

Strategic Plan Update (Report No. 005-17GC)

Mr. Hunter introduced the report on the Strategic Plan Update. Ms. Di Cesare summarized the report’s key highlights, noting that some items that have just been announced, such as the Ontario Public Health Standards modernization and the Value-for-Money Audit, which may require that staff amend or revise the scorecard later this year.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 005-17 re: Strategic Plan Update for information; and
2) Approve the 2017 Middlesex-London Health Unit Balanced Scorecard.
Carried

Chair Helmer flagged the e-agenda software for discussion.

Other Business:

Mr. Hunter summarized the discussion and reviewed the policy changes approved by the Governance Committee. Mr. Hunter noted that policy G-380 will be sent back to staff to review the language around disclosures of conflicts of interest.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health approve policies G-270, G-280, G-290, G-300, G-350, G-370, G-470, G-480 and G-490. Carried

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health forward policies G-310, G-320, G-330, G-410 and G-420 to the Finance & Facilities Committee for review. Carried

Mr. Hunter summarized the discussion about posting the updated policies online once finalized to make them accessible to the public.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health recommend that staff make the updated policies public on the Health Unit’s website, once finalized and approved. Carried

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Smith, that the Board of Health receive the minutes of the January 19, 2017 Governance Committee meeting. Carried

The next Governance Committee meeting will be on April 20, 2017.

Delegation & Recommendation Reports

3) Ontario Public Health Standards Modernization (Report No. 011-17)

Dr. Gayane Hovhannisyan introduced the report and provided a presentation to update the Board on the consultation and review process for the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS) modernization.

Discussion ensued about the following items:
• The potential impact of the OPHS modernization on staff and on the organization, and the tight timelines for the work and consultation.
• MLHU’s capacity and ability to adapt to changes using existing public health resources and funding.
• Flexibility in providing or adjusting services, as required by the modernized standards.
• The possible impact of the modernized standards on the forty prioritized projects planned for 2017.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health nominate Mr. Meyer to attend the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Standards Consultations on March 24, 2017, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Carried

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Hunter, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 011-17 for information;
2) Direct Health Unit staff to prepare a written submission in response to the consultation document for Board of Health approval; and,
3) Nominate Mr. Meyer to attend the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Standards Consultations on March 24, 2017, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Carried

4) Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) Program Review (Report No. 012-17)

Ms. Marlene Price provided a summary of work done by the Vaccine Preventable Diseases team.

Discussion ensued about the following items:
• Challenges and changes faced by the team, including changes to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), providing additional vaccines and changes to Tuberculosis (TB) skin-testing procedures.
• Education sessions that will be provided to healthcare providers to update them on the changes to Tubersol/TB skin testing.
• The reasons for the withdrawal of service, following the Ministry review, which resulted in eliminating TB skin tests for students.
• Immunization exemptions on file, and how the numbers have changed over the years compared to five to ten years ago. Currently approximately three percent of students have an exemption on file.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Clarke, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 012-17 re: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program Review for information. Carried

5) The Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada (Report No. 013-17)

Dr. Hovhannisyan introduced Ms. Rhonda Brittan, Manager, Healthy Communities and Injury Prevention, and Ms. Melissa Knowler, Pubic Health Nurse, who answered questions about the report.

Mr. Peer summarized the meeting he attended with Parliamentary Secretary Bill Blair on February 28, 2017, to discuss cannabis legalization. Staff also attended this meeting to provide feedback and discussion.

Discussion ensued about the following items:
• Whether there will be a financial impact on the Health Unit when cannabis is legalized, and who will be responsible for cultivating, regulating and distributing the product.
• Likely the Health Unit will be involved in monitoring product sale and enforcement (sales, age limits, etc.). Costs are not likely to be embedded in the new legislation.
• Equitable distribution of the product and the importance of investing in treatment at the same time, given the lessons learned from the sale and distribution of tobacco and alcohol.
• Whether legalization will normalize the product and assist in regulation, and the impact on the illicit market.
• The controls each province will put in place to set age of use, and how the federal government arrived at setting the current age at eighteen.

Dr. Hovhannisyan summarized some of the discussion that the Health Unit brought to the meeting with Bill Blair, and noted that age of use, the negative impact on the brain and the impact that widespread availability and usage may have, including exposure to children and infants and during pregnancy.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 013-17 re: The Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada for information; and,
2) Direct staff to continue to work with partners at the local and provincial levels to advocate for and support the development and implementation of evidence-informed regulations.
Carried

Information Reports

6) Summary Information Report, March 2017 (Report No. 014-17)

It was moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 014-17 re: Summary Information Report, March 2017 for information. Carried

7) Acting Medical Officer of Health / Acting Chief Executive Officer Activity Report, March 2017 (Report No. 015-17)

It was moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 015-17 re: Acting Medical Officer of Health / Acting Chief Executive Officer Activity Report, March 2017. Carried 

Correspondence

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Hunter, that the Board of Health receive items a) through l). Carried

Other Business

Next meetings:

Chair Helmer noted the next Finance & Facilities Committee meeting on Thursday, April 6, will be cancelled.
• Next Governance Committee meeting: Thursday, April 20, 2017, 6:00 p.m.
• Next Board of Health meeting: Thursday April 20, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Chair Helmer proposed a five-minute recess before moving into confidential session.

It was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Meyer, that the Board of Health take a five-minute recess before moving into confidential session. Carried

Confidential

At 8:43 p.m., Chair Helmer invited a motion, to move in-camera, to discuss matters regarding identifiable individuals; employee negotiations; and a proposed or pending acquisition of land by the Middlesex-London Board of Health; and to review the confidential minutes of the February 16 Board of Health meeting and the March 2 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting.

At 8:43 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Hunter, seconded by Mr. Clarke, that the Board of Health move in-camera to discuss matters regarding identifiable individuals; employee negotiations; and a proposed or pending acquisition of land by the Middlesex-London Board of Health; and to review the confidential minutes of the February 16, 2017 Board of Health meeting and the March 2, 2017 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting. Carried

At 8:43 p.m., all visitors and Health Unit staff, except for Ms. Laura Di Cesare, Dr. Gayane Hovhannisyan, Mr. John Millson, Ms. Heather Lokko, Mr. Stephen Turner, Ms. Suzanne Vandervoort, Mr. Jordan Banninga, Mr. Chimere Okoronkwo and Ms. Elizabeth Milne, left the meeting.

At 10:32 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Meyer, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health rise and return to public session. Carried

At 10:32 p.m., the Board of Health returned to public session.

Adjournment

At 10:32 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Hunter, that the meeting be adjourned. Carried

JESSE HELMER
Chair

LAURA DI CESARE
Secretary-Treasurer

 
Date of creation: April 5, 2017
Last modified on: May 10, 2017