Middlesex-London Health Unit to cut 20 positions amid budget shortfall
CBC
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is cutting at least 20 positions as it faces a $2.6-million budget shortfall due to inflationary costs.
While the health unit is getting a one per cent funding increase from the province and additional three per cent from the municipalities, a strategic review of programs and services showed the additional funding still won't offset the 3.5 per cent increase in rising costs for rent, utilities and insurance.
"The work that the Middlesex-London Health Unit has been doing over the last many years has made a tremendous impact on the health of our community," said Dr. Alex Summers, the medical officer of health for the MLHU.
"We're going to continue to make an impact. Obviously, we're not going to be able to do as much and that of course is something that is regrettable. However, it's the context that we find ourselves in."
It's also reducing support to local municipalities in public policy development, as well as to school health nursing.
The MLHU has been lobbying the province along with the Association of Local Public Health of Ontario to strengthen public health by providing one per cent stability funding over the next three years. It's also asking the province to reassess the Ontario Public Health Standards to better indicate the work it wants the health unit to perform.
As a result of restructuring, the MLHU is reducing both staff and management positions. It's losing 13 full-time equivalent registered nursing positions, two registered dieticians and one and a half health promoter positions.
Some roles have been added to newly formed teams, including three health promotion specialists, five program assistants and three associate managers.
MLHU's leadership is decreasing by one director and three managers.
"Not all of those will result in job loss as we have done things like voluntary retirements, as well as reduce already vacant positions," said MLHU's chief executive officer Emily Williams. "So that total number of folks that are impacted is just shy of seven."
The health unit is also reducing support to local municipalities in public policy development. Its school health team went down from 19 to 10 nursing positions.
"We still have a school health team with nurses who will be working more closely with secondary schools and their feeder elementary schools," said Summers, "as well as increasing our work at the school board level to try and encourage board-wide healthy public policy decisions and health communities."
The new structure will take effect in the New Year.
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