Organizational Description
2022 is the 75 anniversary of the Health Unit, which officially opened on July 1, 1947 to serve the municipalities of Leeds and Grenville. In 1967, Lanark District joined the organization, which then became the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit (LGLDHU). Learn more about the history of the Health Unit.
The Health Unit covers a 6,342 square km area in Eastern Ontario, with a population density of 28.4 people per km. The southern part of our area borders the St. Lawrence River between Kingston and Cornwall, extending north into the Ottawa Valley. The population of Leeds, Grenville and Lanark is 179,830 people, the majority of whom live in a rural environment (63%).
Our budget is approximately 13 million dollars, received from the provincial government and local municipalities on a 70:30 cost-shared ratio. We also receive 100% provincial funding for the Healthy Babies/Healthy Children, Ontario Works Dental Program and Preschool Speech and Language Program. Visit our Map of Municipalities page to view a listing of our local municipalities.
Since we are a service delivery organization, the majority of our budget is for staffing requirements. We have approximately 144 full-time equivalents, filled by highly skilled public health professionals working in a wide range of roles. Visit our Staff section of our website for more information about them.
Staff is distributed throughout 5 sites in the tri-county area; the two offices are located in Brockville and Smiths Falls, with smaller service sites in Kemptville, Almonte and Gananoque. Some clinics are located as well in the towns of Perth and Carleton Place.
The Health Unit is governed by a Board of Health, consisting of 9 members (i.e. 7 municipal representatives and 2 provincial representatives). Visit the Board of Health section of our website.
Starting in 2020, Health Unit staff were heavily deployed to work on stopping the spread of COVID-19, including contact tracing, inspecting and educating local institutions and businesses, preparing information to the public, and supporting the essential services of public health. The Health Unit was recognized by many partners during the pandemic for its organizational leadership, and individual staff were also recognized for their work. The Health Unit has continued to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic while also restarting the important public health work that supports the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
Mandate
Public health is focused on the whole population and our work is part of the daily lives of the people we serve in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark. Public health programs and services have helped reduce injuries and incidence of foodborne illness; they have protected us from infectious diseases and environmental threats to health. Public health interventions have created healthier environments to support and inform choices about risks, including those related to tobacco, alcohol and other substances. Public health also impacts communities, by developing healthier built environments, responding to public health emergencies, and promoting social conditions that improve health.
Public health priorities are established by the provincial government for all local public health organizations in Ontario, whose legislative mandate comes from the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA). The purpose of the HPPA is to “provide for the organization and delivery of public health programs and services, the prevention of the spread of disease and the promotion and protection of the health of the people of Ontario.”
The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, under the authority of the HPPA, publishes the Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services and Accountability. These standards set the stage for the programs and services that health units deliver.