2024 Annual Report

To work with our communities to protect and promote the health of people and the environment through public health leadership and partnership.

Priority 1: Embracing Ontario’s Public Health System Change

As the Ministry of Health looks to strengthen Ontario’s Public Health system, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Dis will prepare for, manage, and communicate changes to ensure the continued health protection and promotion in Lanark and Leeds & Grenville Counties.

Priority 2: Investing in Our People

Our employees, volunteers, and students are the backbone of the work we do. By focusing on recruitment, retention, and a supportive environment for our people to reach their full potential, we position ourselves to provide the best services and supports to our communities.

Priority 3: Strengthening Services for Our Communities’ Future

As our rural and urban communities’ public health challenges evolve, we will strengthen and make our services more adaptable to maximize their impact now and into the future.

A Foundation of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

Leeds & Grenville and Lanark Counties are increasingly diverse, and so too are our employees, volunteers, and students. To ensure the ongoing health promotion and protection for all community members, as well as the respect and wellbeing of all our people, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is committed to having Equity, Diversity and Inclusion serve as a lens to guide our activities, both internal and external.

We are directed by Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act, the Ontario Public Health Standards and the Ontario Public Health Organizational Standards. We develop and implement evidence-informed policies, programs and services to address the public health needs of the residents of Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties.

• Peter McKenna, Chair (representing Town of Smiths Falls)
• Toni Surko, First Vice Chair (provincial appointment)
• Robin Jones, Second Vice Chair (representing United Counties of Leeds and Grenville)
• Stephen Bird (provincial appointment)
• Tory Deschamps (representing United Counties of Leeds and Grenville)
• Jane Fullarton (representing City of Brockville)
• Richard Kidd (representing Lanark County)
• Anne-Marie Koiner (representing Town of Gananoque)
• Ruth Lockett (representing Town of Prescott)

• All pupils (kindergarten to Grade 12) entering school in Ontario must be immunized according to the Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1990.
• The act does allow for exemptions for medical reasons and parents need to have a form signed by a physician or Nurse Practitioner.
• Exemptions can also be made for conscience/religious beliefs. In order to be eligible for this exemption at our Health Unit, parents must contact us and participate in an educational session outlining risks, common concerns and vaccine safety. Once they are aware of all the risk involved, they can receive a certificate to allow this exemption.

• The Health Unit initiated media coverage to raise awareness of the dangers of viewing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
• Risk of eye damage was of concern during the afternoon when the eclipse was strongest in the Leeds and Grenville area. Promotion of tips to protect your eyes and access to viewing glasses were the main messages.
• Staff worked with local partners in Brockville as they ran a large event knowing people would want to gather to watch the phenomenon.

• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit experienced a higher number of dog bite investigations than in past years so staff launched a campaign to raise awareness of the fact that many of these bites were due to a triggering situation rather than a dangerous dog.
• The act of investigating dog bites is in response to prevention of the spread of rabies. However, none of these bites were from dogs with rabies.
• The campaign included messaging around the fact that any dog can bite in situations where they are sick or surprised. Media interviews, a poster to use in areas where parents are waiting and social media posts outlining the tips to prevent dog bites were part of the campaign. Staff sent in photos of their dogs to use in the social media posts.

• The Health Unit collaborated with the Lanark Leeds Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (LLGAMH) to develop a perinatal support group in Smiths Falls for new moms and pregnant women looking for support with managing their mental health during the transition to motherhood.
• Programs and support specifically for perinatal mood disorders had been recognized as a significant gap in our community services. The group provides a safe space for new moms to share and hear about how other people experience the transition to motherhood.
• The group, Managing Your Mental Health with a New Baby, is a 6-week, in-person program that will be starting in January 2025. 

• Public health units administer several dental care programs and provide information to the public about how to apply for the programs and navigate the process.
• In 2024, some programs had changes in eligibility and residents looked to our staff to make sense of the changes.

• Public health units across eastern Ontario collaborated to raise awareness about the growing problem of food insecurity, which is having a profound impact on individuals and families in the region.
• Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. This issue not only threatens the physical and mental health of both adults and children, but also places increased pressure on health-care services.
• Many LGL towns declared food insecurity a state of emergency.

• The project began prior to the merger of Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health, and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit.
• A working group of staff from the three former health units led the assessment. Input was gathered through a public health staff survey and 35 key informant interviews with community partners such as municipalities, school boards, conservation authorities and organizations working with vulnerable populations.
• The group developed a full internal report, 2 supplementary internal reports and an executive summary for the public.
• The key finding were: The region is expected to experience more frequent and severe extreme weather, heat events, air pollution, and cases of vector-borne diseases. Vulnerable groups include Indigenous Peoples, older adults, children, people with chronic conditions, and those living in rural areas.
• Next Steps: The next step is to use the findings from the Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment to inform the development of a resilient and adaptive public health system that prioritizes climate change adaptation and mitigation across programs and services in the Southeast Health Unit region.