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2015 Snapshot of Public Health: Chapleau Area

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Public Health: Putting the Community First

Reflecting on the past year of providing Public Health services, I am reminded of the many wonderful opportunities with which we are presented to help make meaningful contributions in the communities we serve.

To some, Public Health is a protector, helping to control the spread of infectious disease and monitoring the water to keep it safe for drinking and swimming. For others, Public Health is a promoter, supporting families to be the best they can be, providing education to help keep older adults from falling, and making it easier for everyone to eat well and be active wherever they live, learn, work, or play. To many, Public Health is a champion, providing information to people and bringing people together to build communities where everyone has the same opportunities for health.

Public Health may not always be visible, but it is always present to help prevent illness, promote health, and protect us all. Public Health pays big health dividends. The work of Public Health results in healthier, more productive individuals and communities—communities that can then invest in the things that really matter to health including jobs, education, housing, infrastructure, and more. The Sudbury & District Health Unit is proud to work in collaboration with so many dedicated individuals and groups in our communities so that together, we improve opportunities for health for all!

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe – Sudbury & District Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer

Our vision:

Healthier communities for all.

Our mission:

Working with our communities to promote and protect health and to prevent disease for everyone.

Strategic Priorities

  1. Champion and lead equitable opportunities for health.
  2. Strengthen relationships.
  3. Strengthen evidence-informed public health practice.
  4. Support community actions promoting health equity.
  5. Foster organization-wide excellence in leadership and innovation.

Introduction

In the 2015 Snapshot of Public Health for Chapleau, readers will find a brief overview of the Ontario public health system, including the local public health agency, the Sudbury & District Health Unit (SDHU). The 2015 Snapshot report includes highlights of public health activities in the Chapleau area during the 2015 calendar year.

This snapshot of public health activities shines a light on the SDHU’s public health work that is done in collaboration with the public, community agencies, and municipalities. It is hoped that the contents are helpful in sharing the local public health story and in informing people about how their public health dollars are being spent to promote and protect the health of everyone.

A map of the various district office locations in the Sudbury and District Office area

Public Health in Ontario

Public health works “upstream” to promote and protect health and prevent people from becoming sick. If we can imagine the health system as a continuum, the treatment services of hospitals would be at one end and public health would be at the other, working to keep people from needing hospitals and other health care services in the first place.

An illustration depicting the Sudbury & District Health Unit's Upstream philosophy. At the top end of a river small stick figures are falling in, to be retrieved by other figures along the banks of the river. At the end of a river sits an ambulance ready to take figures still in the river to the hospital.

Like with fire, police, and education services, public health is a “public good”–publicly funded and always there for us. Public health works behind the scenes to promote healthy places (e.g. helping municipal councils make bylaws for healthier food options in recreational centres) and front and centre to protect our health (e.g. issuing boil water advisories when drinking water is unsafe).

In Ontario, there is a provincial network of 36 non-profit public health units, all responsible for delivering standard public health programs and services, and for upholding public health law. About 80% of a local public health unit’s budget is cost-shared between the municipalities and the province, with the provincial government contributing up to three quarters of that funding. The remaining 20% of a local public health unit’s budget is 100% provincially funded. The law specifies that municipal funding to public health is allocated on a per capita basis.

The 36 public health units, together with provincial ministries and agencies, and in partnership with primary care and laboratories, comprise the formal provincial public health system.

Your Local Public Health Unit—Our Structure

The SDHU is governed by an autonomous Board of Health. Sudbury & District Board of Health membership is determined by legislation and includes municipally elected representatives and citizen representatives from across the SDHU area. Chapleau is represented by one individual who has historically been a councillor.

The SDHU works hard to meet the needs of the diverse population we serve and to meet our legislative requirements. To do this, the SDHU is organized into five divisions each reporting to the Medical Officer of Health.

The Sudbury and District Health Unit's organizational structure. At the top sits the Board of Health, on the next level is the Medical Officer of Health/CEO, branching off of that level is the Associate Medical Officer of Health. On the next level, below the Medical Officer of Health/CEO are the Sudbury and District Health Unit's 5 divisions: Health Promotion, Environmental Health, Clinical and Family Services, Resources. Research, Evaluation and Development. and Corporate Services.

2015 Sudbury & District Health Unit Board of Health Member:

Rita Pilon

Appointed by: Municipal Council of the Town of Chapleau

Public Health Activities in Chapleau in 2015

The SDHU actively supports well-being in the Chapleau area by providing services to protect and to promote health. The following is a snapshot of these Chapleau public health activities that occurred in 2015. Together, they paint a picture of the variety and volume of local public health work.

Health Protection

The SDHU delivers a number of services designed to protect the health of its communities. These services include for example, immunizations, health hazard investigations, sexual health services, food safety, and safe water initiatives. The snapshots in the section below highlight the health protection services provided by the SDHU to Chapleau area communities in 2015.

Control of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control

Sexual Health Program

Dental Services

Smoke-Free Ontario Act Enforcement

Did you know?

The SDHU employs a number of public health professionals to carry out its mission and public health mandated programs. These include but are not limited to public health physicians (Medical Officer and Associate Medical Officer of Health), public health nurses, public health inspectors, dental educators and hygienists, registered dietitians, epidemiologists, and planners. We also employ a number of technical and support staff who assist in the operational functions of the organization and the work we do in the various communities throughout the Chapleau area.

Food Safety

Vector Borne Diseases, Rabies, and Lyme Disease

Health Hazards

Part 8 Land Control (On-Site Sewage System under Ontario Building Code)

Did you know?

In order to provide quality public health services within the Chapleau area, the SDHU has aligned its highly skilled and trained staff with the communities’ unique needs. The SDHU has an office in Chapleau from which two public health nurses, one public health inspector, and one office assistant support Health Unit programming for the residents of the Chapleau area. Other services are provided to Chapleau area residents where and when needed by SDHU main office staff and include, for example, dental health services and support for emergency preparedness and response.

Emergency Response

Environmental Policy

Drinking Water

Small Drinking Water Systems

Recreational Water

Did you know?

Environmental Health staff are available to participate in tabletop emergency preparedness exercises upon request and often comment on plans or proposals that may have a public health impact.

Health Promotion

Public health plays a key role in the promotion of health and prevention of chronic diseases and injuries. We do this through the delivery of a number of health promotion programs and services including healthy eating and healthy weights, falls prevention, substance misuse and tobacco use prevention, and child and reproductive health. This section includes Chapleau area statistical and narrative information about a broad range of health promotion programs provided in 2015 by the SDHU. Many of these programs are delivered in collaboration with many sectors and agencies within the community. These include, but are not limited to, individuals, families, community groups and seniors clubs, faith groups, organizations, health professionals, health centres, child care groups, businesses, social services, local municipal staff and council, school boards and their staff and administration, police, fire services, EMS, and provincial ministries.

Supporting smokers to become quitters – smoking cessation supports in Chapleau

Smoking continues to be a challenge many residents in the Chapleau area struggle to overcome, and the SDHU is committed to working with partners to support residents in their efforts to quit and live smoke-free lives. The reasons people smoke are varied, and providing tailored, individual support is important to help quit successfully. Many of our allied health partners in the Chapleau area offer tailored smoking cessation services. The SDHU complemented these efforts by focusing its efforts on promoting and encouraging a smoke-free lifestyle through a variety of provincially coordinated campaigns. Leave the Pack Behind was a Government of Ontario-funded tobacco control initiative that offered young adults aged 18 to 29 smoking and quitting information. These resources were distributed for holiday weekends throughout the summer of 2015 (e.g. Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday) to encourage quitting. In addition, smoking cessation resources and supports were also provided to residents upon request.

Keeping our young ones safe – injury prevention programming

By Ontario law, drivers must make sure that any passenger under 16 years of age is secured properly in a child car seat or booster seat, or by a seat belt. From the Chapleau area’s very youngest to its more senior residents, the SDHU is a committed health ally in the prevention of injuries. In 2015, SDHU staff collaborated with Best Start Hub partners to offer a free Car Seat Inspection Clinic. To build capacity and ensure sustainability of this very important program, SDHU also coordinated and provided training to partners to become certified in conducting car seat inspections. SDHU staff continue to offer car seat inspections upon request to community residents, at no charge.

SDHU staff also provided education to children and adults, in partnership with the Best Start Hubs, to promote bicycle safety, through the provision of 50 bicycle helmet safety resource kits.

Supporting communities to plan for access to recreation

In the winter of 2015, the Chapleau Leisure and Culture Services Committee began looking to develop a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan. The goal was to learn how to better align municipal recreational initiatives with town interests and trends as well as how to reflect this information in the plan. As part of its Healthy Communities Fund – Partnership Stream work, the SDHU assisted the Committee with the coordination of providers for consultation services and with strategic planning. One planning session was facilitated by the HC Link for the Chapleau Leisure and Culture Services Committee. Through the consultation service providers, the group learned about strategic planning and how to adopt a process for organizing the town’s needs and expectations into a coherent and meaningful plan for the future.

Building healthy eating through a universal vegetable and fruit program

The Northern Fruit & Vegetable Program (NFVP) is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and administered locally by staff from the SDHU. This program provides two servings of vegetables and fruit per week to elementary school children in the Chapleau area. It helps increase their consumption of weekly vegetables and fruit as well as increases their awareness to the benefits of having a diet rich in vegetables and fruit. The most recent program evaluation indicated that 96% of students thought being given two servings of vegetables and fruit each week helped them achieve their recommended weekly intake.

Beyond the school walls, SDHU staff ensured success through the provision of resources to educate children and their parents about healthy eating habits and assist school communities build healthy habits in children. In the Chapleau area, a total of four schools participated in the NFVP reaching 286 students during the 2014/15 school year.

Collaborations to bring nutrition screening for preschoolers to the north

After engaging with community partners, a gap in nutritional screening of preschoolers was noted. The SDHU, in partnership with local Best Start Hub and daycares, conducted NutriSTEP® screening with parents of preschoolers in the community. SDHU staff supported the planning and coordination of these screening sessions with the local registered dietitian. The SDHU registered dietitian and public health nurse also attended an open house event in Chapleau to promote the NutriSTEP® program and educate attendees on the importance of nutritional risk screening in young children.

The SDHU further engaged with the Chapleau and District Family Health Team in a collaborative pilot project to bring the NutriSTEP® screening program into primary care. Tablets were provided by the SDHU to the Chapleau and District Family Health Team to assist with electronic screening, and integration into patient Electronic Medical Records. Screening through the NutriSTEP® program is now done in the community through partnerships with the Chapleau and District Family Health Team, a local registered dietitian, and the SDHU registered dietitian and public health nurse.

Did you know?

The SDHU is proud to work with and for the people who live, play, and work in the 157 square kilometres that makes up the town of Chapleau and five nearby First Nation reserves*. Home to approximately 2,500 people, the Chapleau area comprises approximately 0.4% of the SDHU land area and less than 1% of its total population. Residents of the Chapleau area speak predominately English, with approximately 59% of the population identifying English as their Mother Tongue. Though the Chapleau area experienced an 8% decrease in its population between 2006 and 2011, it continues to be a very vibrant place to call home (2011 Demographic Profile: Chapleau, SDHU).

* The office also services a part of the Sudbury, Unorganized, North Part Census Subdivision, which consists of an area spanning approximately 35,595 square kilometres with a population of only 2,306. However, that part of Sudbury Unorganized, North Part immediately surrounding Chapleau is very sparsely populated and is impracticable to include in this profile. A separate profile of Sudbury, Unorganized, North Part is available.

A Sampling of 2015 Health Promotion Programming by the Numbers

Summary

The Sudbury & District Health Unit is part of a provincial system of public health that works “upstream” to promote health and prevent disease. Locally, the SDHU provides a broad range of programs and services in collaboration with local community partners and community members throughout the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts and Greater Sudbury.

This report is the second Snapshot of Public Health developed for all leaders and citizens in the Chapleau area. It is intended to paint a picture of SDHU activities in the Chapleau area during the 2015 calendar year, and highlight the impressive variety and volume of programming delivered to meet local needs.

The Sudbury & District Health Unit is grateful and honoured to work with and for the people who live, play, and work in the Chapleau area, including the many individuals and agencies that take a leadership role in bettering their communities. SDHU staff are passionate about their work and keen to work with partners and the community to protect, promote and champion health in the Chapleau area and beyond. Together, we can create opportunities for health for all.

Did you know?

Public health staff can be reached at any time from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday through the Chapleau or main offices for routine business, and are available 24/7 for after-hours emergencies at 705.688.4366.

 

 

 

 

This item was last modified on April 26, 2024