Ottawa Public Health concerned about keeping up non-pandemic work

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has been front-and-centre during the pandemic, butthe agency is concerned COVID-19 could be hampering day-to-daywork likevaccinating schoolchildren and running sexual health clinics.

Medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches said late last month she was concerned about the programs OPH has had to cut back on, such as dental screenings that keep people out of emergency rooms.

Many OPH staff have been shifted to tracing the contacts of those infected by the virus.

Other programs, like groups for mothers or seniors,areaffected simply because of the need to ensure physical distancing.Etchesalso worried about having missed a round of meningitis vaccinations that usually takes place in schools.

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"We're struggling with how to deal with the immunization process," agreed Coun. Keith Egli,chair of the board of health."That's top of mind."

Not only are there routine childhood vaccinations typically administeredin school gymsto consider, but OPH will also have to find waysto encourage people to get their flu shots this fall, Egli said, especially as holding roving flu clinics may prove difficult.

"We need more capacity to be able to catch up on some of these core services," Etches said at the end of July.

Respondnow, deal with costs later

As it stands, Egliprojects OPH will have an $8-12 million deficitby year end. The province has announced $100 million to help public health unitsmonitor, test and trace the virus, but Ottawa still doesn't know its allocation.

The Ministry of Health says the process for agencies to seek reimbursement is"forthcoming".

The pandemic has forced OPH to innovate in certain ways, like allowing people seeking an HIV test to prick themselvesand send the samples in by mail.

Manycommunity clinics are closed or by appointment only. But with more money or staff, Egli said, they would be able to extend hours to see more people.

"This is not a discussion that's going to end in 2020. It's going to go on for the next year or two years at least," said Egli.

"I think there needs to be a bufferfor public health agencies so we can do what we're supposed to do in normal times and we can do what we need to do in COVID times."

Ontario'spublic health overhaul

When the COVID-19 shutdown happened in March, the Ontario government washolding consultations on possibly reducing the number of health units.

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That's on hold for now.

"Once the COVID-19 outbreak is contained and risks are mitigated for the people of Ontario, Ontario will consider how to move forward with the modernization process," wrote Ministry of Health spokesperson Christian Hasse in an email.

Egli said OPH's position won't change: it wants to keep its boundaries and maintainits relationship with the City of Ottawa because it knows who to call and who does what when an emergency like a tornado hits.

"I think [COVID-19] hasshown the importance of public health and the necessity of public health, that it needs to be well-organized, it needs to be well-financed in order to carry out its job," said Egli.