Middlesex County politicians approve health board’s recommendations

Things are looking up for the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s (MLHU) potential move.

Thursday night’s board meeting ended with an unanimous approval of the health unit board’s recommendations.

“That includes keeping an office in Middlesex county, so keeping our office in Strathroy, and it also means that as we look to new locations, we can look at how we maximize our staff’s abilities in the field,” said Medical Officer of Health and CEO for the MLHU, Dr. Christopher Mackie.

“One of the most important things we need to clarify is that the board is committed to improving the services of the county, as it’s a key funder into our service,” he said.

During the meeting, provincial representative, Ian Peer, raised concerns as to why now is the optimum time for a change.

“We’ve never had a discussion about reducing services in the county or if we would be closing Strathroy,” said Peer.

But Mackie assured Peer the recommendations have the county’s best interest in mind.

“There’s been confusion over what’s actually been discussed. We’ve talked about reviewing services to the county, but that doesn’t mean we are cutting services,” said Mackie.

“Instead, we are going to do a full review as to what the necessities of the county are, and how we can reshape our services to meet those needs.”

There was little argument on the night, with a unanimous vote in favour of the recommendations.

“The county has identified that there is some need for improvement,” said Deputy Mayor Marcel Meyer of the Thames Centre.

“Despite some of the concerns that have been raised in the past, it’s important that we discuss how we can improve these services overall,” he said.

According to Mackie, Thursday’s approval of the recommendations made by the Health Board shows real commitment towards the county.

“This was really important to put this on paper, present it in front of everyone, and have everything as a formal policy,” he said.

The next scheduled meeting for the board is on March 15. A special meeting to further discuss these recommendations is scheduled for March 7.