It was a busy agenda at the monthly meeting of the Kingston area health unit on Wednesday.
Board members were brought up to speed on a number of issues, including the Ford government’s plan to loosen booze rules. They also got an update on the plan to cut the number of public health departments from 35 to 10.
Dr. Kieran Moore, the Kingston Medical Officer of Health, talks reduction and the proposed new regional model.
“They’re already asking for drastic cuts to budgets across Ontario public health even before we’ve been able to show any efficiencies and cost savings,” Moore said.
“Everyone wants to have cost savings and be as efficient as we can, but to have us make them before we’ve even had the ability to unit and to show efficiencies, really, I think is deeply troubling.”
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Dr. Moore says they received word late last week from the ministry of health that legislation to move to a regional health unit model is expected to be tabled this fall and 25 health units could be eliminated by April of 2020. The province allowing easier access to alcohol had people talking, including Moore.
“There is a direct relationship,” Moore said. “When you increase the accessibility and availability of alcohol, you also have the negative and unanticipated consequences.”
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And for that reason, Moore says the government must be accountable when it comes to alcohol. He says the board of health has drafted a motion to ensure that this government considers the unintended negative consequences of their actions and be held accountable for it.
That means to start counting and tracking the accidents, the injuries and the harms associated with making alcohol more available.