Ottawa Board of Health
MINUTES 6
Monday, November 9, 2015, 5:00 PM
Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West
Contact for the Ottawa Board of Health:
Gillian Connelly, Board of Health Secretary
 613-580-2424 ext. 21544
Gillian.Connelly@ottawa.ca

Board Members:

Chair: S. Qadri

Vice-Chair: J. Poirier

Members: D. Chernushenko, M. Fleury, A. Kapur, L. Leikin, C. McKenney, S. Pinel, M. Qaqish, M. Taylor, P. Tilley

The Ottawa Board of Health met in the Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, on November 9, 2015 beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Chair, Shad Qadri, presided over the meeting.

Following a ‘Consent Agenda’ process, the Board considered the held Items in the following order: Items 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

3.	2016 DRAFT OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE OTTAWA BOARD OF HEALTH
	ACS2015-OPH-IQS-0012
	That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit: 1.    Receive and table the 2016 Draft Operating Budget for the Ottawa Board of Health; 2.    Direct staff to forward the 2016 Draft Operating Budget for the Ottawa Board of Health to Ottawa City Council for consideration on November 12, 2015, as part of the City Council’s tabling of the City of Ottawa 2016 Draft Operating and Capital budget.
	Ms. Esther Moghadam, Deputy Director and Chief Nursing Officer, Health Promotion and System Support Branch, and Mr. Lou Flaborea, Account Manager of Financial Services Unit spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide the Board with some context on this report. Ottawa Public Health staff took questions from Board members. This discussion lasted approximately 25 minutes. A copy of the presentation is held on file with the Board of Health Secretary. Following the discussion, the report recommendations were put to the Board.
	RECEIVED and TABLED. Recommendation 2 CARRIED
	DIRECTION TO STAFF: 1.    Member Taylor - That staff share information with the Board about how Ottawa Public Health’s cost-sharing funding model (75% province / 25% city) compares to other public health units within Ontario. 2.    Member McKenney - That staff share information with the Board regarding the percentage of the savings associated with line items ‘Reduce Discretionary Expenses’ ($100K) and ‘Administrative Efficiencies’ ($236K) as described under ‘Service Initiatives / Saving’ in Document 1: 2016 Draft Operating Budget for the Ottawa Board of Health. 3.    Member Chernushenko – That staff provide additional information about the environmental health hazard investment ($120K)

4.	UPDATE ON DENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN OTTAWA
	ACS2015-OPH-CP-0001
	That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for information.
	Dr. Aaron Burry, Dental Officer of Health, and Ms. Nancy Kennedy, Program Manager, Dental Health Services, spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide the Board with some context on this report. Dr. Burry and Ms. Kennedy then took questions from Board Members. This discussion lasted approximately 30 minutes. A copy of the presentation is held on file with the Board of Health Secretary. The following delegations addressed the Board on the Update on Dental Health Services in Ottawa: ·         Dr. Stephanie Lauzière*, Director, Dental Clinics, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (agreed with the report recommendation) spoke to the ongoing partnership with Ottawa Public Health, specifically in the area of dental health, and was looking forward to the new dental clinic at Wabano. ·         Dr. Lauzière read a letter from Dr. Jonathan Mayer*, Medical Director of the Ottawa Hospital Dental Clinic and President of the Ottawa Dental Society, (agreed with the recommendation). Dr. Mayer’s letter indicated his support of the dental services offered by Ottawa Public Health and of the new Wabano Dental Clinic. ·         Mr. Richard Eveleigh, registered to asked questions regarding the funding provided to dental clinics. All individuals marked with an asterisk either provided their comments in writing or by email; all such comments are held on file with the Board of Health Secretary. Following the discussion, the report recommendation was then put to the Board.
	RECEIVED

5.	ENHANCED STRATEGY TO ADDRESS SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED AND BLOOD-BORNE INFECTIONS IN OTTAWA
	ACS2015-OPH-CP-0002
	That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit: 1.    Approve Ottawa Public Health’s Enhanced Strategy to Address Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections (STBBIs) in Ottawa, as outlined in this report; 2.    Direct staff to report back in 2017 on the progress of the Enhanced Strategy to Address STBBIs in Ottawa.
	Mr. Andrew Hendriks, Manager, Clinical Programs, and Ms. Pamela Oickle, Program Manager, Healthy Sexuality and Risk Reduction, spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide the Board with some context on this report. Mr. Hendriks and Ms. Oickle then took questions from Board Members. This discussion lasted approximately 45 minutes. A copy of the presentation is held on file with the Board of Health Secretary. The following delegation addressed the Board on the Enhanced Strategy to Address Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections in Ottawa: ·         Ms. Lynsey James, Director of Primary Care, Centretown Community Health Centre, spoke to the report (agreed with the report recommendation). Ms. James shared that her organization looks forward to further conversations with Ottawa Public Health and other stakeholders on serving priority populations. Following the discussion, the report recommendations were then put to the Board.
	CARRIED
	DIRECTION TO STAFF: 1.    Member Fleury - That staff explore options to work with application developers of dating sites with a focus on providing information to users as well as tracking for case management of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. 2.    Member Chernushenko - That staff send to the Board information about the epidemiological local data of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, local trends as well as the cost comparison for prevention versus treatment.

6.	2016 BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING SCHEDULE
	ACS2015-OPH-SSB-0012
	That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit approve the 2016 meeting schedule, as outlined in this report.
	CARRIED

INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY DISTRIBUTED
1.	MEMO: RELEASE OF THE INFANT FEEDING IN OTTAWA 2012 TO 2014 REPORT
	ACS2015-OPH-HPDP-0004-IPD

NEXT MEETING

Special Meeting

Monday, December 7, 2015 – 9:30 AM – Champlain Room

M E M O   /   N O T E   D E   S E R V I C E

TO: Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit

DESTINATAIRE : Conseil de santé de la circonscription sanitaire de la ville d’Ottawa

FROM: Councillor Shad Qadri

Contact:
Councillor Shad Qadri
Chair, Ottawa Board of Health
613-580-2424 ext. 23681
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca

EXPÉDITEUR : Conseiller Shad Qadri

Personne ressource :
Conseiller Shad Qadri
Président, Conseil de santé d’Ottawa
613-580-2424, poste 23681
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca

DATE: November 9, 2015

9 novembre 2015

FILE NUMBER: ACS2015-OPH-BOH-0006

SUBJECT: CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT

OBJET : RAPPORT VERBAL DU PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL DE SANTÉ

Check upon delivery

Good evening everyone,

Thank you for coming out to our Board of Health meeting this evening. Over the next few minutes I hope to update you on initiatives that have taken place since our last meeting.

Keep Stittsville Healthy Day

First, together with Ottawa Public Health, on Saturday, October 24^th, I hosted an event, “Keep Stittsville Healthy” at the Johnny Leroux Community Centre in Stittsville. Keep Stittsville Healthy” provided an opportunity to educate residents on important public health topics such as mental health, parenting in Ottawa, immunization, healthy eating and physical activity. OPH hosted booths on all these topics.

I would like to thank the City’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, the Ottawa Public Library, Dancing Mama, Capital Vélofest, the Community Food Advisors as well as the special events volunteers who came out and participated in this event. “Keep Stittsville Healthy” attracted families, including parents and children. Those who attended commented on how happy they were to have the opportunity to engage with public health advisors one-on-one in this particular setting.

2015 Quarterly Operating Budget Q2 report and Associate Medical Officer of Health Appointment approved at Council

Next, I would like to provide an update on the two Board of Health reports that were referred to Council at our last Board of Health meeting.

I am pleased to announce that the Board of Health recommendation to appoint Dr. Robin Taylor as Associate Medical Officer of Health was endorsed by Ottawa City Council in late October. A letter has now been brought forward to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care requesting her official appointment.

Also in late October, City Council approved the quarterly financial report recommending the creation of five full-time equivalent positions to provide dental health services for Ottawa’s Urban Aboriginal Community at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. We will be hearing more about dental programs and services from Dr. Burry later this evening.

Keeping party-safe – Drug and alcohol consumption around Halloween

Finally, late last month, Ottawa Public Health (OPH), in partnership with Ottawa Paramedic Service, Ottawa Police Service, and the Ottawa Hospital, released a public service announcement encouraging residents to stay safe while celebrating Halloween.

Every year on Halloween, Ottawa sees a spike of alcohol and drug-related emergency room visits.  Excessive alcohol and drug use can lead to falls, increased violence and potentially dangerous alcohol intoxication. In addition, there is an increased risk of alcohol and drug-facilitated sexual assaults.

Use of illegal drugs such as MDMA can have life threatening and potentially fatal consequences. Made up of many different chemicals, the exact strength and ingredients of each pill are always unknown, which makes it difficult to determine the most effective medical treatments for the unexpected side effects.

Through the public service announcement and numerous media interviews, our partners proactively encouraged residents to plan their evening and stay safe. Suggestions included not mixing alcohol and drugs, planning travel home and seeking help immediately if feeling unsafe or unwell.

As the Chair of Crime Prevention Ottawa and the Ottawa Board of Health I am pleased to see that our first responders, OPH, and the Ottawa Police are working together to keep our community safe.

That concludes my comments for this evening. I would be happy to take any questions from Board members.

Thank you.

M E M O   /   N O T E   D E   S E R V I C E

TO: Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit

DESTINATAIRE : Conseil de santé de la circonscription sanitaire de la ville d’Ottawa

FROM: Dr. Isra Levy
Ottawa Public Health
Contact:
Dr. Isra Levy
Medical Officer of Health
Ottawa Public Health
613-580-2424 ext. 23681
isra.levy@ottawa.ca

EXPÉDITEUR : D^r Isra Levy
Santé publique Ottawa
Personne ressource :
D^r Isra Levy
Médecin chef en santé publique
Santé publique Ottawa
613-580-2424, poste 23681
isra.levy@ottawa.ca

DATE: November 9, 2015

9 novembre 2015

FILE NUMBER: ACS2015-OPH-MOH-0006

SUBJECT: MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT

OBJET : RAPPORT VERBAL DU MÉDECIN CHEF EN SANTÉ PUBLIQUE

Check upon delivery

Good Evening,

Firstly, picking up on the Chair’s comments regarding our recent efforts with partners and alcohol moderation messaging for Halloween…We have been looking at the epidemiology closely in the last few years, and the pressure on emergency rooms with an increased number of cases of unintentional drug and alcohol poisoning related to summertime festivals and special holidays has been a concern to us, and to our emergency room physician, paramedic and Coroner partners. I am pleased to be able to say that the public awareness effort that we all made this Halloween may have had some impact - certainly it appears that the numbers of people presenting to emergency rooms with signs of overdose was no greater than an average Saturday. However, visits related to intoxication were at a yearly high, so the promising work with our multiagency working group will need to continue.

There have been a few other issues that have been taking my attention in the past few weeks.

Firstly, we are now into the season that we typically see outbreaks in institutions such long-term care centres, Retirement Homes and child care facilities. In the last two months we have investigated more than 20 confirmed outbreaks affecting almost 300 people. To date, most have been in long-term care centres, and have been caused by common viruses. This is fairly typical for Ottawa at this time of year. Of note, we have now had our first outbreak of the season known to be caused by influenza, and this highlights the importance of all of our community doing what we can to prevent the spread of flu.

As I mentioned at our last meeting, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has introduced nasal spray vaccine for children as an alternative to an injection. Although there have been some challenges across the province matching supply with demand, in Ottawa we have received the nasal spray formulation and have been offering it to those aged two to 17. In the eight flu clinics we have run so far, about 60 per cent of eligible children and youth opted for the nasal spray, and this seems to be a popular and well-liked addition to our offerings. 

So far this season, we have distributed close to a quarter million flu vaccines, mostly to community providers such as pharmacists and physicians. There are three OPH clinics remaining. Our last clinic, scheduled for November 16, is taking place at City Hall and I encourage anyone who has not been vaccinated to come to the clinic, or to ask your primary care physician or nearby pharmacist for the vaccine. 

Still on immunizations, we have started our cycle of written communications to parents of students whose immunization records suggest that their immunization status is not up to date. More than 10,000 parents have received what I refer to as "first warning of suspension letters" in the last two weeks, and so far we are getting a good response with almost half contacting us to update the record, and, as far as I know, no complaints.

Now, just briefly to touch on the release of the Infant Feeding in Ottawa report, which is included as Information Previously Distributed in the evening’s agenda package: 

This report helps OPH ensure our staff and community partners have adequate, relevant, local information to inform program planning and policy development for Ottawa families.

The report also contributes to data collection and monitoring requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO) Baby-Friendly Initiative designation, which OPH received in May 2013, and which is still one of your accountability indicators under the Public Health Funding and Accountability Agreement.  We aim that reports like this one provide information and increase awareness about breastfeeding. We have had a positive response to the novel applications of the video and the infographics resource as knowledge transfer mechanisms.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to ongoing signals from the provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. We continue to hear from senior ministry officials that 2016 will bring a substantial exercise to review and revise the Ontario Public Health Standards. Further, we continue to hear talk about health system transformation emanating from the Ministry. There have, of course, been many system transformation initiatives in recent years, notably with regard to primary care models of practice and development of new funding models for acute care institutions. Few of these have had significant direct impact on the work we do in local public health, with municipal, social service, school board and community partners. Signals coming from the ministry now suggest that the next phase of health system transformation may have more of a direct impact on the work we do. Yesterday I circulated a copy of the speech delivered by Minister Hoskins to the HealthAchieve conference in Toronto last week, and I think that speech is noteworthy for this Board for three reasons:

Firstly, it suggests imminent structural change to the health system, including home and community care elements.

Secondly, it places health equity, a fundamental principle on which our strategic plan and our work rests, at the heart of transformation objectives.

And lastly, it specifically references Public Health as part of the spectrum of services that will be subject to transformation.

We will continue to monitor developments in this regard, and advise of developments that will be relevant to our work.

That concludes my verbal report. As always, I am happy to answer any questions. 

Merci pour votre attention.