INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUB-COMMITTEEAGENDA 821 JUNE 2010 SOUS-COMITÉ DE LA TECHNOLOGIE DE L’INFORMATIONORDRE DU JOUR 8LE 21 JUIN 2010



Board of Health Corporate Seal

Ottawa Board of Health
MINUTES 26
Monday, November 19, 2018, 5:00 PM
Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West
Contact for the Ottawa Board of Health:
Diane Blais, Board of Health Secretary
613-580-2424, ext. 21544
[email protected]

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 Monday, November 19, 2018 beginning at 5:00 PM.

The Chair, Shad Qadri, presided over the meeting.


 

ANNOUNCEMENTS/CEREMONIAL ACTIVITIES

There were no announcements or ceremonial activities.

 

ROLL CALL

Vice-Chair Poirier and Members Fleury and McKenney were absent.

 

REGRETS

Vice Chair Poirier and Members Fleury and McKenney sent regrets.

 

DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST (INCLUDING THOSE ORIGINALLY ARISING FROM PRIOR MEETINGS)

No declarations of pecuniary interest were filed.

 

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

Confirmation of the Minutes of the meeting of September 17, 2018.

CONFIRMED

 

COMMUNICATIONS

Fifteen communication items have been received (held on file with the Board of Health Secretary).

 

MOTION TO INTRODUCE REPORTS

Motion 26/01

Moved by Member Taylor

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Verbal Report by the Chair of the Board of Health, the Verbal Update by Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, and the reports titled: Building a Healthier Ottawa: Ottawa Public Health Strategic Plan 2015 – 2018 – Final Report; Medical Officer of Health Submissions to the Province on the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017 and Cannabis Act, 2017; and 2019 Ottawa Board of Health Meeting Schedule, be received and considered.

CARRIED

 

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

 

1.

CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT

 

ACS2018-OPH-BOH-0010

 

That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for information.

 

RECEIVED

 

Chair Qadri provided the Board with an update on recent events. The Chair’s verbal report took approximately six minutes. The attached memo includes the Chair of the Board of Health Verbal Update. The report was then received by the Board.

 

2.

MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT

 

ACS2018-OPH-MOH-0009

 

That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for information.

 

RECEIVED

 

Dr. Very Etches, Medical Officer of Health, provided the Board with an update on recent activities and events. This verbal update lasted approximately 20 minutes. The attached memo includes her Verbal Update. The report was then received by the Board.

 

3.

BUILDING A HEALTHIER OTTAWA: OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIC PLAN 2015 – 2018 – FINAL REPORT

 

ACS2018-OPH-MOH-0010

 

That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for information.

 

RECEIVED

 

Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide the Board with an overview of the report. A copy of her presentation is held on file with the Board of Health Secretary.

Following the presentation, Dr. Etches responded to questions from Board Members. This discussion lasted approximately 15 minutes. Following these exchanges, the Board received the report.

 

4.

MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH SUBMISSIONS TO THE PROVINCE ON THE SMOKE FREE ONTARIO ACT, 2017 AND CANNABIS ACT, 2017

 

ACS2018-OPH-HPP-0009

 

That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive the Medical Officer of Health’s submissions to the Province of Ontario with respect to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 and the Cannabis Act, 2017, as outlined in Documents 1 and 2 respectively, and approve the recommendations contained therein.

 

CARRIED

 

5.

2019 OTTAWA BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING SCHEDULE

 

ACS2018-OPH-BOH-0011

 

That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit approve the 2019 meeting schedule, as outlined in this report.

 

CARRIED

 

MOTION TO ADOPT REPORTS

Motion 26/02

Moved by Member Taylor

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Verbal Report by the Chair of the Board of Health, the Verbal Update by Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, and the reports titled: Building a Healthier Ottawa: Ottawa Public Health Strategic Plan 2015 – 2018 – Final Report; Medical Officer of Health Submissions to the Province on the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017 and Cannabis Act, 2017; and 2019 Ottawa Board of Health Meeting Schedule, be received and adopted.

CARRIED

 

MOTIONS OF WHICH NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN PREVIOUSLY

There were no motions of which notice had been given previously.

 

MOTIONS REQUIRING SUSPENSION OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE

There were no motions requiring suspension of the rules.

 

NOTICES OF MOTION (FOR CONSIDERATION AT SUBSEQUENT MEETING)

There were no Notices of Motion (for consideration at a subsequent meeting).

 

CONFIRMATION BY-LAW

Motion 26/03

Moved by Member Taylor

BE IT RESOLVED THAT Confirmation By-law no. 2018-6, a by-law of the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit to confirm the proceedings of the Ottawa Board of Health at its meeting of November 19, 2018, be read and passed.

CARRIED

 

INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS

There were no inquiries.

 

ADJOURNMENT

The Board adjourned the meeting at 6:03 p.m.

 

NEXT MEETING

Regular Meeting

To be confirmed

_____________________________                    _____________________________

BOARD SECRETARY                                           BOARD CHAIR


Ottawa Board of Health Meeting
Notes for Chair Shad Qadri’s Verbal Report
Monday, November 19, 2018

Good evening everyone, Bonsoir,

Thank you for being here tonight.

This evening I would like to highlight OPH’s role and hard work as part of the broader city response to the Tornado that affected several of our communities in September; update you on the 2018/ 2019 Flu Immunization Clinics; and highlight a seasonal influenza campaign event that took place on November 1st at City Hall.

As you will recall, on September 21st, a series of powerful storms swept through the Ottawa–Gatineau region. Environment Canada confirmed a Tornado moved through Ottawa’s Arlington Woods neighbourhood and another hit the community of Dunrobin.

On September 22nd, Hydro Ottawa reported a multi-day restoration as more than 170 thousand customers were affected by widespread power outages.

Our dedicated Public Health team, including inspectors, nurses, physicians, and communications, IT and administrative support professionals collaborated with other city department colleagues as well as community stakeholders throughout the response and continued to do so into the recovery stage.

I would like to acknowledge these dedicated professionals for their work and commitment in ensuring Ottawa residents received the information and support they needed.

OPH staff created a centralized content web page at OttawaPublicHealth.ca “forward slash” Tornado and echoed these important messages on all our social media channels and communication platforms. Topics included:

·         Food safety and security during a power outage;

·         Mental health resources; and

·         How to protecting your health during clean-up efforts.

Working with the Hospital Emergency Planning Committee of Ottawa (HEPCO), OPH communicated with Long-Term Care and retirement homes and supported physicians and health care providers regarding vaccine cold-chain requirements.

OPH staff were at the emergency reception and lodging centers and Community Support and Services Centers, to care for and comfort Ottawa residents. 2700+ hours of OPH employee time was dedicated to the storm response.

In addition, a specialized group of OPH members, city partners and community stakeholders came together to create the Vulnerable Person Taskforce, which included going door-to-door to check on residents in our most affected communities. OPH now participates in the After the Storm table as well as working with the United Way, Community Health Centres and Community Resource Centres in affected areas, as we recover as a City.

On behalf of the Board of Health, Thank you for all that you have contributed.

Next, I would like to announce that as of today, Nov 19th, Ottawa Public Health has completed its ten community flu immunization clinics and 5 hospital-based clinics. OPH is also collaborating with Community Health Centres to provide 23 outreach flu shot clinics for residents in group homes, shelters and residential care facilities.

Overall, attendance increased by approximately 30 percent from last year – largely attributed to older adults and families with younger children. As of today, OPH has provided more than 6000 doses of flu vaccine in the past five weeks, compared to just over 6900 doses in total for the entire 2017-2018 season, and distributed over 210,000 doses to physicians’ offices

For those who missed the clinics, the flu vaccine is still available through family physicians, participating pharmacies and, for families with children under 5 years of age, it is available by appointment at our Immunization Clinic located at 100 Constellation Drive and this will continue into the New Year. 

Lastly, OPH officially kicked off the seasonal influenza vaccine campaign on November 1st at City Hall. On that day, I joined Dr. Vera Etches, Mayor Jim Watson, Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam, Director of Practice Advancement and Research of the Canadian Pharmacists Association, Mr. Phil Emberley, and many Medical Officers of Health from some of Canada’s biggest cities who were in town for a conference.  This launch event brought together some of Canada’s prominent health officials to highlight the importance of annual flu immunization to protect ourselves and those who may be at higher risk of complications from the flu, such as elderly parents or grandparents, infants and young children.  A special thank you to OPH nurses Danielle Charbonneau and Diana Romero who were on-hand to provide the Minister and other attendees with their influenza vaccine for the year. 

In closing, as this is our last Board of Health meeting for this term, I would like to thank all of you for your contributions over this past term and your commitment to public health in our community. It has been a pleasure and an honour to have served with you on this Board.

That concludes my verbal report. I welcome any questions.


 

Ottawa Board of Health Meeting
Notes for Dr. Vera Etches Verbal Report
Monday, November 19, 2018

Thank you Chair.

With regard to influenza, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize that we are at the 100th anniversary mark of the Spanish influenza pandemic in Canada, which led to about 55,000 Canadians dying, — unusually for influenza, with great impact on young adults between 20-40 years of age, in addition to the impact on infants and toddlers and the elderly. The influenza pandemic not only had significant social and economic impacts, affecting families and the workforce, it also contributed to the development of public health in Canada, leading to the creation of the Federal Department of Health in 1919.

Locally, public health nurses and others were involved in responding to and trying to contain the infection in Ottawa.  Many community volunteers also worked tirelessly and put themselves at risk to help families that could not care for themselves. On November 23, 1918, The Globe and Mail reported that 570 people had died in Ottawa during the pandemic to date - a death rate of 548 per 100,000.  This is a contrast with data from last year’s flu season where there were 34 reported deaths due to influenza in Ottawa, for a death rate of 3.4 deaths per 100,000. The reduced rate of death and serious illness from the flu over the last century is a testament to improved health and public health systems, including access to influenza vaccine, as well as improvements in social conditions. Yet, the 1918 pandemic remains a warning for us about how infectious diseases can have significant impact on society.  Il est important de maintenir la capacité de santé publique afin de lutter contre les maladies infectieuses.

Thinking ahead to the beginning of next month, and World AIDS Day on December 1 and the Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week, you each have a card with a red ribbon attached. Je vous encourage de porter le ruban pour montrer votre soutien aux personnes vivant avec le VIH et en souvenir de ceux qui sont décédés. I encourage you to wear the ribbon to show support for people living with HIV and in remembrance of those who have died.  The campaign to raise awareness and decrease stigma is called “Rock the Red Ribbon” this year.

Now, Chair, I would like to provide some updates on the new provincial Cannabis Legislation and OPH’s role since legalization, the new Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) guidelines and the Urban Public Health Network (UPHN) meeting recently held in Ottawa.

With respect to cannabis legalization, OPH launched health promotion campaigns, using ‘Blunt Fact’ and ‘Toke Joke’ tag lines, to provide the public with information on cannabis and how it can affect their health.

Since September, the campaigns have reached over 160,000 residents through social media. The campaign advertisements have resulted in over 8,000 views to OPH’s cannabis information webpages. OPH has received multiple requests for presentations on cannabis from a variety of community organizations, demonstrating OPH’s role as a source of credible information on cannabis.

OPH has collaborated with local treatment services, including Service Access to Recovery, Rideauwood Addictions and Family Services, and Maison Fraternité, to provide social media promotion of their services in order to increase residents’ awareness of where to go for help with problematic cannabis use.

De plus, SPO a collaboré avec les quatre conseils scolaires d'Ottawa pour offrir des séances d'information aux parents francophones et anglophones à travers la ville, touchant ainsi près de 400 parents. The information sessions provide parents with information and tips on how to talk early, often and openly about cannabis. OPH developed a youth resource, as well as information for parents and teachers, that was provided to all four Ottawa school boards.

In late October, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced a new way forward for supervised drug consumption following the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care’s review of Supervised Consumptions Services in Ontario.  We are encouraged that the provincial government’s review showed how vital these services are for people and communities, especially in response to the opioid crisis.

Under the new Consumption and Treatment Services model, OPH is ready to work with the government to continue to develop integrated and seamless services for people who use drugs, including connections to substance use and treatment services, mental health services, and social supports that they might need. Therefore, OPH is currently working with the Ministry, and coordinating with other local service providers to determine next steps for the re-application process under the new Consumption and Treatment Services model.

On November 1st and 2nd, Ottawa Public Health hosted The Urban Public Health Network meeting in Ottawa, which involves Medical Officers of Health from 21 of Canada’s large urban centers sharing best practices in public health. Travaillant en collaboration et d'une voix collective, le réseau s'attaque aux problèmes de santé publique communs aux populations urbaines.

Some topics of discussion were:

·         Strategic planning

·         Canadian Drug Strategy

·         Healthy Cities

·         Violence and

·         Climate change

In conclusion, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the current Board of Health, I too would like to express that it has been a pleasure to work with you all over the last four years and, speaking for myself, for my predecessor, Dr. Isra Levy, and all the staff of Ottawa Public Health, I would like to thank each of you for your support and guidance throughout this term.

Vous avez fourni un leadership stratégique pour améliorer la santé de la population. Merci.

Chair that concludes my verbal report. I am happy to answer any questions.