Ontario Outlines Next Step in Voluntary Public Health Unit Mergers

Province providing Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit with $1,898,900 in one-time funding to support voluntary merger

December 5, 2024

BROCKVILLE – The Ontario government has introduced legislative and regulatory amendments through the More Convenient Care Act, 2024, that will, if passed, take the next steps in the province’s plan to provide more people with the right publicly funded care, in the right place.

This includes supporting the voluntary merger of nine Public Health Units into four new organizations, including the merger of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit with the Hastings & Prince Edward Counties and Kingston, Frontenac & Lennox and Addington Health Units.

Today, Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark and Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP John Jordan announced the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit will receive $1,898,900 in one-time funding to support the voluntary merger.

The voluntary merger will create the new South East Health Unit and will strengthen the delivery of public health services. The one-time funding is among the resources and supports the new local public health unit will receive to streamline and reinvest back into expanding programs and services that are building healthier communities across Lanark, Leeds and Grenville.

“I welcome this investment by our government to support our local health unit as it works toward a voluntary merger, on top of the additional base funding we’re already providing,” said MPP Clark. “These investments demonstrate our commitment to ensure the hardworking frontline staff at the health unit can continue to provide the vital public health services the people and businesses I represent rely on.”

“This is great news for residents in Lanark and surrounding areas that rely on essential programs from our local health unit,” said MPP Jordan. “This voluntary merger will improve and expand services, while keeping local partnerships strong.”

“With the More Convenient Care Act and related regulatory amendments, our government is taking the next steps to improve how the health care system connects people to high-quality care, at every stage of life,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By supporting the voluntary merger of nine PHUs, we are continuing to bring forward bold actions and innovative solutions to create a stronger, more connected health care system.”

If passed, the More Convenient Care Act, 2024 will complement the Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, connecting Ontarians to the care right care, where and when they need it.

QUICK FACTS:

  • Last year, the Ontario government released Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care. The plan focuses on providing people with a better health care experience by connecting them to more convenient care options closer to home while shortening wait times for key services across the province and growing the health care workforce for years to come.
  • Starting on January 1, 2024, the province restored $47 million in provincial annual base funding for public health units, which is the level previously provided under the 75 per cent provincial / 25 per cent municipal cost-share ratio. The province is also providing local public health units an annual one per cent funding increase over the next three years so they can more effectively plan ahead and prepare.
  • The province will also work with its partners to refine and clarify the roles of local public health units, to reduce overlap of services and focus resources on improving people’s access to programs and services close to home.
  • Since expanding the role of registered nurses to prescribe medications, 291 registered nurses have completed the training and are authorized to prescribe.
  • Last week, the province announced it is expanding the role of nurse practitioners and registered nurses to make it faster and more convenient to connect to care.
  • Ontario is investing $743 million over three years to continue to address immediate health care staffing needs, as well as to grow the workforce for years to come.
  • Across government and in collaboration with the Ontario Medical Association, the government is reviewing key forms to streamline and simplify them, minimize any duplication, and identify opportunities for digital solutions, while helping doctors put patients before paperwork. 

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