Moving Upstream - Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

Challenges
Organizational
Profile
Our Challenges
Geography
Approximately 165,000 people live in 22 municipalities within the large
geographical area called Leeds, Grenville and Lanark. Most (60%) live in the rural
area and it is a constant challenge to ensure programs and services are accessible
to all (7). Widely dispersed throughout the tri-county are 14 long-term care
homes, 15 retirement homes, 9 hospital sites, 69 licensed day nurseries, 1253
food premises, 84 schools in three school boards and about 500 small drinking
water systems. This poses challenges for efficient service delivery and staff travel
to remote locations.
Funding
Only 1.5% of the provincial health budget is allocated to public health. With
limited funding, the Health Unit is not able to effectively implement all of the
mandated programs in the Ontario Public Health Standards, nor respond to all
partner and community initiated projects.
Complexity of Population Health
The factors influencing health are complex, interconnected and hard to change
in the short-term. Living in poverty has a major impact on health and behavior
choices. The built environment (roads, buildings, stores, housing, recreation
centres, parks, trails, etc.) influences how we move about the community and the
opportunities for being active, eating healthy food, breathing clean air, avoiding
injuries and exposure to cigarette smoke. While awareness and knowledge is
important, our behaviour choices are also influenced by what people around us
do, and factors that enable and reinforce behaviour change.
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Moving Upstream: 2013-2018 Strategic Plan
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit