Health Unit facing tough funding challenges

Ken Johnston
Editor

Faced with increased pressure to provide health services, the Northwestern Health Unit is facing tremendous funding whoas in the near future if things do not change for the organization.

In 1998 the NWHU’s funding formula was changed to include direct funds from municipalities to the tune of 25% of their annual budget. The province said it would help, but its help was uncertain and often delayed. That ment many communities delayed paying their share of the costs and that created an atmosphere full of confrontation between the NWHU and the people its serves.

In an effort to find solutions NWHU hired Blackwell Group to do an operational review and make recommendations. Last week the NWHU released that study to the public.

In addition to making strong recommendations for change at the management level, it also recommended the changing of staff at many of the 11 NWHUs.

Recommendation number 79 says offices should be teamed to optimize use of professional staff and that smaller offices should be permanently staffed with Health Educators and Public Health Nurses should travel to smaller centers. The teamed offices recommended in the report are: Ignace and Dryden; Emo and Fort Frances; Pickel Lake and Sioux Lookout; Ear Falls and Red Lake; Atikokan and Fort Frances. However the report said that Rainy River should retain its own Public Health Nurse staff because of its geographic location and workload.

If funding solutions are not found the NWHU which has been presenting balanced budgets will likely be in a deficit position in 2002. If the money is not found to prevent that the report said that the board may have to consider drastic cuts which could include closure of offices and/or reduction in programs.