Board of Health votes to merge with neighbours to become South East Public Health

Beginning on January 1, 2025, it is likely that Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health will merge with two neighbouring health units to become South East Public Health.

At a special meeting this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, the Board of Health for KFL&A Public Health was the first of the three boards to vote in favour of merging with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit (LGLDHU) to form South East Public Health.

The decision comes after months of work by the transition team members of the three Public Health boards and Public Health staff.

Last August, the provincial Ministry of Health announced its Strengthening Public Health initiative, including funding for local Public Health agencies that merge voluntarily. In March 2024, the three public health boards for HPEPH, KFL&A, and LGLDHU voted in favour of an intent to merge and submitted a business case to the province for a Health Unit that would serve over 550,000 people across the South East region. 

Then, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, the government of Ontario announced it had approved funding to support the voluntary mergers of nine Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) into four new entities — including the funding proposed in the business case by the three agencies above — in the spring. The province will cover 100 per cent of the costs associated with the transition and implementation of the mergers, with no fiscal impacts to municipalities, according to the Ontario government.

As for the governance of the new board, KFL&A Board of Health Chair Wess Garrod explained, “If all three separate boards approve the merger, once January 1 comes into play, the South East Health Unit will be the Health Unit that covers our region, and KFL&A Public Health will no longer exist from a board perspective.”

“We’re all excited and energized by the prospect of merging, and our teams have been working together diligently this year to prepare to become South East Public Health,” said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, Medical Officer of Health and CEO for KFL&A Public Health.

According to a release from KFL&A Public Health, Dr. Oglaza will be named Medical Officer of Health and CEO for South East Public Health, while Dr. Ethan Toumishey and Dr. Linna Li will be named Deputy Medical Officers of Health. Dr. Hugh Guan will maintain his role as Associate Medical Officer of Health. In the new year, a board of health will be in place with representation from across the new geographic region.

Lennox & Addington Councillor Nathan Townend, who was a member of the transition team, was clearly happy about the announcement of the government approval and funding.

“As soon as I heard the news yesterday, I was on the phone with Dr. Oglaza, screaming like a silly child. This is this is exciting. These times are once-in-a-generation. It gives us a really unique opportunity,” he enthused.

“It's been a lot of work… From the perspective of of the transition team, I think the process itself has been an encouraging process. We're the only merger that's supposed to merge three [Health Units] in an area that's been representing people in a huge geographical region, and that took a lot of political will,” Townend continued.

“We are in a political and global climate where there are many challenges with people being able to work collaboratively for a common end. And that is happening here between all three Health Units," he said, noting that while the process “has had many ups and downs,” all three units worked collaboratively to get through any challenges, "and that’s an achievement I think the public should be encouraged by… Everybody involved in this process has every intention that collaboration will continue. So from a governance point of view, the people in our region will be well served.”

Board member Chris Seeley expressed his appreciation “to the transition team and the leadership they've shown” and said the team had diligently kept the board “well-informed.”

After the vote to merge, Garrod expressed he was likewise happily optimistic.

“This merger of the three Health Units will ensure that those who work at KFL&A Public Health will continue to serve the community as they always have, but with the improved capacity through the South East Board of Health, to become a stronger, more effective agency, providing best quality services on a daily basis to a larger geographic area," he said.

“I would like to recognize Hastings-Prince Edward, KFL&A, and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark for their commitment to enabling the three boards to come together. I also want to thank the Boards of Health for their due diligence, our Medical Officers of Health for their guidance, the leadership teams for their hard work, and the staff for continuing to deliver the highest quality of service across all regions throughout this process.”

The press release about the merger notes that collaboration with local partners will continue as each office works with its communities to ensure a smooth transition to a merged entity and maintain appropriate services and support across the South East region. Partners and members of the public should continue to engage with their local Public Health offices as usual until otherwise directed.

The boards for HPEPH and LGLDHU will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, to hold their votes. If all three boards vote in favour, and once the legislative process is complete, South East Public Health will come into being on January 1, 2025.

Kingstonist will provide updated coverage on this matter as more information becomes available.