South East Health Unit elects new officials on New Year's Day

The merger of three eastern Ontario health units to form the new South East Health Unit (SEHU) is now official. More than 550,000 residents will be served by the new organization, which covers a region spanning nearly 20,000 kilometres.

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health; Hastings-Prince Edward Public Health; and the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit voted in early December 2024 to merge voluntarily. Board members met online on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, to elect a chair and vice-chair of the amalgamated board, appoint medical officers, and other procedural matters.

Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly merged unit, Dr. Piotr Oglaza, began the meeting with a land acknowledgement. There are 12 appointed municipal representatives, four from each previous unit. There are six provincial appointees whose appointments were made before January 1, and Oglaza noted that some more appointments may “still be in the works.”

First on the agenda was the election of the board chair, which, like any online meeting with many participants, caused some confusion and technical challenges. “That’s okay; technology frustrates lots,” Mayor of Frontenac Islands Judy Greenwood-Speers observed as the secret ballot email vote took several minutes.

Eventually, Jan O’Neill, the former chair of Hastings-Prince Edward Board of Health, was elected chair of the SEHU Board of Health. She expressed a strong interest in strengthening Public Health services and programs to best serve residents across the entire geographic area, with a specific focus on the rural demographics.

Greenwood-Speers, who has an extensive history of experience in health care and politics, was elected vice-chair.

Going forward, meetings will rotate to the various cities and be held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. According to a communications representative for the new Health Unit, further details on the makeup of the board will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. Kingstonist will provide further coverage as more information becomes available.