The Porcupine and Timiskaming health units are taking steps to voluntarily merge, the organizations announced today (Aug. 30).
The announcement is in the wake of the province saying it's offering cash and support to health units that voluntarily merge.
“While several reports over many years have recommended a merger between our health units, recent events including the COVID-19 pandemic have confirmed the benefits of a merger to increase staff capacity to deliver public health programming and to respond to surges and emergencies,” said Dr. Lianne Catton, medical officer of health and chief executive officer for the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU).
The Porcupine Health Unit coverage area includes the Cochrane district and Town of Hornepayne. It has offices in Cochrane, Hearst, Hornepayne, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Matheson, Moosonee, and Smooth Rock Falls, with the main office being in Timmins.
The Timiskaming Health Unit has offices in New Liskeard, Kirkland Lake and Englehart.
“The merger will strengthen local public health programs and services while increasing efficiencies,” said Dr. Glenn Corneil, THU acting medical officer of health in the announcement.
“Programs and services will continue as-is in local health unit offices in both regions during the merger process.”
Throughout the process, the health units say community partners and municipalities will be engaged.
Minister of Health Sylvia Jones made the voluntary merger announcement last week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference. She said there would be one-time funding and support for the organizations that choose to merge.
A ministry spokesperson later told the Canadian Press that the province would be working with health units to determine what the one-time funding is.
SEE: Ontario offers money to public health units that voluntarily merge
Back in 2019, in an effort to reduce the number of public health units in Ontario, the Ford government announced plans to reduce the number of public health units from 35 to 10.
At that time, the Timmins-based organization said it would be merging with Muskoka, North Bay, Parry Sound, Sudbury, Algoma, Temiskaming, and part of Renfrew. Those plans never came to fruition.
