The Northwestern Health Unit continues to express concern with a possible merger with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Health Unit staff are speaking with municipal leaders, attending Fort Frances town council meeting Monday night.
Chief Administrator Officer Marilyn Herbacz says the priority for them is providing local services, local programming and local jobs.
“The impact for our communities and their economies by losing jobs, increasing levees, and potentially parachuting services doesn’t meet the needs that we’re looking for,” says Herbacz.
Herbacz notes a current change in funding of health units could mean Fort Frances paying over $550-thousand dollars for public health services. That’s an increase of $170 thousand over what the town now contributes.
The merger of the two health units is still under discussion.
Herbacz says the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has created a process where they will be able to provide input.
It’s there that will define the make-up of new health units to meet the government’s goal of reducing the number from 35 to ten.
Herbacz admits until legislation is passed, it still speculation as to what may happen.
