Board of Health June 12 Meeting Summary

Written by Communications, June 17, 2019

Association of Local Public Health Agencies Annual General Meeting – Update

The Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) held its annual general meeting in Kingston from June 9-11. At this meeting, Board of Health member Andy Mitchell brought forward an emergency resolution on behalf of the Board asking for alPHa to take the position that the Ontario government delay and phase in gradually the implementation of any organizational or financial changes to the provincial public health system until April 1, 2021, and that they engage in meaningful consultation with the sector over the next 18 months. The resolution also noted constraints faced by municipalities in light of the Ontario government’s intention to change the cost-shared formula for public health. It further reiterated how public health interventions not only reduce hallway healthcare by preventing disease, but produce significant cost-savings because every dollar invested averts at least $14 in future costs. The resolution had strong support and was adopted by the membership of alPHa.

 Board of Health Working Group Update

Dr. Salvaterra noted that, along with Toronto, Peterborough is one of the more proactive boards of health in Ontario in responsing to the proposed changes to the public health sector. Representatives of the Board have been meeting weekly since the provincial budget was released in April. A meeting is forthcoming with board of health chairs from Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit and Durham Region to begin discussions about an amalgamated regional public health entity. The BOH Working Group also updated the board regarding another approach to amalgamation put forward by both the Wardens and Mayors of the Eastern Ontario Caucus (EOC). Both caucuses have passed resolutions calling for any change in health unit boundaries to respect the characteristics of communities so that rural be grouped with rural, rather than with larger urban centres like Durham or Ottawa. A meeting to prepare a draft proposal for the EOC will take place on July 8th.

 Position Statement on Children’s Unstructured Play

Following a review of playground injury rates back in 2012, PPH staff have extensively studied this issue and developed community partnerships to create safer and better play experiences for children. This work coincided with the release of the 2015 National Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play that states “access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks—is essential for healthy child development.” It goes on to recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature. In 2019, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) also released a position statement that focused on indoor and outdoor unstructured play, defined as child-directed play that is typically more process-oriented than goal-oriented. Unstructured outdoor play results in improved health in a variety of areas, for example, improved cognitive functioning (i.e., problem-solving, conflict resolution, decision making); improved mood and reduced stress and anxiety; elevated motor skills and greater physical activity; improved social behaviour and greater emotional resilience; greater independence; greater creativity and imagination; enhanced learning skills; way finding and spacio-temporal relation, and; empathy, compassion and a sense of wonder. As part of PPH’s program work, the concept and impact of spatial equity are being promoted to municipal partners to consider and ensure in their planning and development of natural spaces. It is important for natural spaces to be physically and financially accessible to every resident and that the quality of the spaces meets the same standard regardless of the sociodemographic characteristics of the residents of those neighbourhoods. Outdoor playspaces and natural spaces that encourage unstructured play is a key element to supporting the healthy growth and development of children in an equitable way. The Board of Health endorsed the CPHA position statement.

 Supporting a National Universal School Food Program

School food programs are increasingly seen as vital contributors to students’ physical and mental health. Growing research demonstrates the potential of school food programs to improve food choices and support academic success (including academic performance, reduced tardiness and improved student behaviour) for all students. Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program. Currently, student nutrition programs (SNPs) are funded 15% from the province, with the remainder coming from community grants and corporate and community donations. In Peterborough City and County, 94% of schools offer programs. Comparatively, other Ontario communities have less than 50% of schools with programs. Locally, almost 90% of school age children and youth have access to SNPs. In 2018, this translated to 16,707 students in Peterborough. The Board of Health endorsed the position paper by the Coalition for Healthy School Food calling for a universal healthy cost-shared national school food program.

Next Meeting:

The next meeting of the Board of Health will take place on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 5:30 a.m. in the J.K. Edwards Board Room.


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