County pays part of health unit budget shortfall

Council told of chronic underfunding

ESSEX County councillors agreed reluctantly Wednesday to pick up a share of the Windsor Essex County Health Unit’s budget shortfall.

The 2012 budget is $188,340 in the red and the county’s share is $86,094. Since the health unit owes the county money from the 2010 budget, the county’s share is actually $67,276.

The City of Windsor would be expected to pick up the rest of the shortfall. Health unit officials haven’t been able to get on the city’s agenda to make a presentation, said Dr. Gary Kirk, associate medical officer of health.

County councillors said they didn’t want to leave the health unit in a financial lurch but were reluctant to fund a service that should have been paid for by the province.

The health unit’s cost-sharing budget is $16 million, with the province paying 75 per cent while the county and city split the remaining 25 per cent.

The 2012 health unit budget was set with a 3.25 per cent increase but the province only allocated an extra two per cent. Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Al Fazio said paying for the shortfall doesn’t change the chronic underfunding at the health unit nor whether there will be a budget shortfall next year. Kirk said if the county and city didn’t fund the shortfall, services like vaccinations, health promotion and smoking cessation programs would have to be cut.

Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos said the health unit needs to have a contingency plan to cut programs in case the province doesn’t fully fund the agency next year.

“Where does it stop?” Fazio said. “Sometimes you have to cut services until you get an answer.”

Councillors expressed surprise that the health unit has been chronically underfunded for so long and didn’t get the province to address it years ago. The local health unit gets $42.14 per capita, while the provincial average is $78.31. There are 36 health units in the province.

While also being severely underfunded, the region has some of the worst outcomes for obesity, smoking, binge drinking and residents not exercising. Those health problems cost the regional economy $788 million in employee absenteeism, lower productivity and workrelated injuries, Kirk said.

The poor health of residents also contributes to diabetes and cardiovascular problems, which costs the region half a billion dollars, Kirk said.

“The point is there are very significant and real costs to being chronically underfunded,” Kirk said.

McNamara said he’s alerted Liberal MPP Teresa Piruzza to the health unit problem.

“We did look into it and are working with the Ministry of Health,” said Omar Raza, Piruzza’s spokesman.”

County councillors also passed a resolution calling on the province to make health unit funding more fair and equitable.