About Us

Mission Statement
Working with you to protect and promote health and prevent disease.

Vision Statement
We envision Grey Bruce as a community where all people value and take responsibility for a healthy and safe environment.

Board of Health – 2010

Medical Officer of Health
Dr. Hazel Lynn, MD, FCFP, MHSc

Directors

History of the Grey Bruce Health Unit

The Public Health Act of 1884 established the first boards of health. By 1900 there were over 800 small public health units in Ontario including several locally autonomous boards across Grey and Bruce Counties. The Owen Sound Public Health Department originally formed in 1911. In 1912, an amendment to the Public Health Act established the first county boards of health. A further amendment in 1945 provided the first provincial grants to municipalities for health units, prompting Bruce County to establish a health unit the next year. Grey County amalgamated several local boards to a single county health unit in 1963. The Public Health Act was amended again in 1967 requiring municipalities to provide full-time public health services. In that year Owen Sound and Grey County units amalgamated. In 1983, the Health Protection and Promotion Act was proclaimed (revised in 1997). Grey-Owen Sound joined with Bruce in 1989 and following municipal restructuring in 2001 was re-named the Grey Bruce Health Unit.

Legislative Mandate for Ontario’s Boards of Health

Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) provides the legislative mandate for boards of health and the statutory basis for the Ontario Public Health Standards. The guiding purpose of the HPPA is to:

...provide for the organization and delivery of public health programs and services, the prevention of the spread of disease and the promotion and protection of the health of the people of Ontario. (R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s.2)

Section 5 of the HPPA specifies that boards of health must provide or ensure the provision of a minimum level of public health programs and services in specified areas as follows:

• Community sanitation and the prevention or elimination of health hazards;

• Provision of safe drinking water by small drinking water systems;

• Control of infectious and reportable disease, including providing immunization services to children and adults;

• Health promotion, health protection, and disease and injury prevention;

• Family health;

• Collection and analysis of epidemiologic data;

• Such additional health programs and services as prescribed by regulations; and

• Home care services that are insured services under the Health Insurance Act including services to the acutely ill and the chronically ill.

Section 7 of the HPPA grants authority to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to “publish guidelines for the provision of mandatory health programs and services, and every board of health shall comply with the published guidelines” (R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s.7(1)), thereby establishing the legal authority for the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Boards of health may deliver additional programs and services in response to local needs identified within their communities, as acknowledged in Section 9 of the HPPA.

Organizational Structure

The Health Unit comprises approximately 180 administrative and professional staff including permanent part-time and permanent full-time staff, excluding temporary employees.

The Health Unit is organized into three departments:

1) Health Promotion:

• Reproductive Health and Child Health
• Sexual Health, Prevention of Family Violence, Youth Initiatives, Focus and Substance Abuse
• Healthy Babies and Lets Grow
• Chronic Disease Prevention, Early Detection of Cancer, Heart Health, Injury Prevention and Nutrition
• Tobacco Enforcement and Prevention

2) Health Protection:

• Control of Infectious Disease including Tuberculosis Control and Sexually Transmitted Infection
• Food Safety, Health Hazard Investigation and Emergency Planning
• Safe Water, Dental and Environmental Program (Sewage Systems)
• Vaccine Preventable Diseases including West Nile Virus and Rabies Control

3) Administration & Finance:

• Finance and Accounts
• Media and Public Relations
• Information Technology including support and web/intranet
• Clerical Support
• Human Resources

Location

Health Unit Profile and Demographics

Area: 3344 square miles or 8587 square km

 

Population served: 157,760 (2006 census)

• 23.4% of the area population is age 19 years or younger
• 27% is between the ages of 20 and 44 years
• 31.1% is between 45 and 64 years
• 18.5% is 65 years and over

 

First Nation:

• The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Neyaashiinigmiing Indian Reserve No. 27
• The Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation No. 29

2007 Budget

2007 Funding Sources:

Municipalities 20%

Provincial-General Program 58%

Provincial-100% Programs 3%

HBHC 9%

Tobacco 4%

Environment 4%

Other 2%

Office Locations

Owen Sound

As of August 25, 2008:
Map - Owen Sound Location   
Or, see the interactive map   (Both maps are courtesy of City of Owen Sound)

 

            101 17^th Street East

Owen Sound, ON

N4K 0A5

 

Phone:	519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456
Fax:	519- 376-5043	Clinic
	519-376-7782	VPD / Vaccine orders / Immunization records / Suspension rescinds
	519-376-1287	Healthy Babies
	519-376-0980	CD
	519-371-6005	Environment / Adverse Water Reports from Labs & Private Water Agencies / Dental
	519-376-0605	MOH / Media
	519-371-8965	Administration
	519-376-6310	Food Safety / Rabies

 

Walkerton

Map
Photo

30 Park Street
P.O. Box 248
Walkerton ON
N0G 2V0
Phone:             519-881-1920 or 1-800-263-3456
Fax:                 519-881-3920

The Grey Bruce Health Unit maintains a 24-hour, seven days-a-week, on-call emergency response capable of dealing with emergencies whenever public health is threatened or at risk.