Things have been trying “fairly grim” financially pre well being unit merger, the Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) director of finance advised Brant County councillors not too long ago.
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Things have been trying “fairly grim” financially pre well being unit merger, the Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) director of finance advised Brant County councillors not too long ago.
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The county would have been on the hook for nearly $5 million throughout the 2025, 2026 and 2027 budgets for the previous Brant County Health Unit, in response to the finances projections Brad Stark shared.
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But after merging with the previous Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, the county is now taking a look at round $4 million throughout the identical interval, the slides confirmed.
The municipalities don’t approve the well being unit’s finances — “laws says they inform their funding companions what they need to pay,” Coun. John Bell, who represents the county on the board of well being, advised his fellow councillors.
“But I feel as a courtesy but in addition for data, it’s actually vital to grasp what’s occurred in the midst of the merger,” he added.
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The share every of the 4 municipalities lined by GEPH — the City of Brantford, and counties of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk — pay is decided utilizing Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) inhabitants knowledge.
Brant has the smallest contribution.
But whereas there are “important value financial savings” for the county over the subsequent couple of years, when 2028 hits, the merger funding and monetary assist supplied by the province will finish.
The well being unit and others who’ve not too long ago merged are advocating for ongoing funding will increase from the Ministry of Health to handle among the ongoing monetary challenges from the merger “corresponding to wage and profit harmonization,” Stark mentioned.
Staff are working to search out value efficiencies “which will probably be difficult, however much less difficult now as a bigger group than beforehand as a smaller standalone well being unit,” he added.
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He mentioned he does anticipate value financial savings general, although.
For occasion, every well being unit was paying for its personal medical officer of well being. Moving ahead, the brand new well being unit may have barely a couple of full-time equal, break up between a medical officer of well being and an affiliate medical officer of well being.
“There’s value financial savings proper there,” Stark mentioned.
However, Bell prompt if there are financial savings, he would advocate for placing it again into areas of the well being unit that want extra assist, involvement, and sources “to enhance the well being of our neighborhood.”
Celeste Percy-Beauregard is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter primarily based on the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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