Minutes - February 27, 2020 - Board of Health Meeting

Thursday, February 27, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
399 Ridout Street North, London, Ontario
Side Entrance (recessed door)
MLHU Boardroom

Members Present:

Ms. Maureen Cassidy (Chair)
Ms. Aina DeViet (Vice-Chair)
Mr. John Brennan
Dr. Michael Clarke
Ms. Arielle Kayabaga (via teleconference)
Mr. Ian Peer
Mr. Bob Parker
Mr. Matt Reid

Regrets:

Ms. Tino Kasi
Ms. Kelly Elliott

Others Present:

Dr. Christopher Mackie, Medical Officer of Health/CEO (Secretary-Treasurer)
Ms. Elizabeth Milne, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health and Communications Coordinator (Recorder)
Dr. Alexander Summers, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Mr. Dan Flaherty, Manager, Communications
Ms. Heather Lokko, Director, Healthy Start
Mr. Alex Tyml, Online Communications Coordinator
Mr. Stephen Turner, Director, Environmental Health and Infectious Disease
Mr. Brian Glasspoole, Manager, Finance
Mr. Joe Belancic, Manager, Procurement and Operations
Ms. Kendra Ramer, Manager, Strategic Projects
Ms. Cynthia Bos, Manager, Human Resources
Ms. Nicole Gauthier, Manager, Privacy, Risk and Governance
Ms. Brooke Clark, Community Health Nursing Specialist
Ms. Michelle Sangster Bouck, Program Evaluator
Ms. Linda Stobo, Manager, Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control
Ms. Suzanne Vandervoort, Manager, Best Beginnings
Ms. Isabel Resendes, Manager, Best Beginnings
Ms. Mary Lou Albanese, Manager, Infectious Disease Control
Mr. Jordan Banninga, Manger, Program Planning and Evaluation
Mr. Andrew Powell, Manager, Safe Water Rabies and Vector-Borne Disease

Chair Cassidy called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Disclosures of Conflict(s) of Interest

Chair Cassidy inquired if there were any disclosures of conflicts of interest. None were declared.

Chair Cassidy noted that it was Dr. Michael Clarke’s last meeting. Dr. Mackie thanked Dr. Clarke for his wisdom, insight, and leadership, and Chair Cassidy provided remarks on Dr. Clarke’s contributions to the Board of Health over the past three years.

Approval of Agenda

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the AGENDA for the February 27, 2020 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Minutes

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Parker, that the MINUTES of the January 23, 2020 Board of Health meeting be approved. Carried

Reports and Agenda Items

Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting Update: February 6 and 13, 2020 (Report No. 005-20A & 005-20B)

Ms. DeViet introduced the reports reviewed at the February 6 and February 13 Finance & Facilities Committee meetings.

2020 Terms of Reference and Annual Reporting Calendar (Report No. 001-20FFC)

The Finance & Facilities Committee approved its Terms of Reference and Reporting Calendar for 2020.

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health approve Report No. 001-20FFC re: “Finance & Facilities Committee – Terms of Reference and 2020 Reporting Calendar.” Carried

Staff Reimbursement – Mileage (Report No. 003-20FFC)

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Reid, that the Board of Health approve increases to employee mileage reimbursement rates, effective January 1, 2020, to $0.55/km for the first 5,000 km and $0.50/km thereafter. Carried

Annual Service Plan (Report No. 002-20FFC)

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Parker, that the Board of Health:
1. Approve the 2020 Proposed Budget in the gross amount of $35,309,015, as appended to Report No. 002-20FFC re: “2020 Proposed Budget”;
2. Forward Report No. 002-20FFC to the City of London and the County of Middlesex for information; and
3. Direct staff to submit the 2020 Proposed Budget to the Health Unit’s funding agencies in the formats they require.
Carried

One-Time Funding Requests to the Ministry of Health (Report No. 007-20FFC)

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Reid, that the Board of Health:
1. Approve Appendix A, outlining One-Time Funding Requests totalling $531,055; and
2. Direct staff to submit the funding requests in the 2020 Annual Service Plan to the Ministry.
Carried

Governance Committee Meeting Update: February 27, 2020 (Verbal)

Ms. DeViet, Chair of the Governance Committee, provided an update on reports reviewed at the Governance Committee meeting earlier this evening.

Q4 2019 Activity Report – Strategic Plan Update (Report No. 001-20GC)
The Governance Committee received this report for information.

Terms of Reference and Reporting Calendar (Report No. 002-20GC)

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health:
1) Approve the Governance Committee Terms of Reference (Appendix A); and
2) Approve the 2020 Governance Committee Reporting Calendar (Appendix B).
Carried

Governance By-Law and Policy Review (Report No. 003-20GC)

It was moved by Ms. Elliott, seconded by Ms. Kayabaga, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 003-20GC re: “Governance By-Law and Policy Review” for information; and
2) Approve the governance by-laws and policies as appended to this report.
Carried

Board of Health Self-Assessment (Report No. 004-20GC)

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Parker, that the Board of Health approve the Board of Health Self-Assessment Tool appended to this report and approve initiation of the Board of Health self-assessment process for 2020.
Carried

Annual Privacy Program Update (Report No. 005-20GC)
The Governance Committee received this report for information.

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive the MINUTES of the February 6, 2020 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting. Carried

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive the MINUTES of the February 13, 2020 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting. Carried

Public Health Modernization – Board of Health Submission (Report No. 006-20)

Dr. Mackie introduced Dr. Summers and Mr. Banninga, who took the lead on drafting the Health Unit’s Public Health Modernization submission.

Dr. Summers provided context for this report and thanked the Board of Health and Health Unit staff for their contributions and feedback, which helped to inform the recommendations to be sent to the Province as part of MLHU’s Public Health Modernization submission. Dr. Summers also acknowledged Mr. Banninga for his efforts in putting this report together.

Mr. Parker noted one small grammatical error and was advised to follow up with Dr. Summers.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• The proposed size of regional jurisdictions, should the provincial government move forward with amalgamations following the consultations with public health units.
• How to frame the issue of jurisdictional direction in the Health Unit’s Public Health Modernization submission.
• Board members’ experiences at the consultation session, led by Jim Pine, in London.

It was moved by Dr. Clarke, seconded by Ms. DeViet, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 006-20 re: “Public Health Modernization – Board of Health Submission” for information;
2) Review and approve Appendix A: “Public Health Modernization – Recommendations of the Middlesex-London Health Unit”; and
3) Direct staff to forward the submission in the various formats available to the Ministry of Health.
Carried

Service-Seeking Client Experience Survey Results (Report No. 007-20)

Ms. Lokko introduced the report and provided context. She then introduced Ms. Brooke Clark and Ms. Michelle Sangster Bouck, who shared the results from Phase 1 of the client experience survey.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• The positive personal interactions reported to have occurred between staff and clients.
• Whether or not this survey required ethics clearance or approval.
• The different between research and program evaluation projects with regard to ethics requirements.
• Formalizing this process so that results can be published once the final phases of the survey are complete.

It was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Brennan, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 007-20 re: “Service-Seeking Client Experience Survey Results” for information. Carried

Initial Results of Modification of Eligibility Criteria for the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) Program (Report No. 008-20)

Ms. Resendes and Ms. Vandervoort introduced the report and provided context.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• Ensuring that modification of eligibility criteria has no negative impacts on clients, since this is looking at exclusionary versus inclusionary criteria.
• Clarification of the colour coding used on the screening tool.
• Who performs the screening and how is the client identified in the hospital.

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Reid, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 008-20 re: “Initial Results of Modification of Eligibility Criteria for the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) Program” for information;
2) Endorse continuing with the current modified eligibility criteria for the HBHC Program for six months to gather additional data and explore the suitability of further modification; and
3) Endorse communication with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services regarding the intent to modify eligibility criteria for the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program for six months.
Carried

Vector-Borne Disease Program: Summary Report (Report No. 009-20)

Mr. Stephen Turner introduced the report. Mr. Andrew Powell provided context and answered questions regarding the expanded Lyme disease risk area around Komoka.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• Actions that could be taken to reduce tick populations and provide a buffer between tick habitats and human activity.
• How the Health Unit can share this information most effectively with residents and County staff.
• What the identification of a risk area means in terms of raising awareness, both with residents and local healthcare providers.
• How the Health Unit will work with local healthcare providers to provide information relating to testing, case definitions, and educational opportunities, such as hosting another Lyme disease webinar for healthcare providers to help raise awareness of case definitions and about signs and symptoms in patients.

It was moved by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 009-20 re: “Vector-Borne Disease Program: Summary Report” for information. Carried

Laptop Purchases – Contract Award (Report No. 013-20)

Mr. Joe Belancic introduced the report and provided context. He reviewed the list of computer devices in need of replacement at MLHU.

It was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Brennan, that the Board of Health:
1) Receive Report No. 013-20 re: “Laptop Purchases – Contract Award” for information; and
2) Approve entering into a contractual agreement with Insight Canada for the purchase of laptop computers.
Carried

Critical Injury Investigation Results and Follow-Up (Report No. 010-20)

Ms. Cynthia Bos introduced the report and provided context. She presented an overview of the Health Unit’s investigation into a recent employee injury.

Dr. Mackie thanked Ms. Bos and the Occupational Health and Safety team and committee for their diligent work, which resulted in no issues being identified or orders issued following a recent visit by the Ministry of Labour.

It was moved by Mr. Peer, seconded by Mr. Brennan, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 010-20 re: “Critical Injury Investigation Results and Follow-Up” for information. Carried

Summary Information Report – February 2020 (Report No. 011-20)

Dr. Mackie provided context for the report.

It was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Parker, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 011-20 re: “Summary Information Report – February 2020” for information. Carried

Medical Officer of Health / Chief Executive Officer Activity Report for February (Report No. 012-20)

Dr. Mackie provided context for this report and drew members’ attentions to the report’s Appendix. Dr. Mackie advised that he participated in the launch of a ULab connected with the Presencing Institute of the Sloan School of Management at MIT, which is a group he was asked to join recently, to work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals in London, Ontario. Dr. Mackie pointed out that the sustainable development goals outlined in the Appendix may help to guide Board and Health Unit personnel as we consider the strategic planning framework, which we aim to begin looking at this spring.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• Sustainable development goals at the provincial and national levels, and progress reporting for 2030.
• That it would be great to share work on these sustainable development goals with Ottawa.

It was moved by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive Report No. 012-20 re: “Medical Officer of Health/Chief Executive Officer Activity Report for February” for information. Carried

Verbal Update – Coronavirus

Dr. Summers provided an update on 2019 novel coronavirus and observed that it is now referred to as COVID-19. He also noted the expanded list of countries affected by COVID-19 and the updated case definitions, all of which have been updated on the Health Unit’s website. Dr. Summers reviewed the local response at this time, noting that the risk to residents of London and Middlesex remains low and that the main burden of illness remains higher for seasonal influenza at this time. He reviewed the current number of cases at the national, provincial, and local levels, and noted that internally, the Health Unit’s Incident Management System remains activated to manage ongoing operational needs and to monitor COVID-19 in the community. The Health Unit is currently working on this issue with community, hospital, and healthcare providers.

Discussion ensued on the following items:
• The propagation of fake news and the importance of providing the public with authoritative, validated, consumable information on COVID-19.
• That the Health Unit is continuing to update its website and provide up-to-date information as it becomes available.
• Comparison of coronavirus to the common cold or influenza, and whether or not there is any value in making such comparisons.
• Characteristics and parameters for evaluating how infectious an infectious disease is.
• How the virulence of a disease can help to determine the scale of the response required—challenging to determine when a virus is new and its virulence unknown.

It was moved by Dr. Clarke, seconded by Mr. Reid, that the Board of Health receive the verbal update from Dr. Summers on coronavirus. Carried

Correspondence

It was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health receive items a) through p). Carried

Dr. Mackie provided context for item q), noting that the Health Unit is eager to bring this motion forward to the Board so that it may be brought to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) annual general meeting in June. He added that it is important that government understand the consequences that may result from dramatic changes to public health budgets and how this can affect the health of our communities.

Discussion ensued on the future of public health funding and systems, both federally and provincially.

It was moved by Dr. Clarke, seconded by Mr. Reid, that the Board of Health endorse item q) re: Sufficient Public Health Funding (resolution to be submitted to the Association of Local Public Health Agencies annual general meeting in June).
Carried

Other Business

Annual Confidentiality Attestation and Conflicts of Interest Declaration

Dr. Mackie introduced Ms. Nicole Gauthier, Manager, Privacy, Risk and Governance, and asked each Board member to sign the confidentiality attestation and conflicts of interest declaration with which they were provided this evening.

Confidential

At 8:18 p.m., it was moved by Ms. DeViet, seconded by Mr. Brennan, that the Board of Health move in-camera to consider matters regarding identifiable individuals, litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the Middlesex-London Health Unit, a trade secret or financial information, supplied in confidence to the local board, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization, and a trade secret or financial information that belongs to the municipality or local board and has monetary value, to approve the confidential minutes of the January 23, 2020 Board of Health meeting, and to receive the minutes of the February 6, 2020 Finance & Facilities Committee meeting.
Carried

At 9:18 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the Board of Health rise and return to public session. Carried

At 9:18 p.m., the Board of Health returned to public session.

Adjournment

At 9:19 p.m., it was moved by Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Peer, that the meeting be adjourned. Carried

MAUREEN CASSIDY
Chair

CHRISTOPHER MACKIE

Secretary-Treasurer