While details are not being made public at this time, discussions are moving forward regarding a possible merger of the Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton public health units.
The Board of Health for Chatham-Kent Public Health held a private, closed-session meeting on Thursday regarding the merger with Lambton Public Health.
Board of Health Chair and CK Councillor Brock McGregor said the board was presented with a feasibility report from a consulting group that worked with staff from both health units to determine the potential benefits of a voluntary merger.
The board has also provided direction to municipal administration regarding the merger, however, no details are being released at this time.
“We’re just going through the process and reviewing the information from the consultant. Then it’s down to a decision [between] the boards of both health units for next steps,” said McGregor.
The feasibility report will now be presented to The Board of Health for Lambton County during a meeting on February 21.
McGregor said a public update on the merger will likely be made sometime after that.
“I would anticipate that the announcement would have a decision or at least some type of announcement with direction,” he said.
The boards of health announced their intention to examine the possible voluntary merger and its impacts in mid-December 2023.
“[It’s] a thorough process and something to be taken seriously,” said McGregor. “Staff have certainly worked very hard on investigating that to this point.”
The discussions were prompted after the Ontario Ministry of Health announced it would provide one-time funding, resources, and support to local public health agencies that choose to merge voluntarily. To qualify for the funding, a merger would need to be implemented by January 1, 2025.
