Health unit hosts open house

The Northwestern Health Unit held an open house yesterday to showcase its newly-renovated space, as well as to inform the public about what the health unit does in the community.
“We revamped the whole building,” health unit board chair John Albanese said at the event. “We’ve come a long way.”
The Scott Street office was expanded into the former Aroma Pizza location, and the cubicle format was changed into individual offices for more privacy.
The renovations were completed in January.
Beyond showing the new offices, the purpose of the open house was to increase awareness about the health unit’s programs.
“I would like this place to be as well-known as the hospital,” said Dr. Pete Sarsfield, the health unit’s medical officer of health, who also attended the event.
Of every health care dollar in Ontario, $.97 goes to treatment while only $.03 goes to prevention.
“Prevention isn’t that sexy,” conceded Dr. Sarsfield, adding he’d like to see more money spent on prevention.
“Prevention and promotion: that’s really the heart of what this place does,” he said of the health unit.
The Northwestern Health Unit offers some services that are not typically offered in others in Ontario, Sarsfield added, such as access to audiologists and speech pathologists.
The local health unit also offers programs in oral health, chronic disease prevention, immunization, sexual health, and environmental public health, among others.
“We can be used as a first step on general information related to health,” explained Tanis Fretter, program manager for chronic disease, injury, and substance abuse prevention.
“You can call us, and if it’s not a service we can provide directly, we can make appropriate referrals,” she added.
The health promotion team works with committees and coalitions in the community, and can help teachers with health-based curriculum.
As well, people with concerns about specific health issues in the region can bring them to the attention of the health unit.
“We can work with the community on these sorts of issues, and try to identify other partners,” Fretter noted.
“There’s so many programs, and each of them offers so many different services.”
Fretter encouraged anyone with questions about the health unit to check out its website, call the office, or simply drop by.
The open house, which ran from 1:30-3:30 p.m., began with a dance by Ojibwe students in Grades 1-3 at St. Michael’s School here.