The Brussels Post, 1979-01-24, Page 44 -- THE BRUSSELS POST, JANUARY :?4 x 1979
B SERIES CHAMPIONS—This Brussels team
won the B series Championship at the Seaforth
Atom tournament held as part of Seaforth's
Winter Carnival on Saturday. In the front row
from left are Jeff McGavin, Wayne Wheeler,
David Wheeler, Sean Kieffer, Paul Tolton and
Mascot Bobbie Jo Rutledge. In .the back row
from left are manager Jack Vader, Most
Valuable Player Marty Rutledge, Mike Vader,
Shawn Bremner, Robbie Zimmer, Dean
Wheeler and Coach Bill Kieffer.
You and your health
What does the health unit do?
by Huron County Health
Unit Staff
Huron County Health Unit
. . . what does it do . . how. .
why? Would you like to look
inside your Health Unit . . .
after all, you (and I) are
paying for it?
Public Health Agencies
(Units) are established under
the Public Health Act, Sta-
tutes of Ontario. Under the
Act there are two principle
bodies who are responsible
for "the public health".
These are the Provincial
Ministry of Health and the
local Board of Health.
The Provincial Ministry of
Health has various depart-
ments which deal with gener-
al medical services, hospital
services, community health
services, mental health ser-
vices, etc. That branch deal-
ing with community health
services acts as director of
the overall provincial public
health programmes, sets fi-
nancing goals, and acts as a
consultant to the local Health
Unit in case of difficulties.
For example, if 1 need advice
On how to deal with a difficult
or unusual situation, the&
are specialists in the fields of
infectious disease, child care,
school health services, and
many others, with whom I
can get and share opinion.
The local Board of Health
directs the Health Unit,
taking into consideration the
Ministry of Health's program
MCS and plans throughout
the province generally and
its own view of the needs in
the county, The Members of
the Board of Health are
drawn from the Huron Coun-
ty Council, with the except-
tion of one representative
appointed by the provincial
Ministry of Health. The
members from County Coun-
cil, and especially the war-
den, are familiar with many
other aspects of Huron Coun-
ty planning and services,
for example, Social
Services, Family and Child-
rdn's Services, and county
Planning and Development.
This gives some measure of
continuity and integration in
the overall development of
Huron county social and
health planning.County Coun-
cil has members sitting on
the hospital boards through-
out the county and this
further improves input into
health service development.
The se two bodies, the provin
cial Ministry of Health, and
the Huron County Board of
Health, largely shape the
direction of the Health Unit's
programmes and services.
Direction is given to them
through the Health Unit
staff, particularly the Direc-
tor of Nursing and Inspection
and the Medical Officer of
Health. The three of us direct
the services given by the
Health Unit and can assess
what services are adequate, ,
which need improvement,
and which are redundant.
The county physicians, coun-
ty hospitals, social service
agencies, volunteer groups,
separate and public schools,
and many other bodies, are
lit regular contact with us
and provide the Health Unit
staff with an idea- of the
services we should provide to
both those organizations and
the people of the county.
These service directions are
then brought, through the
Medical Officer of Health, to
the attention of the Board of
Health, and through them,
County Council, so that
improvements or changes
may be made in the services
given to Huron County,
This may at first seem like
an awkward system. I some-
times see myself as being an
WE CATER TO
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FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
k\
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Bill or Dee *,)
OLYMPIA ,ikil)
Restaurant
\'*iiir.„.._ Brussels
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887-6914
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arbitrator between the ser-
vice requirements and politi-
cal direction, but in this type
of a system there exists an
automatic set of cheques and
balances so that, hopefully,
few of the services given are
unnecessary or inappropriate
and those services that are
necessary can be identified.
What is commendable is that
the Ministry of Health and
the elected representatives
of Huron County have a
genuine interest in the well-
being of the people of the
county and have an opportu- opment of health services
nity to partake in the devel- here.
41Tow you see it..1
IT= you dal!
That's how fast a classified
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make money too!
Brussels Post
HnuaSi v'
887-6641