The Board of Health of the Grey Bruce Health Unit (GBHU) has adopted its 2022 budget of $19.4 million.
The GBHU says this financially responsible budget will ensure the effective and efficient delivery of regular public health programs and services, while also including allocations for continuous Covid-related expenses.
The budget also includes about $3.4 million in one-time provincial funding for costs related to Covid case and contact management, the Covid vaccine program and recovery and resumption of services and programs.
The 2022 budget does not need an increase in funding from Grey and Bruce counties, and makes it the fourth straight year that county costs have remained unchanged.
The combined county allocation is $2.86 million, with Grey putting in $1.67 million, and Bruce contributing $1.19 million, which is based on population share.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra says, “management has done a fantastic job of building a budget that is both conservative and flexible in a year of uncertainty due to Covid.”
The GBHU’s pandemic response required only $1.9 million in additional provincial funding to provide first, second and booster doses of the Covid vaccines to all residents who wanted them in 2021.
Case, contact and outbreak management needed $1.7 million in provincial funding.
The GBHU says both these responses needed an additional expense that was 23 per cent less than anticipated.
Arra says the health unit increased its productivity multiple fold during the pandemic with only a minimal increase in its budget.
“Besides the excellent financial and operational management, one of the strategies has been mobilizing the community and partners to engage in the emergency response, which is a best practice in public health,” says Arra.
Board of Health chair Sue Paterson adds, “we are grateful for the support of community partners, municipalities and volunteers who assisted with our mass immunization program. Municipalities donated space for our Hockey Hub clinics, volunteers provided a helping hand at the clinics and community partners were generous with their support.”