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2022 Health Check-Up!

HomeHealth and WellnessHealth Check-Up! Reports and Health Plans2022 Health Check-Up!
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Message from the Commissioner & Medical Officer of Health

Picture of Dr. Robert Kyle.

I am pleased to present the 2022 Durham Health Check Up! This year’s report summarizes our accomplishments and provides a snapshot of our COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery efforts which continued throughout 2022.

The year 2022 marked the third calendar year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and during this time, the Province of Ontario continued to follow the Roadmap to Reopen to guide a safe and gradual reopening of the province based on vaccination rates and improvement of key public health indicators. In 2022, Durham Region Health Department (DRHD) worked on restoring public health programs and services while balancing the need to respond to additional waves of COVID-19 and vaccinating additional eligible populations. Durham Region reported over 71,500 cases of COVID-19 and wastewater surveillance indicated that viral signals for SARS-CoV-2 continued to be high, demonstrating that COVID-19 continued to be prevalent in the community towards the end of 2022. The COVID-19 in Durham Region: Comparison of Waves report shows that we were experiencing waves 5, 6 and 7 of the pandemic throughout 2022. For Durham Region residents, 2022 represented a third year of hardships related to COVID-19, such as illness and death, mental health challenges, and economic burdens, among many others.

Despite these challenges, 2022 was also the year that mandates and restrictions were lifted, and services were restored across the Region. Provincially, all non-essential services were able to fully reopen in the beginning of March, followed by the removal of mask mandates in most places, including schools, by mid-March.

By the end of 2022, approximately 80 per cent of Durham’s population completed their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series and almost half of the population aged five and older received a booster shot. These achievements helped residents protect themselves and their communities and would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts by DRHD staff, Regional colleagues, the provincial government, and various community partners and organizations.

I am thankful to the teams at DRHD that continued to work tirelessly on pandemic response activities and those that worked to adapt and restore regular programs and services, in addition to those who split their time between both.

I recognize and applaud the resilience and determination that DRHD staff has displayed over the past three years. Through our collective efforts, we have demonstrated that #PublicHealthProtects.

Robert Kyle, BSc, MD, MHSc, CCFP, FRCPC, FACPM


Key Health Department Achievements

2022 COVID-19 response in numbers

DRHD engaged in various COVID-19 response activities to reduce the spread of disease and protect the health and safety of area residents. 

Between January 1 and December 31, 2022, a total of 464,563 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered.

COVID-19 response

Figure reading a chart.60,414 test results received and distributed for follow-up.





Inspections359 inspections related to COVID-19 by DRHD Provincial Offences Officers out of 6,563 total inspections.



Figure wearing a headset.12,732 COVID-19 phone and email interactions with residents and community partners.




Computer Inquiries 1,638 COVID-19 inquiries/complaints received by Durham Health Connection Line’s Health Protection staff from businesses or the public, out of 6,995 total inquiries/complaints.
Computer screen with meeting in progress.21,482 COVID-19 cases with follow up by public health nurses.

School books1,713 COVID-19 public health nurse interactions with schools.

Graph 72,807 clicks on the link to the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker from durham.ca/Covid-19.
Region of Durham Paramedic Services logo.63,692 clients screened for COVID-19 by paramedics.

Nasal swab.220 nasal swabs obtained by paramedic services in congregate living settings and from high risk clients (e.g., housebound, unsheltered).
  • As of December 31, 2022, over 1.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered across Durham Region since the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine campaign.
  • Approximately 80 per cent of Durham’s eligible population completed their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series.
  • Nearly half of the population aged five and older received a booster dose.

COVID-19 response activities and accomplishments

Case and contact management

Contact tracing icon.

Case and contact management reduces the burden of COVID-19 by identifying probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 and follows positive cases and their contacts to provide instructions, assessment, and contact tracing.

Case management involves but is not limited to investigation of disease exposure, monitoring, health education, and contact assessment.

Contact management activities include calling identified COVID-19 contacts, assessing exposure risks, providing health education and recommendations based on risks, and monitoring as appropriate.

Accomplishments:

  • Followed up with 28,409 positive COVID-19 cases and their contacts.
  • Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) completed 1,928 follow-ups with facilities.
Communications

Megaphone icon.Durham Region Health Department (DRHD) is responsible for communicating medical advice and guidance in a timely, accurate and accessible manner to help local partners and the public understand requirements and preventive actions they can take to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Public health communications occur through various venues and platforms including phone interactions, response to media requests, public appearances through local media outlets, participation in community events, participation on local planning tables, social media, and a comprehensive webpage on durham.ca.

Accomplishments:

  • Received 922,272 page views on DRHD’s suite of COVID-19 update web pages to provide timely and accurate information, including pages on: case status in Durham Region, COVID-19 vaccines, important updates and class orders, a case and contact information hub, a page with local testing information, frequently asked questions, resources and advice for healthcare professionals, businesses, community members, and more.
  • Managed 12,732 COVID-19 phone and email interactions with residents and community partners through the Durham Health Connection Line.
  • Updated DRHD’s #PublicHealthProtects infographic every three months, which reported DRHD’s COVID-19 response activities.
  • Published 22 Medical Officer of Health messages online.
  • Coordinated over 53 COVID-19 media inquiries.
Inspections and investigations

Clipboard and magnifying glass.
The Health Protection Division (HPD) is responsible for conducting inspections and investigations of local businesses and facilities to: ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, orders, and regulations; respond to outbreaks; address non-compliance; and respond to inquiries and complaints.

Accomplishments

  • Conducted 359 investigations related to COVID-19.
  • Managed 1,638 COVID-19 related inquiries and complaints from businesses and the public via the Durham Health Connection Line.
Outbreak management

Virus icon.Durham Region Health Department (DRHD) is responsible for coordinating outbreak management support to institutions, including childcare centres and schools experiencing outbreaks. Outbreak control supports include following Chief Medical Officer of Health directives, ensuring appropriate use of personal protective equipment, increasing environmental sanitation, cleaning, and disinfection, and emphasizing the importance of hand hygiene among residents and staff. DRHD staff members also maintain contact with institutions experiencing outbreaks to provide support.

Accomplishments:

Public health inspectors (PHIs):

  • Managed 404 outbreaks in long-term care homes, retirement homes, and hospitals.
  • Managed 162 outbreaks in congregate living settings, including group homes and shelters.
School-focused nurses

School icon.

School-focused nurses provide support to school boards and schools to facilitate public health and preventive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accomplishments:

Provided 1,655 school assessments and consultations with school staff regarding infection prevention practices.

Surveillance

Data graph icon.
The Health Analytics & Research Team (HART) is responsible for assessment and surveillance of COVID-19 from an epidemiological perspective. Surveillance responsibilities include developing and adapting existing data systems to document information; producing data quality reports and identifying gaps or issues; communicating and engaging with Public Health Ontario and the Ministry of Health regarding surveillance; and analyzing and reporting local COVID-19 data.

Accomplishments:

  • Streamlined, regularly maintained, and made 17 changes/enhancements to the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker which received 72,000 clicks.
  • Regularly updated the Weekly Snapshot which highlights key public health indicators for Durham Region related to COVID-19 vaccination, virus spread and severity by week including, weekly incidence rate of COVID-19 per 100,000, laboratory testing and percent positivity, outbreaks in institutions and congregate living settings, hospitalizations, and deaths.
  • Posted the infographic “The Emergence of Delta and Omicron Variants in Durham Region”.
  • Posted the infographic “2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Experience Survey Results”.
  • Published an article titled “Modeling COVID-19 Transmission using IDSIM, an Epidemiological-Modeling Desktop App with Multi-Level Immunization Capabilities” in collaboration with Ontario Tech University https://doi.org/10.14745/ccdr.v48i10a05.
Paramedic services 

RDPS logo.

Region of Durham Paramedic Services (RDPS) was responsible for collaborating with provincial and local partners to establish local testing sites and updating related policies and procedures as appropriate.

Accomplishments:

  • Collected 25 nasal swabs in congregate living settings and from high-risk clients and screened 2,015 clients for COVID-19.
  • Administered 39 doses of COVID-19 vaccines at long-term care homes, retirement homes, shelters, and other congregate living settings, including 24 mobile clinics.
  • Received and responded to 427 access and disclosure requests under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, which provides individuals the right to access their personal health information and provisions to release information to another individual.

Restoration and regular programs and services

In addition to continuing active COVID-19 response activities, DRHD transitioned from operating only high-priority regular programs and services to working towards restoring regular programs and services throughout 2022.

Health Analytics and Business Affairs

Administrative ServicesMouse icon.

Goal: To provide effective and efficient support to all DRHD divisions, programs and services that help to enhance the delivery of the Ontario Public Health Standards and to meet all requirements of internal and external customers.

Accomplishments:

  • Ensured timely hiring, onboarding, and training of Administrative Staff to support restoration and continuity of DRHD programming.
  • Supported DRHD as programs were restoring with changing capital and operating needs.
  • Filled and distributed 3,477 vaccine orders from the Regional Headquarters building.
  • Filled and distributed 190 vaccine orders from DRHD’s Health Protection Division to community health care providers. 
  • Received and processed 67,151 labs for follow-up. 

Community & Resource Development

Communications

Goal: To provide support to all DRHD divisions, programs, and services, helping to enhance compliance with the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

Oversaw 100 per cent of DRHD's media relations, social media accounts and advertising to promote Regional programs/services and increase awareness on issues of public health importance.

Privacy & Information SecurityLock icon.

Goal: To provide effective and efficient privacy and information security support to all DRHD divisions, programs and services that helps to enhance compliance with applicable privacy and public health related legislation, information security standards and information management best practices.

Accomplishments:

  • Received and responded to 14 access requests under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which provides individuals the right to request access to municipal government information and records containing their own personal information.
  • Received and responded to 110 access and disclosure requests under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.
  • Investigated and closed 16 privacy incidents.
  • Provided 66 DRHD staff members with access to a health information system that provides real-time access to digital health records from health care providers across Ontario.
  • Facilitated 97 per cent of DRHD staff completing privacy training and 95 per cent of DRHD staff completing cyber security training. 
Health Analytics & Research Team (HART)HART Blue

Population Health Assessment

Goal: Public health practice responds effectively to current and evolving conditions and contributes to the public’s health and well-being with programs and services that are informed by the population’s health status, including social determinants of health and health inequities.

Effective Public Health Practice

Goal: Public health practice is transparent, responsive to current and emerging evidence, and emphasizes continuous quality improvement.

Accomplishments:

  • Posted Health Neighbourhoods Release 4 (durham.ca/neighbourhoods).
  • Released two new interactive health surveillance dashboards: the Population Data Tracker and the Cancer Data Tracker, available online at durham.ca/population and durham.ca/cancerstats.
  • Provided an update on local cancer statistics and an overview of the new Cancer Data Tracker to the Durham Nuclear Health Committee.
  • Released 13 infographics for diseases of public health significance, available online at durham.ca/healthstats.
  • In collaboration with Population Health Division, HART launched a new client experience survey to gather feedback from the public about their experience with DRHD’s programs and services, available online at durham.ca/healthsurvey.

Building on the success of the COVID-19 Data Tracker

HART built on the success of the COVID-19 Data Tracker to create more dashboards in 2022, namely the Population Data Tracker and Cancer Data Tracker. The Population Data Tracker provides estimated population counts and selected demographic indicators by year from 1986 to 2021 for Durham Region and the eight municipalities. The Cancer Data Tracker provides cancer incidence and mortality data for Durham Region and Ontario by year, age group, sex, and type of cancer. Health Neighbourhoods also benefited from a move to a more interactive format with new online dashboards for indicator summaries and neighbourhood profiles that replaced 147 old PDFs. Regional GIS support created the dashboards and updated the Map Viewer platform, which now has the option to list points of interest by neighbourhood. Release 4 of Health Neighbourhoods provided 20 new indicators, 66 indicators with new time comparisons, and 33 sociodemographic indicators updated with 2016 Census data. The Durham Region Health Profile report provides an excellent reference listing of all 96 indicators and time periods with comparisons to Ontario where available. Users can even download health neighbourhoods data in tabular form using the Region’s Open Data site.

Health Policy & Equity TeamPolicy

Health Equity

Goal: To provide support across public health programs so that public health practice decreases health inequities such that everyone has equal opportunities for optimal health and can attain their full health potential without disadvantage due to social position or other socially determined circumstances.

Health Policy

Goal: To provide policy expertise, advice and support across public health programs to meet Regional and Provincial reporting requirements and develop policy initiatives.

Accomplishments:

  • Developed 18 Council Information Reports on behalf of the Commissioner & Medical Officer of Health for Durham Regional Council.
  • Developed three reports on behalf of the Commissioner & Medical Officer of Health for Council’s Health & Social Services Committee.
  • Conducted a comprehensive literature review on sociodemographic variables and ethical considerations to identify and monitor differences in health among Durham Region population groups. This literature review will inform data practices at the Region of Durham and enhance equity in DRHD data, information, and surveillance systems.
  • Continued to engage with partners on issues related to the social determinants of health by participating on five committees and working groups.
Health Protection

DHCL Icon.

Durham Health Connection Line (DHCL) - Health Protection

Goal: To ensure Durham Region residents have access to health information and counselling and referral to appropriate resources on health issues as outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

Received and responded to 7,212 public inquiries through DHCL in the Health Protection Division.

KI Pills.
Emergency Management

Goal: To enable consistent and effective management of emergency situations.

Accomplishments:

  • Developed and maintained a network of community partners to improve effectiveness of a coordinated inter-agency response to public health emergencies.
  • Developed and launched three potassium iodide (KI) tablet campaigns to promote awareness of the availability of KI to all residents and businesses within 50 kilometres of Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations through preparetobesafe.ca.  
Food Safety.
Food Safety

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of food-borne illness and support the enforcement of the Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015.

Accomplishments:

  • Completed 3,773 food safety compliance inspections, re-inspections, and complaint investigations of food premises in accordance with the Ontario Public Health Standards and the Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015.
  • Investigated 137 suspect food-borne illness complaints.
  • Issued 30 Section 13 Orders under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and 27 legal charges under the Ontario Regulation 493/17 to food premises.
  • Increased public awareness of home-based food premises by executing a media campaign at the end of 2022 that consisted of social media messaging and newspaper and radio advertisements, encouraging the public to check www.durham.ca/dinesafe  prior to ordering from a home-based food premises.
  • Amalgamated the special event and farmers’ market application into one fillable document, streamlining both the information and process for operators. Additionally, created a farmers’ market FAQ resource for market operators.
Health Environments.
Healthy Environments

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of illness from health hazards in the physical environment.

Accomplishments:

  • Attended consultation meetings and participated in climate risk assessment and adaptation planning stakeholder sessions for the Town of Ajax and City of Pickering to address local impacts of climate change and reduce exposure to environmental health hazards.
  • Hosted the Durham Climate and Health Scenario Planning Workshop on June 22 in collaboration with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority and Great Lakes Integrated Sciences + Assessments and developed a white paper titled Applying Climate Information to Build Resilience: Translating Technical Results into Practical Tools for Community Decision Makers.
  • Hosted a virtual Cold Warning and Information System information and engagement session with community partners in November to provide an overview of the program, inform partners of the harms associated with extreme cold, and discuss challenges faced by agencies and the clients they serve.
  • Issued 19 cold warnings to help prevent cold-related illness during periods of cold weather.  Cold warnings are issued daily when threshold criteria are met.
  • Issued five heat warnings and one extended heat warning to help prevent heat-related illness during heat waves. Heat warnings are two-day heat events and extended heat warnings are three-plus days when threshold criteria are met.
  • Completed 245 compliance inspections of international agricultural worker (IAW) housing accommodations in accordance with the Health Hazard Protocol and Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services housing guidelines.
  • Investigated and followed up on 221 health hazard related complaints.
  • Hosted a virtual information session for IAW employers in February to inform them of COVID-19 related housing/outbreak requirements.
Safe Water.
Ontario Building Code - Part 8 (Sewage Systems)

Goal: To prevent diseases in humans and contamination of the physical environment due to on-site private sewage systems.

Accomplishments:

  • Completed 605 private sewage system inspections to reduce incidents of human disease and environmental contamination in accordance with Part 8 of the Building Code.
  • Responded to 19 complaints, issued 267 building permits and five Orders, and approved 67additions, in accordance with Part 8 of the Building Code.
  • Reviewed and commented on 81 planning applications, 37 land severance applications, 13 minor variance applications, eight official plan amendments, seven subdivision approvals and 16 zoning by-law amendments.
  • Attended and/or provided written comments for 67 planning pre-consultation meetings.
  • Completed 217 septic record searches.

Safe WaterHand holding a water drop.

Goal: To prevent or reduce the burden of water-borne illness related to drinking water and to prevent or reduce the burden of water-borne illness and injury related to recreational water use.

Accomplishments:

  • Responded to 105 reports of adverse water quality incidents and issued five Boil-Water Advisories/Orders and eight Drinking Water Advisories to mitigate risks of water-borne illnesses.
  • Conducted 299 inspections of all year-round and seasonal recreational water facilities (e.g., pools, spas, and wading pools) in accordance with the Ontario Public Health Standards to reduce the risk of water-related illness and injury.
  • Completed 74 Small Drinking Water Systems inspections; issued 20 warning notices; registered three convictions (resulting in compliance); and issued five offence notices to protect the public from exposure to unsafe drinking water.
  • Monitored14 beaches in Durham Region weekly from June to August.
Healthy Families
DHCL Icon.

Durham Health Connection Line (DHCL) – Population Health

Goal: To ensure Durham Region residents have access to health information and counselling and referral to appropriate resources on health issues as outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards.

Accomplishments:

Responded to inquiries from the community through 6,827 telephone contacts.

Infant Icon.

Child & Youth, Prenatal & Newborn, and Healthy Babies Healthy Children

Goal: To achieve optimal preconception, pregnancy, newborn, child, youth, parental and family health.

Accomplishments:

  • Provided 933 virtual and in-home breastfeeding visits and 776 breastfeeding clinic consultations.
  • Facilitated six Food 4 Thought nutrition sessions to at-risk young expectant mothers on topics to increase the number of babies born at a healthy weight, improve the health of both infant and mother and promote and support breastfeeding.
  • Facilitated 11 health education sessions for parents to support growth and development milestones including emotional maturity and social competence related to school readiness.
  • Provided four Supporting Mother and Infant Learning Experience prenatal classes for young expectant mothers on topics including pregnancy, labour and delivery, and early parenthood.
  • Screened 3,743 prenatal, postpartum, and early childhood families using the Healthy Babies Healthy Children tool to identify any risks to children.
  • Supported 562 at-risk families through home visiting services, which resulted in most participants (i.e., 93 per cent) reporting that they were able to either partially or fully achieve their family service plan goals.

The breastfeeding clinic re-opened and in-person breastfeeding support was expanded

Exclusive breastfeeding for six months is widely recommended and has many benefits for the infant and mother. When breastfeeding support is offered, the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding is increased. In February 2022, the Whitby Mall breastfeeding clinic re-opened to in-person visits. After supporting clients virtually over the pandemic, the return of in-person visits were embraced by clients and staff.

As 2022 progressed, public health nurses expanded breastfeeding support throughout the community to include a collaboration with Lakeridge Health Oshawa in the Babies Clinic, the return of in-home visits throughout Durham Region, and the reopening of the Lakeridge Health Port Perry Hospital breastfeeding clinic to service residents of North Durham. Supporting clients along their breastfeeding journey to reach their feeding goals is a very rewarding experience. Similarly, client appreciation is often shared with the breastfeeding team, as demonstrated from a client email received in Fall 2022:

"I just want to say another thank-you to the nurses at the Whitby mall location - I'm on day 6 of exclusive breastfeeding. It has not been easy - a baby with jaundice who had to be exclusively bottle fed for the first month and after so many attempts to breastfeed I was ready to give up...but the nurses helped me from the very beginning - building and maintaining my supply, help with positioning and latching, and weigh ins to help build my confidence.  I met my goal of exclusive breastfeeding which I honestly had given up on. Many thanks and well wishes for 2023."

Infant & Child Development.
Infant & Child Development

Goal: To enhance the growth and development of children, including those with a developmental disability and/or risk of developmental delay by partnering with families to provide support, information, and early intervention services.

Accomplishments:

  • Provided 3,446 in person, virtual or telephone consultations to 617 children from birth to school entry with a developmental disability or at risk for developmental delay.
  • Developed 61 transition plans for children with a developmental disability or delay transitioning into kindergarten. 
  • Supported the transition of 32 children with a developmental disability or delay entering licensed early learning and childcare programs through consultation. 
  • Completed 56 Sensory Functional Assessments for children with autism enrolled in the Play Project program.
Healthy Living

Prevention of Injury and Substance MisusePill icon.

Goal: To reduce the burden of preventable injuries and substance use.

Accomplishments:

  • Worked with 23 community agencies/stakeholders to re-orient harm reduction services to improve client access and address identified service gaps by leveraging and coordinating current services.
  • Distributed 3,214 naloxone kits and completed 621 refills to eligible organizations to reduce accidental opioid-related deaths. 

Development of an updated Opioid Response Plan with community partners

In 2018, DRHD staff worked with community partners to develop a local Opioid Response Plan for Durham Region. An Opioid Task Force was created to act as stewards of the plan and support advancement of the work outlined. To build upon the work accomplished within the first plan, Durham Region Opioid Task Force members created an updated Opioid Response Plan, which was finalized in February 2022. The updated plan aligns with Health Canada’s Canadian Drug and Substance Strategy. A complex issue like opioid overdoses requires a comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based approach. The Canadian Drug and Substance Strategy is a four-pillar framework that helps to ensure a comprehensive approach to the issue and ensures work is supported by a strong evidence base. The pillars include prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.


Key highlights of work accomplished in 2022:

  • Supported ongoing coordination and co-planning to leverage existing services to help address gaps, at the local level.
  • Conducted service mapping to identify gaps in services related to police calls for public disruption and non-criminal offences.
  • Developed and launched the Report Drugs tool, to offer more options for reporting and monitoring suspected opioid overdoses. This new tool allows members of the public and service providers to anonymously report a bad or unexpected reaction to street drugs. The information provided will further help DRHD understand, analyze, and respond to opioid toxicity.
  • Implemented awareness activities to increase understanding of how stigma creates barriers and prevents people who use drugs, and their families, from getting help. 
  • Completed weekly updates to the Durham Region Opioid Information System to provide the public and service providers with current statistics on paramedic service calls, emergency department visits and deaths related to suspected opioid overdoses.

School Health

School Health Icon.

Goal: To achieve optimal health of children and youth in schools through partnership and collaboration with school boards and schools.

Accomplishments:

Provided 412 school consultations from September to December, including 381 mental health consultations.

Oral HealthTooth icon.

Goal: To enable all children in Durham Region to attain and sustain optimal oral health and development potential, and to support children and youth enrolled in Healthy Smiles Ontario (HSO), seniors enrolled in the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP), and residents in Durham Region’s Long-Term Care Homes (LTCHs) who require assistance in accessing oral health information and dental care services.

Accomplishments:

  • Moved operations to the new clinic location at 200 John St. West in July 2022. The clinic has seven dental treatment rooms and is located in a high priority neighbourhood in south Oshawa.
  • Added denture care services to existing services.
  • Provided 14,925 oral health screenings of children and youth, including 14,333 screenings at schools, 161 screenings at community vaccination clinics and 410 screenings in the fixed dental clinic and 21 screenings to children in various community settings.
  • Identified 1,277 children as requiring urgent dental care and 1,025 children with non-urgent dental needs.
  • Provided services to 775 HSO clients and 74 Ontario Works program (OWP) clients at the DRHD Dental Clinic.
  • Provided services to 1,460 OSDCP clients through 4,869 appointments by DRHD clinical dentists and dental hygienists.
  • Provided an oral health assessment for 671 residents in Durham Region’s LTCHs.
  • Provided oral health education to 872 students at nine high-risk schools.
  • Provided oral health promotion to 7,355 children and families at 92 events.
  • Utilized social media to promote and share oral health information and program updates via 203 posts, resulting in: 65,659 impressions through Twitter; 121,106 impressions through Facebook; and 65,460 impressions through Instagram (impressions are the number of times a user was served a post or photo).
  • Provided oral health education and assessments to 80 recipients of OWP in collaboration with Social Services.
  • Provided navigation support to 221 clients to access dental care via application to HSO.
  • Processed 3,969 dental benefits claims amounting to $978,544 in fees paid.
  • Conducted two public health education sessions/lectures to 94 Durham College (DC) Dental Assistant students and 40 DC Dental Hygiene students.
  • Provided one day student placement to 40 DC Dental Hygiene students.
Smoke-Free.

Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017

Goal: To ensure that tobacco, e-cigarette vendors, and other organizations that are subject to the Smoke Free Ontario Act, 2017 (SFOA) comply with the Act and to restrict youth access to tobacco products and e-cigarettes.

Accomplishments:

  • Conducted 610 display and promotion inspections and reinspections of all known tobacco retailers.
  • Conducted 599 display and promotion inspections and reinspections of all known vapour product retailers.
  • Completed 360 vapour youth access inspections, which resulted in 43 sales to minors and 55 charges issued to owners/clerks. Non-compliance rate for vapour sales to minors has more than doubled since 2019. Approximately 11 per cent of vendors are non-compliant with respect to sales to minors.
  • Completed 353 tobacco youth access inspections which resulted in 17 sales to minors and 30 charges issued to owners/clerks.
  • Issued 131 charges and 162 warnings under the Act for various violations.
  • Received 128 complaints for students smoking/vaping on school property. 

The number of Speciality Vape Stores and Tobacconist Stores is on the rise in Durham Region

Specialty Vape Store (SVS)/Tobacconist Store applications have increased from 2019 from 13 stores to 58 stores in 2022. The numbers continue to rise in 2023; Durham Region has approximately 65 SVS stores and three Tobacconist stores. During the pandemic, we saw an influx of convenience stores wanting to open a SVS within their current store location. This resulted in 28 smaller kiosk SVS stores operating in this manner.

Infectious Diseases
Vaccine Icon.
Immunization

Goal: To reduce or eliminate the burden of vaccine preventable diseases through immunization.

Accomplishments:

  • Assessed and sent 3,777 immunization notices to children with incomplete immunization records enrolled in licensed child care settings in Durham Region to support the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
  • Assessed and sent 37,953 immunization notices to school-aged children with incomplete immunization records enrolled in Durham Region schools to support the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
  • Held immunization clinics at 192 schools for all grade seven and eight students, with 9,500 students initiating their hepatitis B immunization series; 10,579 students initiating their HPV immunization series and 10,312 students receiving the meningococcal vaccine.
  • Held 79 community clinics from April 2022 to August 2022 with 4,230 students initiating their hepatitis B immunization series; 5,344 students initiating their HPV immunization series, 3,361 students receiving the meningococcal vaccine, and 730 students receiving their tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis booster. 
COVID Response.Infectious Diseases Prevention & Control - Health Protection

Goal: To reduce the burden of communicable diseases and other infectious diseases of public health importance.

Accomplishments:

  • Created and distributed weekly outbreak summaries for long-term care homes, retirement homes and acute care facilities, and created ten FAX Abouts for community partners to communicate new and relevant information about diseases of public health significance and emerging trends.
  • Conducted 1,324 infectious disease investigations (confirmed diseases include: influenza, salmonellosis, campylobacter, Lyme disease, giardiasis, legionellosis, cyclosporiasis, cryptosporidiosis, shigellosis, typhoid fever, verotoxin-producing E. coli including hemolytic uremic syndrome, West Nile virus illness, yersiniosis, amebiasis, blastomycosis, brucellosis, carbapenamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, Creutzfeldt-jakob disease, and listeriosis).
  • Investigated 404 gastrointestinal and respiratory outbreaks in institutions and hospitals.
  • Conducted 370 infection prevention and control inspections at licensed childcare centres, one funeral home, and three homes for special care.
  • Ensured 24/7 availability to receive and respond to potential disease exposures of public health significance in accordance with the Health Protection and Promotion Act and Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS).
  • Investigated 1,348 animal bite cases with potential rabies exposures and 99.9 per cent of investigations were initiated within 24-hours of notification.
  • Zero of the 53 animals submitted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lab in Ottawa tested positive for rabies and 156 individuals received rabies post-exposure prophylaxes.
  • Held one low-cost rabies vaccination clinic and vaccinated 118 animals.
Infection Disease.

Infectious Diseases Prevention & Control - Population Health

Goal: To reduce the burden of communicable diseases and other infectious diseases of public health importance.

Accomplishments:

  • Managed 553 sporadic infectious disease suspect and confirmed cases and contacts in accordance with the OPHS.
  • Managed 2,748 suspect and confirmed sexually transmitted cases and contacts in accordance with the OPHS.
  • Managed 41 tuberculosis investigations in accordance with relevant protocols and guidelines.
  • Provided 7,918 sexual health clinic appointments.
  • Treated 442 sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI).
Paramedic Services
Paramedic Services.Goal: To deliver a quality Paramedic Services system that is responsive to client needs and to reduce mortality and morbidity related to illness and injury through the provision of pre-hospital advanced life support procedures. Primary program delivery is through Region of Durham Paramedic Services (RDPS) with assistance from the Central Ambulance Communications Centre and local fire department tiered response programs.

Accomplishments:

  • Responded to 147,671 calls for emergency paramedic services. COVID-19 screenings were completed for 64,359 patients, of which 9,871 tested positive.
  • Provided 251,660 staffing hours of ambulance emergency response.
  • Transported 60,245 patients to the hospital.
  • Monitored response time performance and adjusted deployment plans and resource utilization as necessary, meeting three out of six performance targets, due to challenges experienced with staffing, and extra time required to don personal protective equipment.
  • As a part of the Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP), had 263 clinical interactions and supported 2,952 clients with referrals to housing, counselling, and other services. The PCOP team provides specialized primary care to vulnerable populations in Oshawa (e.g., those experiencing homelessness, addiction, or mental illness).
  • Clinically, PCOP expanded with anti-psychotic injections, med assist, med prompt and additional IV/IM antibiotics for wound care. RDPS also expanded the team as of May 7 to two trucks consisting of one paramedic and one social worker seven days a week, providing service from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
Quality Assurance & Improvement
Quality Policy.

Goal: To ensure that programs and services meet requirements as articulated in policies, standards and legislation and to continuously improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided to Durham Region clients.

Accomplishments:

Verified publicly disclosed inspection summary signs and geolocation on the Hedgehog 5 disclosure portal with 600 disclosure checks.

2022 Financial Information

Pie chart showing Health Department expenditures by program.2022 Expenditures

  • Healthy Living ($16,162,784)
  • Healthy Families ($9,629,419)
  • Infectious Diseases ($26,970,743)
  • Health Protection ($7,802,362)
  • Health Analytics & Administration ($10,313,844)
  • Paramedic Services ($58,282,972)

Total $129,162,124

$29,670,865 (23%) of total expenditures were spent on COVID-19 response.

Pie chart showing Health Department revenues by source.

2022 Revenues

  • Region of Durham ($54,551,345)
  • Province of Ontario ($73,498,623)
  • User/Other Program Fees ($1,112,155)

Total $129,162,124

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