News

SIMCOE, ON, July 23, 2007 – The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit distributed or dispensed 37,970 doses of influenza vaccine in 2006, screened 6,012 children for dental health and held 2,067 sexual health counselling sessions.

These are just a few of the vital statistics that appear in the recently released 2006 Annual Report of Norfolk County’s Health and Social Services Department, which serves both Norfolk and Haldimand counties. Other data revealing the breadth and depth of the Health Unit’s activities in the two counties include:

• 7,165 students participated in the Student Nutrition Program in schools.
• 4,091 mothers, babies and siblings attended 153 well baby breastfeeding clinics.
• 478 car seats were checked for safe installation.
• 310 reportable diseases were investigated.
• 807 mothers received postpartum telephone contact.
• 1,914 water samples were taken at beaches.
• 270 animal bites were investigated.
• 8,472 Smoke-Free Ontario signs were distributed.
• 588 seasonal farm bunkhouses were inspected and approved.
• 1,147 students participated in TV-Turnoff.

“The annual report gives a good overview of just how many thousands of people in the two counties are touched by the numerous programs of the Health Unit,” commented Health Unit Communications Coordinator Robert Roth.

The Health and Social Services Annual Report also contains separate sections for both the Ontario Works and Social Housing divisions, as well as a free-standing annual report for Norview Lodge for those in Norfolk County.

“There is a wealth of material in these reports about all of the health and social services provided to local residents in both counties throughout 2006,” Roth said.

For example, Ontario Works served 10,568 individuals through the National Child Benefit Reinvestment Strategy, received 306 calls on fraud lines and put 1,800 participants through the Life Skills Workshop. Social Housing had 658 rent-geared-to-income units in place by the end of 2006 and assisted 856 individuals through the Rent/Utility Bank.

Norview Lodge had a 98.93 occupancy rate for its long-stay program and had 24 residents over the age of 95. The facility added several new amenities for residents in 2006, including large-screen televisions, indoor and outdoor furnishings, and two gazebos for the courtyards.

The annual report also sports a new look compared to earlier reports.

“The annual report committee wanted a more open concept with a more generous use of colourful graphics to make the information more readable and attractive for the public,” Roth explained.

People may view the Health and Social Services Annual Report by connecting to the Health Unit website, www.hnhu.org and clicking “reports” in the side menu. The Norview Lodge Annual Report can be accessed by typing “Norfolk County Norview Lodge” into your computer’s search engine.

Media contact, Robert Roth, Communications Coordinator, Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, 519-426-6170, Ext. 3259 or 905-518-6623.