School Health Program
Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, public health nurses (PHNs) in the School Health Program served as liaisons between local school boards, community partners, and other SMDHU programs. They supported public health programming and mental health promotion. PHNs conducted school outreach visits, leading initiatives like Healthy Schools Certification. Nutrition staff provided consultation to promote healthy school food policies, environments, and Student Nutrition Programs, while also facilitating training for the You’re the Chef program. Collaboration with other SMDHU programs and community partners ensured a comprehensive approach to health and well-being.
Substance Use and Injury Prevention Program
As a core site for the Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program, SMDHU and its community partners distributed:
• 959,027 needles/syringes
• 32,984 bowl pipes
• 61,710 stem pipes
Additionally, SMDHU distributed:
• 4,147 biohazard containers and installed eight wall-mounted biohazard units through new disposal contracts
• 4,333 nasal naloxone kits and 610 injectable naloxone kits
SMDHU sent 11 community-based drug alerts to partners working with people who use drugs. The program also leads the community partnership advisory committee of the Simcoe Muskoka Drug Strategy and participates in local drug strategy committees and Community Safety and Wellbeing tables.
Healthy Growth and Development Program
In 2023, the Healthy Growth and Development Program focused on offering in-person and online breastfeeding support groups, along with clinical breastfeeding support in partnership with a local well-baby clinic. Free prenatal classes were provided online, virtually, and in-person. The program offered infant nutrition sessions and capacity-building support to clients and community partners, including CAPC, CPNP, and EarlyON programs. Car seat vouchers were issued in collaboration with Honda Canada and Canadian Tire to families in need, and the program responded to service requests from community partners for local events.
Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) Program
From 2020 to April 2022, staff from the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) Program were redeployed to the COVID-19 response, leading to a lengthy waitlist and reduced services. In 2022/23, the program prioritized reducing the waitlist, resuming home visits, and recruiting and training new staff. Efforts were made to re-engage key partners, such as local hospitals and midwives, to restore HBHC screening and referral rates to pre-pandemic levels. HBHC continues to support families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chronic Disease Prevention Program
In 2023, the Chronic Disease Prevention (CDP) Program used a comprehensive health promotion approach to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. The CDP Program worked with municipalities and community partners to support healthy public policies and programs that reduce poverty and household food insecurity. The program led the Simcoe Muskoka On The Move Steering Committee, addressing barriers and promoting active school travel. CDP also provided feedback on municipal land use plans to enhance healthy community design related to the built environment.