Sudbury health unit more than 'a poor cousin' in health care

Morning North7:44What does the public health unit do?

Sudbury's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, wants you to know what the health unit does for its 27 million dollar a year budget. She joined Markus in the studio.The Sudbury and District Health Unit says it does more than most people imagine on a fraction of the provincial health care budget.

Medical officer of health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe said the health unit met all of its mandated requirements in 2014, on a $27 million budget.

"We often think of ourselves as the poor cousin within the health system and public health is about three per cent of the provincial health care budget," she said.

"We're really pleased to see the ministry and the minister make announcements about the importance of public health, the importance of preventing disease and not just treating disease."

Sutcliffe made the comments after the health unit's 2014 annual report was released. She said their work helps to reduce costs to acute care by preventing illness in the first place.

The health unit fields questions about breastfeeding, hazards after a train derailment, beach closures, and more, she added.

"A lot of the work of public health is not within the health system per se, but really within the education, within transportation, within local municipalities, to really create environments that are as healthy as they can be."

Over the last year, the health unit worked with police on a drug strategy, inspected pools and restaurants for safety infractions, and informed the public about food recalls.