Tag: Health

Unusual Request for Citizen support

John Draper

Usually, when people are asked to support a project it means they are being asked for money – but not this time.  Five Counties Children’s Centre (FCCC) has a property in Cobourg at 800 Division Street that has a large “backyard” which would be great if kids in their program could use it but they cannot.  They say that: “There are safety and accessibility issues from a nearby drainage ditch [South boundary] and traffic from an adjacent driveway and parking lot. The vision is to put up fencing and install an accessible playground, sensory play equipment, accessible garden area, gazebo, storage space and eventually a track.”  But all that will cost $255K.  They have so far raised 40% of that… Read complete articleUnusual Request for Citizen support

Covid-19 Outbreak at Hospital

John Draper

Today Northumberland Hills Hospital said that “The number of admitted patients at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) continues to rise as case counts increase in the region.”  Susan Walsh, President and CEO of NHH said: “Sadly, COVID-19 has not gone away.”  The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU) keeps track of outbreaks in high risk settings and one of the 11 Outbreaks in the region is NHH. Three of the Outbreaks are in Cobourg – see list below.  According to HKPR, the count of cases in Cobourg is 8 but the Hospital says that “We currently have eleven admitted patients confirmed positive for COVID-19. Some are here because of COVID-19, some came to hospital for other reasons but were found… Read complete articleCovid-19 Outbreak at Hospital

Monkey Pox in Northumberland

John Draper

Although the risk is low, it’s a bit scary after our experience with Covid-19. On Wednesday, July 27, the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR District Health Unit) reported the first lab-confirmed case of the Monkeypox virus in the region. It involves a resident from Northumberland County (no indication whether it’s in Cobourg). The person with the virus is “currently recovering and in isolation”. Also, “the HKPR District Health Unit has also completed follow-up with this individual and has contacted anyone else who may have had close contact with this case, including those who may require vaccination against the virus.” Dr. Natalie Bocking, Medical Officer of Health said that “we are notifying and following up with all close… Read complete articleMonkey Pox in Northumberland

Covid-19 Update – July 2022

John Draper

Life seems almost back to normal but it’s not quite – Covid is still with us.  At a media briefing today, Dr. Natalie Bocking of the HKPR Health Unit provided an update.  We are now in a seventh wave or a third Omicron wave – caused by the BA-5 variant.  As usually the case with new variants, it’s more infectious and more easily transmissible but does not cause worse symptoms.  Cases in our area are not (yet) at previous levels but we need to be cautious – especially if susceptible such as older or with an immune condition.  Dr. Bocking recommends vaccination protection, staying home if sick (at all), avoiding large indoor gatherings and use rapid testing to check.  However,… Read complete articleCovid-19 Update – July 2022

Campaign to reduce animal bites

John Draper

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is concerned about the number of animal bite/scratch incidents in their region. In each of the last three years, the HKPR DHU has investigated more than 600 animal bite/scratch incidents and this is “worrying given the rabies-exposure risk, the trauma suffered by the victim, and the fact that most of these bites involve pets or domestic animals.”  The idea of the campaign is to ask dog owners (and other pet owners) to use “a yellow ribbon (or bandana, bow or similar marker) tied on a dog’s leash or collar to remind people to give the animal space.”  So if you see a pet with a yellow ribbon – give it space!  It… Read complete articleCampaign to reduce animal bites

Covid-19 Update – January 2022

John Draper

Although Ontario is scheduled to lift some restrictions at the end of the month, by no means are we out of the woods.  The good news is that we are past the peak that occurred around the end of December; the bad news is that cases have plateaued at a high rate – for Northumberland that’s around an average of 30 new cases per day (see graph below).  Worse, that’s an underestimate – the real number is higher.  That’s because it only measures the results of PCR testing.  Many Omicron cases do not get recorded in official figures.  Because of this, the HKPR DHU Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bocking, says that we should watch other indicators like ICU admissions,… Read complete articleCovid-19 Update – January 2022

County Agrees to Hospital Tax

John Draper

Part of the County’s tax revenue for 2022 will go to County Hospitals – Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) and Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH).  As reported earlier (see Links below), the two Hospitals’ fund-raising Foundations originally asked for $1M per year for 10 years and after pushback, lowered that to 1% of the County Levy.  As well as regular Council Meetings, the County held two special meetings to consider the request with the latest one being at 9:30 am this morning (Thursday November 4). Each Councillor made their position known and their reasoning and it was soon clear that although a majority favoured some kind of support, it was not to the level requested.  In the end a recorded vote was… Read complete articleCounty Agrees to Hospital Tax

County Council Considering Large Grants to Hospitals

John Draper

On June 7, 2021 the two County Hospitals – Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) and Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) – asked County Council to grant them $1M annually for 10 years.  It would be divided 75% to NHH and 25% to CMH.  A special meeting was convened on September 29 to discuss the request but County Council asked for more information.  The next step was that the Hospitals made a revised proposal on October 7 which changed the request to 1% of the County levy annually over an 8 year period.  This is estimated to be a minimum of $5.9M.  The money would be used for capital equipment and not for operations or interest.  There is no mandate from the Province… Read complete articleCounty Council Considering Large Grants to Hospitals