Health Unit ends two programs: Outside organizations to take over services

By Kaitlyn Clark

The Haldimand Press

HALDIMAND—This fall the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) will no longer provide the Preschool Speech and Language program or Infant Hearing screens.

The speech program will end October 1, 2019 and service will then be provided by Lansdowne Children’s Centre.

The hearing screens are currently done through a service agreement with Affiliated Services for Children and Youth (ASCY); this agreement will end September 30 and the HNHU will not be renewing it, leaving ASCY to provide the service on its own.

“Unfortunately, this change impacts seven employees, who have been notified of their rights under the Collective Agreement,” said Matt Terry, Director of Corporate Communications for Norfolk County, which runs the HNHU.

“We’re working with the bargaining unit and those impacted to facilitate as smooth of a transition as possible with what is undoubtedly a difficult time for the employees,” he continued.

Terry added, “They’re in a lay-off position, but they have rights under the Collective Agreement. For instance, some may choose to exercise bumping rights within the organization.”

The bumping rights allow an employee in this situation to take a job that is equal or lesser to their current position from another employee with less seniority.

While Lansdowne Children’s Centre is out of Brantford and ASCY out of Hamilton, both groups have committed to continuing service directly in Haldimand and Norfolk.

“Lansdowne already provides Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy services in Haldimand and Norfolk service sites and client homes, so the impact is that we will be providing more service in both counties,” said Rita-Marie Hadley, Executive Director at Lansdowne. “We will serve HN families by expanding on current sites in local communities.”

Currently, there are 197 children in the speech program at Lansdowne and 129 children waiting for assessment to join the program. According to the HNHU, 306 children were referred to their program in 2018 and there is currently a waitlist of 186 children, although this number fluctuates as children are discharged and referred regularly.