The Northwestern Health Unit is looking at spending slightly more in 2021 than it did last year.
The Health Unit is looking for an 85-thousand dollar increase to its base funding from the province.
Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Herbacz says part of the funding will help hire another public health inspector.
“There are a lot of new pressures and demands on our Public Health Inspectors across the region and within their field. We also need to be able to have them supporting the IPAC hubs, and IPAC would be infection, prevention and control,” says Herbacz.
The Health Unit is also looking for more funding for its needle exchange and senior dental programs.
Herbacz says it’s a $120-thousand ask for the needle exchange.
“That’s because there is an increased demand on that program, and that’s been seen right across the region and in a lot of our communities over the past couple of years.”
The Health Unit is expecting to see a small budget surplus coming out of 2020.
Herbacz attributes that to a directive from the province at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were directed to use our base funding to support any COVID expenditure that we needed to during this time.”
Herbacz says money not used has to be turned back to the province.
