The Real Cost of Eating Well
Food insecurity is a serious public health problem in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC). The Real Cost of Eating Well in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Report, 2023, shows the prevalence of household food insecurity for HPEC is 23 per cent, significantly higher than the provincial estimate of 17.4 per cent. That means that almost one in four households in HPEC has inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. The report outlines the cost of food and rent for a variety of household scenarios in HPEC, many of which do not have sufficient income to meet these basic requirements.
Household food insecurity is closely linked to adverse health outcomes for both children and adults, with food insecure individuals being more likely to be diagnosed with chronic (mental and physical) conditions, negatively impacting health and well-being and increasing health-care utilization.
The Real Cost of Eating Well Report outlines several recommendations for action at the individual, municipal, and provincial level. After receiving an overview of the information, the Board expressed support for a letter to the province asking for action to address the food insecurity in HPEC, and requested that staff revise the letter to include information about potential local actions that could help address this issue.
HPEPH partnering with local midwife to offer well-baby clinic
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH), in collaboration with a local midwife, is hosting a new clinic which is providing well-baby checkups for infants in our community who do not have a primary care provider. The infants will continue to be seen at Quinte Health for their 72-hour well-baby checkup, at which point consent will be obtained for further well-baby checkups at HPEPH.
While the well-baby clinic at HPEPH is addressing a much-needed service and significant gap within our community, Public Health recognizes that this clinic alone is not enough to support the numerous unattached infants within our community. For this reason, HPEPH continues to work with community partners and to advocate for a long-term, sustainable solution for these families.
School immunizations
Families are reminded to ensure their children’s vaccination records are up to date! Approximately 4,900 letters were recently sent to students in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties whose vaccination records were incomplete. To support updating these vaccines, public health is providing clinics for these students, as well as working closely with local health care providers to assist in getting students up to date with their immunizations. Students with incomplete immunization records or without a valid exemption will be suspended on April 9, 2024.
Families should contact their health care provider to get vaccines up to date. If this is not possible, vaccine appointments can be booked at Public Health at hpePublicHealth.ca/clinic/immunization-clinic/ or by calling 613-966-5500, ext. 221.
Student vaccination records can be checked or updated at hpePublicHealth.ca/immunization-reporting-records/.
THE ABOVE SUBMITTED BY HASTINGS PRINCE EDWARD PUBLIC HEALTH
