Whereas the rate of oral health day surgeries for children in Windsor and Essex County (300.6/100K) far exceeds that of Ontario (100.4/100K), and

Whereas there is an increased difficulty in obtaining operating room time for dental procedures in Windsor-Essex with wait times exceeding 1 year for children in need of treatment, and

Whereas there is a chronic underfunding of the Healthy Smiles Ontario program creating barriers to accessing services among local dentists, and

Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health recognizes the critical importance of oral health for vulnerable children and youth, and

FURTHER THAT, urges the Ministry of Health to reconsider its decision to download 30% of the funding of the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program to local municipalities, and

FURTHER THAT this resolution be shared with the Ontario Minister of Health, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, local MPP's, the Association of Public Health Agencies, Ontario Boards of Health, the Essex County Dental Society, the Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry, the Ontario Dental Association and local municipalities and stakeholders .

References:

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. (2019). Community Needs Assessment 2019 Update. Windsor, Ontario Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. (2018). Oral Health Report, 2018 Update. Windsor, Ontario

We would be pleased to discuss this resolution with you and thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,

Gary McNamara Chair, Board of Health

Theresa Marentette Chief Executive Officer