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Health unit to request public health involvement in provincial and municipal social responsibility work to reduce alcohol-related harms
Southwestern Public Health has received endorsement from its Board of Health to pursue additional efforts to collaborate with the province and municipalities in reducing alcohol-related harms.
A motion was presented to the Board of Health on October 24 asking for support for Southwestern Public Health to send a letter to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health to request public health experts be involved in the $10 million social responsibility allocation outlined in Ontario’s approach to alcohol availability. The motion also requested support for a municipal primer to outline what municipalities can do to reduce alcohol-related harms in their communities.
Both motions were endorsed to move forward.
“We see such opportunity to work with provincial and municipal partners on programming as it relates to alcohol-related harms, especially considering Ontario’s funding commitment for social responsibility in its balanced approach to alcohol availability,” says Bernia Martin, Chair of the Board of Health at Southwestern Public Health.
A recent report from the health unit found local alcohol-related mortality increased between 2018 and 2021, whereas the provincial rate decreased during the same period. In 2021, the rate in the SWPH region reached a high of 3.4. per 100,000 people, compared to 2.5 per 100,000 across Ontario. Hospitalization for conditions entirely attributed to alcohol was 1.4 times higher in the SWPH region than across Ontario.
“A key concern is there is a lack of awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer, and people have the right to know this,” says Jacqueline Deroo, a Public Health Nurse at the health unit. “Research shows that when people know more about alcohol-related harms, it increases general awareness about the risks and support for alcohol policies.”
Growing evidence has linked public health interventions with a reduction in harms related to alcohol. These interventions can include product warning labels or in-store signage about alcohol-related risks, minimum pricing initiatives, and sales tax, which have all shown to be effective strategies in decreasing the harms associated with alcohol consumption. At the municipal level, managing alcohol mitigates acute harms such as injury, violence, crime, and motor vehicle crashes.
When it was announced, Ontario’s balanced approach to alcohol availability included a $10 million commitment over 5 years to support social responsibility and public health efforts. Due to the Board’s endorsement, Southwestern Public Health will now request the opportunity to consult on how public health can support that work.
“After reviewing the report from Southwestern Public Health related to measurable impacts public health interventions have on alcohol harm-reduction, it is clear that public health needs to be at the table regarding how that funding can be utilized,” says Martin.
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