Peterborough Public Health Activates Emergency Response for COVID-19
Written by Communications, March 13, 2020
Essential Public Health Programs Continue; Other Services Reduced or Suspended
Peterborough Public Health announced today that it has activated its emergency response team to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While there is still no local positive case, we are now in full emergency response mode in order to focus on the surge of activity related to COVID-19, such as increased surveillance, screening, testing, and infection control and prevention communications with community partners and individual residents,” explained Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “This means that essential public health services will remain intact, while others will be reduced or suspended so we can reassign staff to the emergency response.”
Activities that are temporarily reduced or suspended include:
- Work with community partners including meetings and committee work
- Tobacco cessation support
- In-person prenatal classes (online prenatal modules continue to be available)
- Climate Change activities
- Programming and activities in schools (elementary, secondary, and post-secondary)
- Vision and Dental screening in schools
- Food handler training classes
- Public Health Nurse–led sexual health clinics (reduced)
- Routine immunization clinics (reduced)
- Healthy Babies Healthy Children program (reduced)
These services have been impacted due to the redeployment of staff to assist with the emergency response. For those who have registered for a scheduled class, workshop or appointment, they will be contacted directly if it is cancelled.
At this time, no food programs have been cancelled (e.g. Come Cook With Us, Collective Kitchens, etc.). PPH is continually assessing the situation, and if classes need to be cancelled, participants will be notified.
During our emergency response, Peterborough Public Health will continue to offer as many programs and services as possible. Currently, the following services will be unaffected:
- Outbreak investigations
- Surveillance and follow-up for diseases of public health significance
- Doctor-led sexual health clinic services
- Food safety program (with the exception of the Food Handler Training Course)
- Routine inspections of facilities
- Safe water program
- Rabies prevention and control program
- Tobacco Enforcement
- Health Hazards Prevention and Control
- Sewage disposal program
- Nutrition consultations
- Food programs
- Naloxone distribution
- Early Warning and Opioid Overdose Surveillance
- Infant Toddler Development program
- Community Dental Clinic and oral health services and (with the exception of school screening)
Family HEALTHline at (705) 743-1000 will continue, however callers may experience a delay due to a higher than normal volume of calls.
For more information, please visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence
Communications Manager
|705-743-1000, ext. 391