KFLAPH Closing Sharbot Lake Office; Cloyne Office To Remain Open

Jeff Green | Aug 02, 2023

Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health (KFLAPH) will be closing the Sharbot Lake branch office on October 27.

“The closure of the Sharbot Lake branch office is a result of a comprehensive assessment and careful consideration of various factors including the transfer of the Part 8 program under the Ontario Building Code back to our municipalities, and the evolution of how our service delivery in this community has changed since the pandemic,” said a media release from KFLAPH on Wednesday, July 27.

“The closure will not impact the delivery of public health operations or services to our Sharbot Lake community,” the release added.

The Part 8 program under the Ontario Building Code is the septic approval service for new systems for private dwellings and commercial properties. KFLAPH did the work, which involves visits to a property before and after excavation in order to make sure septic beds meet building code standards, throughout Frontenac County and for Addington Highlands until the Province of Ontario changed the mandate for Public Health, and made this service one that cannot be offered. The service was offered out of the Sharbot Lake office.

In their release, Public Health said they “remain committed to delivering services in our Sharbot Lake community.

They listed services in the release.

• Healthy Babies, Healthy Children and Nurse Family Partnership home visiting program.
• Immunization clinics in school-based settings in the fall and spring, as well as a catch-up clinic in the summer.
• Sexual health services and access to virtual testing.
• Dental health services, including screenings. The organization's mobile dental clinic will begin providing services later this year, extending its support to the seniors' dental care program.
• Mobile immunization clinics, currently providing routine and COVID-19 vaccinations.
• School health nurses will continue to deliver health promotion programs and support educators regularly, including visits to the schools.
• Ongoing inspections for restaurants, public pools and spas, recreational camps, small drinking water systems, and personal service settings.
• Management of potential rabies exposures and health hazards, including adverse water quality incidents and reports of foodborne illnesses.
• Surveillance related to tick-borne diseases and public beach water quality.
• Continued communicable disease case and contact management.

But one core service that is not listed, but is important to residents of Central and North Frontenac is the well water testing drop off service. Currently bottles and forms are available in he Sharbot Lake office and can be returned to the office on a specific day each week for quick delivery to the testing lab.

Jenn Fagan, of the KFLAPH Communications department, responded to the News about the water testing service.

“Over the next couple of months, we encourage residents to continue using the Sharbot Lake office for their water sample collection as usual. However, we understand the importance of timely and clear communication, and prior to the Oct. 27 closure date, we will share detailed information about the new water sample collection points,” she said, in an email.

When contacted, Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said that “water testing is top of mind, more so for people on lakes who test their water regularly, when hearing about this closure.”

Smith also that as far as she is aware, consultation with Central Frontenac Township was part of the comprehensive assessment that KFLAPH conducted before deciding to close the office.

“Kathy [Chief Administrator Kathy MacMunn] received notice not long before the media release went out last week, but it was only to inform her that the office was closing. I don’t think anyone at the township was contacted before that. I know I wasn’t. When they called Kathy last week, the also asked if Central Frontenac would be willing to receive and courier the water bottles to a lab in Kingston for testing,” she said.

Smith added that the request may be brought forward to the single August meeting of Council on August 8th, or it will have to wait until September. And, there is more to it than just collecting bottles and shipping them.

“The paperwork needs to be checked, because if there is an error the water will not be tested. Someone has to go over the paperwork with the resident before shipping.”

The added cost of administrative staff time will be something council will look at when the matter comes to the council table.

“So far, Public Health is offering to cover the cost of the courier, but we have not discussed compensation for human resource costs with them.

There is a representative from Frontenac County on the KFLAPH Board. Since December of 2022, that person has been Frontenac Islands Mayor Jude Greenwood-Speers.

When contacted she said that the “Sharbot Lake office closure is being covered off by Mobile Service so there is no loss to the community. But I am not the best person to talk. Piotr Oglaza or Wes Garrod, the current Board Chair, know more about it.”

“I want to assure the Sharbot Lake community that we remain fully committed to their health and well-being,” said Dr. Piotr Oglaza, medical officer of health at KFL&A Public Health of the change. “The closure of the branch office is a strategic decision reflecting changes in our service delivery model and commitment to being client-centered. We are investing in providing mobile services in convenient locations throughout the community rather than a brick-and-mortar space. Staff will work closely with our partners in Sharbot Lake to continue delivering essential public health programs and services.”

There are no planned staff layoffs associated with the closure.

“Staff will be reassigned to other locations within our organization, guaranteeing a seamless shift and continuous delivery of services and programs,” said Dr. Oglaza.

With the closure, KFLAPH will be operating out of three locations, their headquarters on Portsmouth Avenue in Kingston, an office in Napanee, and an office in Cloyne.

The future of the Cloyne office is of interest to residents of Addington Highlands, and parts of North and Central Frontenac.

On that score, the outlook is more encouraging.

“The Cloyne office will not be considered for closure due to its accessibility, larger size, and availability of clinic space,” she told the News.