Higher percentage of Algoma households experiencing food insecurity: APH

Wednesday’s Algoma Public Health board of health meeting, not surprisingly, consisted of another presentation of APH's latest Community Health Profile.

The Profile, first presented at its main office to stakeholders on Willow Avenue Sept. 18, shows a high percentage of households experiencing food insecurity – 19.4 per cent for Algoma compared to 17.3 per cent for Ontario.

The food insecurity percentage stems from inadequate access to sufficient quantity and/or quality of food because of financial limits faced by some Algoma residents.

The average monthly cost to feed a family of four in Algoma was $1,180.92 in 2023, 6.86 per cent higher than in 2022.

Health experts are calling for:

• Social assistance rates that reflect cost of living
• A universal basic income
• Establishment of a poverty reduction network or committee
• Workers to be given a living wage

The Profile contains some other grim statistics.

The Sault and Algoma District has the highest rate of new cancer diagnoses in Ontario. 

There were 5,210 new cases reported from 2016 to 2020 and 2,075 cancer related deaths in that time period.

That was the third highest rate of cancer-related deaths in Ontario for 2016-2020.

A total of 46 per cent of those cancer related deaths were associated with smoking while 13.1 per cent were associated with alcohol consumption.

APH is urging smokers to kick the habit and for everyone to reduce alcohol consumption.

Algoma Public Health has urged the federal government to put warning labels on bottles containing alcoholic beverages.

The Profile also shows that there is a low rate of cancer screening in the Sault and Algoma – 57.3 per cent for breast cancer, 49.3 per cent for cervical cancer and 62 per cent for colorectal cancer.

The Profile shows the Sault and Algoma District has the highest rate of mental health-related emergency department visits in Ontario. 

Algoma had 28.5 mental health-related emergency department visits per 100,000 compared to the provincial rate of 19 per 100,000.

The area has the longest wait time for child and youth mental health support in northern Ontario – 370 days for counselling and therapy, 632 days for intensive treatment.

Reasons given for poor access to mental health support include:

• Cost of service 
• Wait times 
• Distance from service
• A limited number of providers 
• Fear of stigma 
• A complex system that is hard to navigate

Data gathered for the APH Community Health Profile came from over 60 data sources.

Algoma Public Health’s last Community Health Profile was delivered in 2018.

APH typically releases such profiles every three to five years but due to delays caused by the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic the health unit began compiling the latest profile 18 months ago. 

In his monthly report to the board at Wednesday’s meeting, Dr. John Tuinema, APH acting medical officer of health wrote that there is some promising news.

Tuinema said that despite a recent provincial government decision to close 10 supervised consumption sites across the province, APH is encouraged by the announcement of the creation of 10 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs (HART Hubs). 

APH is supporting an application from its community partners to have a HART Hub in the Sault.

In other positive news, Tuinema noted the Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) program has received a small funding increase of just over $70,000 from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. 

Tuinema also said that APH is pleased with the recent move to ban nicotine pouches from convenience store and gas station shelves by order of federal Health Minister Mark Holland.

Effective Wednesday, Aug. 28, the pouches were made available only from behind pharmacy counters.