The Board of Directors at the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit doesn't like possible changes coming to health governance.
A provincial panel is recommending that municipal boards of health should become regional, citing better efficiency and better health outcomes.
If approved, the new regional boards of health will align boundaries with Local Health Integration Networks meaning health boards in Chatham-Kent, Windsor-Essex and Sarnia-Lambton will merge into one and the board at Middlesex-London Health Unit will merge with five others.
Board Chair Joe Faas says a regional board of health will cost more and isn't needed.
"The report is the opinion of a group of people rather than giving it a thorough investigation. We weren't consulted on any part of the report and we feel that what were doing as a local board is functioning quite well," says Faas.
The local health board is sending a letter to the province outlining its objection to the potential changes, including 36 health units reduced to 14 and 14 new Regional Medical Officers of Health supervising their local counterparts.
The consultation period is over on October 31.
April Reitdyk, General Manager of Health and Family Services, says if it's not broken, don't fix it.
"We already do that here. We already partner with all kinds of community organizations, we work very closely with our school boards, with our hospitals, with our LHIN on a regular basis to ensure that we are identifying gaps in services," Reitdyk says.
Faas says the change is not needed because things are fine just the way they are.
"There's a list of services that the municipality provides and if it goes to a regional setup, our fear is that those support costs are going to be extreme. Far more extreme than what we're paying now," says Faas.