The provincial government has stepped in with $580,955 in one-time funding for the Sudbury and District Health Unit to help cover the costs generated by response to H1N1.
Due to the high volume of immunizations and the urgency and tight timeframe in which they were provided, costs above the normal immunization costs were incurred by the health unit.
The funding provides the health unit with an extra $10 per dose above what normal funding would cover.
“In the ‘eye of the storm’, the last thing that public health needed to do was to be preoccupied with whether or not we could afford to protect our communities from H1N1,” Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Sudbury & District Medical Officer of Health, said in a press release.
“Our communities count on the Health Unit and the Board of Health counted on the province to recognize our duties. This money is recognition of those duties and we are grateful for it.”
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has created a publicly funding immunization program to help protect children, teens, and adults from potentially life-threatening diseases.
"In recognition of National Immunization Awareness Week, we're encouraging everyone to learn more about protecting themselves and their families by taking advantage of free immunization," Rick Bartolucci, Sudbury MPP, said in a press release.
“Immunization is a proven, safe, effective way to promote good health and prevent illness."
