2025 Annual Report

Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) has much to be proud of this year. In 2025, we faced one of the largest measles outbreaks Ontario has experienced in many years, which disproportionately affected citizens in this health unit region. Throughout the experience, staff demonstrated professionalism, skill, and an unwavering commitment to protecting the health of those in this community, while continuing to deliver the full scope of our mandate in public health.

Amid these extraordinary demands, the launch of a new five-year strategic plan stands out as a defining accomplishment, setting a clear vision for the future rooted in evidence, collaboration, and improving the
health of every person we serve. We see a positive trajectory ahead. The strength of SWPH’s programming, the values of its staff, and the organization’s evidence-informed decision-making give the Board great confidence in the work underway.

This momentum is worth carrying forward. The Board of Health reinforced our investment this year into the core functions that matter most to our municipalities and key partners. Strong alignment with local leaders has been essential in strengthening public health capacity and has resulted in real progress toward achieving a healthier, more vibrant community.

On behalf of the Board of Health, thank you for your continued dedication to our communities.

Your efforts are meaningful and position us well for the years ahead.

- Bernia Martin, Chair, Southwestern Public Health Board of Health

This past year tested and affirmed the resilience of this organization. Our health unit was at the epi-centre of one of the largest measles outbreaks in a generation, requiring rapid response, deep expertise, and sustained infection prevention and control efforts spanning teams across the organization.

Yet throughout, our service continuity remained strong with little interruption, even as demands intensified. That level of performance does not happen by chance – it reflects planning, dedication, agility, and skill that staff bring to the table every day. We are grateful for the trust, coordination, and commitment of our health system and community partners that carried us through a challenging year.

This was also a remarkable year for future planning, through the launch of our 2025-2029 Strategic Plan. It is a plan shaped by the lessons of recent years and community input, and strengthened by voices of staff who leaned in, gave feedback, and helped define our priorities. This resulted in a plan focused on advancing population health, reinforcing service excellence, and ensuring organizational resilience as a clear direction for the next five years.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Board of Health for its continued confidence in our work, and its support for the vision outlined in the Strategic Plan. Their leadership and investment in core public health priorities position us to move forward with clarity and purpose.

As we look ahead, we remain focused on delivering the high-quality programs and services that define Southwestern Public Health. It is a privilege to lead this organization and its skilled staff into our next chapter.

- Cynthia St. John, Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Ninh Tran, Medical Officer of Health

• Southwestern Public Health completed 452 youth access inspections in 2025, including 305 tobacco and 147 vapour retailer inspections
• Only 18 inspections (4%) resulted in failures, meaning 96% of retailers successfully complied with youth access requirements
• Of the 18 failures identified, 12 resulted in warnings and 6 resulted in charges
• Tobacco retailer inspections had a 99.32% mandatory youth access completion rate, while vapour retailers achieved 99.30%
• In addition to youth access checks, the Tobacco Control Program completed 307 Display, Promotion, and Handling (DPH) inspections

• 466 breastfeeding support requests; 430 phone calls; 344 home visits (626 total hours)
• Know and Grow phone line: 645 calls
• Prenatal programming: 475 registrations; parenting programs: 80 participants 
• HBHC: 2,900 home visits
• Nurse-Family Partnership (2025): 40 referrals; 26 clients enrolled; 351
• NFP visits; 728
• HBHC visits; first program graduate (fall 2025)
• Oral Health (2024/2025): 7,334 students screened; seniors program:1,979 appointments for 459 unique clients (65+)
• Health promotion: 66,792 Meta reel views; 773 website link clicks
• Emergency management: 100% of staff completed IMS 100
• Sexual Health (2025 confirmed cases): 401 chlamydia; 37 gonorrhea; 27 hepatitis C; 18 syphilis; 6 HIV
• Needle Syringe Program: 1,536 client interactions; 541 safer injection/inhalation education visits

• 700+ COVID-19 vaccine doses administered through seasonal clinics (2024-2025)
• Low-cost rabies clinic outreach resulted in 286 animals vaccinated across three participating
  veterinary clinics (75 Hickson; 108 Ostrander; 103 Norwich)
• Oxford County drinking-water testing video: 8,600+ views, 593 engagements, and 37 post interactions
• Vector-borne control saw larvicide covering 37,154 roadside catch basins across multiple municipalities
• Measles outbreak response: largest provincial outbreak since 1998 elimination, with SWPH reporting Ontario’s highest case count
• Infection prevention workshops delivered in September 2025 (first in-person sessions after a five-year hiatus)

Organizational resilience was a focus in 2025 through investments in its people, reinforcement of core corporate systems, and sustained stable operations amid outbreak uncertainty. Targeted staffing and training investments helped maintain service delivery through periods of high demand while building the capacity needed to meet evolving public health requirements.

Mentorship and training opportunities were anchored by public health inspector practicum funding which paired students with certified inspectors, building a practical recruitment strategy. These students supported frontline Corporate Services & Finance work, such as West Nile mosquito surveillance and beach water monitoring, while expanding coaching opportunities for existing staff. 

Staff training and standardized processes address risk management priorities – from cyber and privacy threats, to artificial intelligence applications, to media reputational risks. These offered improved situational awareness throughout the year, with lessons applied when responding to media during the measles outbreak, and in protecting SWPH IT infrastructure amid growing cyber threats regionally.