Look who's turning 50 and is all ready for a lower colon exam!

Everyone 50 and over is advised to be screened for colorectal cancer. We presume this applies to 50-year-old health organizations like Algoma Public Health

The health unit's contracts with two major bargaining groups expire at the end of March

Algoma Public Health will turn 50 next year, members of the local health board learned Wednesday night.

Dr. Marlene Spruyt, chief executive officer and medical officer of health, said that APH was incorporated as Algoma District Health Unit in 1968.

"We have begin internal discussions with staff on various ways that we might share the celebration of this milestone both internally and externally," Dr. Spruyt said.

In other news:

Health board members were advised that needle exchange programs will soon return to Blind River and Elliot Lake. APH receives money to provide needle exchanges in those communities. "There had been a needle exchange with a partner in Elliot Lake, and that partner didn't want to continue with the program....It never got restarted again," Spruyt told SooToday. She learned during a recent visit to district offices that the programs were not being delivered there. APH staffers intend have the needle exchanges fully operational by April of this year, she said.
The health unit has applied to become a distribution centre for naloxone kits for treatment of opioid overdoses. The free kits are currently available to opioid users and their families and friends at selected pharmacies.
APH's collective agreements with the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Ontario Nurses Association will expire at the end of March. "We have begun preparations for negotiations," Spruyt said in a written report.

Regarding the headline on this story, everyone 50 and over is strongly advised to be screened for colorectal cancer. For more information, click here.