If necessary, the health unit does a risk assessment and notifies the affected community. The Health Unit is also collaborating on several health promotion initiatives inside the mills, the most recent being a Quit Smoking Campaign. The mill in Fort Francis has offered portable CD players, carpet cleaning services, or a dinner for two to employees who quite smoking. In the future, the committee plans to prioritize the list of contaminants that pose greater risks to human health, and develop preventive measures to decrease the amounts of those contaminants. It also wants to conduct comparative studies of the health status of communities that have a mill with those that do not.
Cooperation is the key to building healthier communities.
With the help of industry and the support of the community, the Northwestern Health Unit is leading this effort to improve the quality of life and health for northwestern Ontario residents.