Meet Northeastern Public Health. A pair of health units in northern Ontario to merge in the new year

The Timiskaming and Porcupine health units have the provincial government's approval and some funding to merge in the new year.

The two northeastern Ontario health units, one in timmins, and one in New Liskeard, will become Northeastern Public Health as of Jan. 1, 2025.

Both health units were part of a voluntary initiative from the province, encouraging some health units to merge and combine resources, and both have been exploring a merger over the last several years.

"We were very pleased to hear the announcement about strengthening public health in Ontario at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario  conference in 2023 as we had already initiated this work," said Dr. Lianne Catton, the Porcupine Health Unit's medical officer of health, in a news release.

Dr. Glenn Corneil, the Timiskaming Health Unit's acting medical officer of health, told CBC News there will be a lot of work ahead once the two health units merge.

"We'll be roughly one quarter, geographically, the size of Ontario in one health unit," he said.

"But from a population point of view, we're not. We're still going to be one of the smaller health units in Ontario. Luckily, there are a lot of synergies between the two organizations."

Over the past year, both health units have started program integration work in addition to other preparations needed for the merger.

Programs, services and office locations will remain the same as Northeastern Public Health starts operating in the new year.