After nearly a month on the job, Windsor's new Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mehdi Aloosh is setting priorities and restoring relationships in the community.
Dr. Aloosh practised family medicine for over a decade before receiving a Master's in Epidemiology from McGill University and entering the public health field.
He said his focus in Windsor will be on the opioid crisis, mental health crisis and the rising number of sexually transmitted disease cases.
"During the three years of the pandemic, all of our resources were focused on COVID which was the correct decision and that helped us to manage the pandemic. But now, it's time to refocus on the work that should have been done in the past," said Dr. Aloosh.
He said one of the many things the pandemic taught all public health units is that they need to do a better job providing access to public health.
"We need to come up with solutions with innovation, I think that the key of success is to think differently. This is the window of opportunity to help people to achieve the best health that they can achieve," said Dr. Aloosh.
He said the most important thing for the community to understand is that the Windsor Essex County Health Unit is listening to the public and working with stakeholders and community partners.
"We are here as a resource to the community. That's the message I want to send out and I want people to see public health as the kind of organization that is there to support people and provide care to vulnerable populations," said Dr. Aloosh.
Dr. Aloosh is taking over the position of Acting Medical Officer of Health from Dr. Shanker Nesathurai.