If you have a baby in Ottawa you will get a call from a public health nurse, and if you want, a nurse will visit you at home. Ottawa Public Health says it can no longer afford to offer that service to everyone.
The health department is proposing cuts to its "Healthy Babies, Healthy Kids" program to save $800,000 in its 2015 budget.
“Our population is growing, and the demands for our services are growing at a rate that our budget increases aren't keeping up with,” says Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s Deputy Medical Officer.
Public health says it will still follow-up with families who are deemed by the hospital to be high-risk.
Parents who get home, and find they need support, can still call and request a home visit by a nurse.
There is concern though, that some struggling new parents, might not reach-out for help.
The board of health will vote on this budget proposal, March 2, 2015.
