A budget increase for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Director of Corporate Services Lorie Gregg says the board has approved the health unit's 2018 cost share budget.
The health unit is requesting a 3.23 percent increase from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and a four percent increase from the city, county and the Township of Pelee.
Gregg says locally, increases have been approved but now the health unit waits on the ministry.
According to Gregg, Windsor-Essex remains one of the lowest funded health units in the province.
"We continued to be challenged," says Gregg. "Again we have a lot of needs within our community, our community needs assessment very much articulate that. Our program staff will articulate that so we have to try to continue to advocate for our community and do the best we can to serve our community."
The budget also includes roughly $75,000 to hire an individual to deal with mental health.
The 3.23 percent increase works out to an additional $430,000 from the ministry compared to 2017