NLIS 14
March 21, 2005
(Health and Community Services)
 


Government makes record $6 million investment to strengthen public health

The Williams government will foster a culture of healthy living through record investments in public health initiatives, focused on the well-being of all citizens from the very young to the very old, Health and Community Services Minister John Ottenheimer announced today.

"Prevention, promotion and public health are critical to better health outcomes and keeping people healthy," said Minister Ottenheimer. "We�re increasing our commitment to public health so that we can strengthen the vital programs that protect and promote the health of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians every day."

Building upon government�s Throne Speech commitment to keep people healthier, Budget 2005 dedicates $2.4 million to support a wellness strategy � the largest single cash infusion in health promotion in the history of the province. Unlike acute health care which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients, public health focuses on communities and populations for the prevention of disease, promotion of health and protection of the public.

Government�s wellness strategy will complement the on-going work of community organizations and six regional wellness coalitions and concentrate on improving healthy eating, reducing obesity, reducing smoking rates, reducing injury rates and increasing physical activity.

Acting on the recommendations of the provincial Wellness Advisory Council, government will proceed with the following initiatives as part of its plan:

  • Implement a �Healthy Foods in Schools� program including new nutrition guidelines for schools and a Healthy Schools Youth Summit in the fall;

  • Establish a community grants program to build on existing community wellness projects;

  • Enhance school food programs to improve healthy eating;

  • Develop a social marketing campaign to promote healthy living;

  • Create a Teen Wellness team to engage the participation of youth; and

  • Strengthen the presence of wellness-dedicated staff in the new health authorities.

Other Public Health Initiatives
Government will target $750,000 for disease surveillance and chronic disease management, to improve response to infectious diseases and develop clinical information systems in support of clinical decision-making for primary health care teams.

These initiatives will help reduce the incidence of infectious diseases through better monitoring and reporting of infectious diseases; accessing the most current information and developing improved surveillance and control policies.

The province will continue to work with Health Canada and Canada Health Infoway to strengthen information systems across the country to identify emerging health issues and outbreaks and respond more effectively to infectious diseases.

Public Immunization Strategy
Government will invest $2.8 million this year, as recently announced, in its immunization program to further enhance children�s ability to stay healthy and fight illness and death from pneumococcal (pneumonia and ear infections) disease, varicella (chicken pox) and meningococcal (meningitis) disease by adding the vaccines to the public immunization schedule for 2005. With these new vaccines, children will now be armed with vaccines to protect against 12 diseases such as polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella.

"These new vaccines will ensure our children and adolescents are safer," said Minister Ottenheimer. "This investment not only benefits our children, but also helps reduce wait lists in doctors� offices and emergency rooms and reduces the rate of hospitalization of children and adolescents who may need for treatment for these diseases."

It is part of a $6.5 million investment over three years to administer the new vaccines from funding provided through the federal government�s Public Health and Immunization Trust, established to support a national immunization strategy. This is in addition to the $2 million the province spends annually on its immunization program.

Fighting Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Government recently announced a $100,000 investment to support a FASD prevention initiative in partnership with the Labrador FASD Advisory Committee and Labrador-Grenfell RIHA. The initiative will target women of childbearing years and their support systems. It will focus on increasing public awareness, prevention and health promotion at the community level. This represents the first investment specifically targeting prevention of FASD in the province.

FASD is caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol and has lifelong implications for babies. Other factors, such as maternal health and nutrition, use of drugs or other addictions, violence and other lack of supports may also influence the effect of alcohol in a pregnancy.

Media contact: Carolyn Chaplin, Communications, (709) 729-1377, 682-5093

2005 03 21                           2:55 p.m.


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