Health Council to Visit Districts
The Provincial Health Council will tour the province in March to meet with community health boards, district health authorities and the public.
"We need to speak to Nova Scotians about the role of the council and how we can better communicate with them," says Barbara Hart, Chairperson of the Provincial Health Council. "There is also a need to discuss issues surrounding access to information and public concerns about health care."
The council will spend two days in each district, starting with District 1 in Bridgewater on March 5 and 6.
Throughout January and February 2000, the council held a series of public meetings to collect information on core health services. That information was documented in two reports, Essential Health Services, released in March, and Health for Nova Scotians, released in November. The second report contains a set of recommendations, which the council will discuss with community health boards.
The Council''s committees will also follow up on these recommendations. Its Education Committee is reviewing health- related programs in the province to find out where gaps exist, so that Nova Scotians can access information to make healthy choices.
The Health Services Committee is focusing on getting the government to commit to a long-term plan for health that is stable, continuous and sustainable, and the Mental Health Committee is monitoring child and adolescent mental health services.
Also, the Project Advisory Committee is formulating standards to evaluate the health care system, and the Information Management Committee is looking at electronic health records and access to information.
The recommendations and a vision of health were developed from public response during consultations. Nova Scotians described a vision of health that includes community-centered processes and services that are efficient, affordable and sustainable. They want equitable access to health services that are integrated and co-ordinated across lines of government, providers and communities. As well, Nova Scotians want to focus education toward healthy living, health promotion and illness and injury prevention.
"Healthy Nova Scotians living in healthy communities is and will remain a primary focus for the council," says Ms. Hart.
For more information on the council, visit its Web site at www.healthcouncil.ns.ca or call 1-800-854-0815 for a copy of its newsletter.