Support British Columbians in their pursuit of better health
through protection, promotion and prevention activities.
Goal 2: Improved Health
and Wellness for British Columbians
Support British Columbians in their pursuit of better
health through protection, promotion and prevention activities. |
| Objective 1: Identify preventable health
conditions and high-risk health behaviors. |
Strategies:
• Set expectations to require health authorities to
provide effective and targeted prevention programs. |
Underway |
| Performance Measures |
| Measure |
2002/03 Target |
2002/03
Actual |
Comments |
| Development of a new Public Health Act. |
Revision of 3 public health acts (Drinking Water Protection
Act, Food Protection Act, and Community Care
Facility Act). |
Completed |
BC continues to play a leading role in public
health and safety, introducing a new Drinking Water Protection
Act and a new Food Protection Act.
This year also saw significant revisions to an antiquated
Community Care Facility Act to modernize the regulation
of care facilities and support the development of alternative,
flexible care options for seniors, such as Assisted Living.
|
| Monitoring with respect to the Provincial Health Officer's
recommendations. |
Action taken on HIV reporting recommendation. |
Completed |
HIV was added to the list of reportable communicable
diseases under the Health Act Communicable Disease
Regulation. |
Making new but costly vaccines readily available is a challenge
for all jurisdictions in Canada. While BC continues to work vigorously
for federal funding toward a national childhood immunization plan,
it moved forward unilaterally this year with introduction of two
vaccines to treat conditions that cause significant harm to children
in this province. With dedicated funding of more than $18 million
annually, when fully implemented, BC is absorbing the costs of
buying and administering meningococcus C and pneumococcus vaccines
to vulnerable populations. By these actions, the province hopes
to reduce incidences of bacterial meningitis, and address the
hundreds of childhood ear and throat infections, pneumonias, doctor
visits, and hospitalizations caused by pneumococcus each year.
Goal 2: Improved Health
and Wellness for British Columbians
Support British Columbians in their pursuit of better health
through protection, promotion and prevention activities. |
| Objective 2: Identify health status inequalities. |
Strategies:
• Monitor and report on the health status of the population.
|
Ongoing |
| • Develop measures and report on health
services utilization among specific populations. |
Underway |
| Strategic Highlight: The distribution
of more than 27,000 First Nations Handbooks is a significant
step toward improved utilization of services through health
planning. Recognizing the failure of the current primary
health care system to respond to needs, the effects of geographic
dislocation and the challenges of inter-jurisdictional issues,
the ministry and First Nations community worked together to
develop a viable strategy to improve access and provide relevant,
culturally sensitive information to the community. |
| Performance Measures |
| Measure |
2002/03 Target |
2002/03 Actual |
Comments |
| Report annually on population health status or a significant
health issue. |
Annual report produced. |
Completed |
The Provincial Health Officer's Annual Report
2001: The Health and Well-being of Aboriginal People in
British Columbia was released in October 2002, providing
an update on British Columbia's progress toward the goal of
improved health for Aboriginal people.
Public Health Approach to Alcohol Policy: A Report of
the Provincial Health Officer was released May 2002.
It was prompted by recent changes to British Columbia's
liquor laws.
|
Goal 2: Improved Health and Wellness for
British Columbians
Support British Columbians in their pursuit of better health
through protection, promotion and prevention activities. |
| Objective 3: Identify effective strategies
to reduce occurrence of preventable illness, injuries and
health risk. |
Strategies:
• Determine effective targeted prevention and early
intervention strategies and set standards for their delivery.
|
Underway |
|
• Develop population-based immunization strategies
and screening programs with specific emphasis on high-risk
populations.
|
Underway |
| Performance Measures |
| Measure |
2002/03 Target |
2002/03 Actual |
Comments |
| Priority programs developed for prevention and protection. |
Complete consultation on priority programs for health authorities. |
Underway |
The interest of a broad diversity of health
stakeholders in this important initiative has led to an expanded
consultation process.
As BC moves to modernize a Public Health Act originally
drafted in the 1940s, considerable interest in how current
and future public health challenges should be addressed
has been generated.
The need for a contemporary platform, a consistent framework
and strong accountabilities for activities such as immunization,
health promotion and protection, are driving the creation
of a contemporary, high-quality Act that reflects the evolving
nature of public health in BC.
|
