Ontario Health Promotion Email Bulletin 408.1,
Health Goals: Coming Soon to a Canada Near You

--by Connie Clement, Executive Director, Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse

[excerpted - see whole article at:
http://ohpe.ca/ebulletin/ViewFeatures.cfm?ISSUE_ID=408&ROWNUMBER=1 ]

By this time next year, Canada should have new public health goals approved
at the Federal level.

Last September, as part of developing a pan-Canadian health strategy, the
First Ministers agreed to "set goals and targets for improving the health
status through a collaborative process with experts." (1) The intention is
that common goals will provide a framework to enable federal, provincial,
and territorial governments to align their individual and joint public
health efforts.

From the last week in March into the summer, a series of invitational
consultations will be held: regional roundtables; issue or theme roundtables
(e.g., a youth summit, aboriginal issues, and round-tables co-hosted by the
new Public Health Agency Collaborating Centres); and, at a slightly later
stage, citizen roundtables. Concurrently, an electronic citizen engagement
process similar to that used by the Romanow Commission is getting underway.
All Canadians are invited to use the goal-setting website, workbook, survey,
and dialogue spaces to share their ideas.

A national meeting will be held in the autumn to ratify the goals and
provide advice to First Ministers regarding how to advance the next phase of
the process, including establishing targets to monitor progress towards
achievement of the goals.

The success of this project rides on high participation. Here are some ways
you can contribute:
* Visit http://www.healthycanadians.ca to find tools and references.
* Post a link on your organization's website.
* Request fliers and distribute them widely.
* Put a brief article in a community newspaper.
* Host a community meeting.
* Put this item on the agenda of your board or advisory group and submit input.
* Encourage community partners to do the same.
* Promote the activities you undertake on the health goals website.

Do it now, and you'll know that you and yours helped to define goals that
will guide the reform and growth of public health and thus help society
achieve "health for all."

Reference
(1) Office of the Prime Minister, News, "A 10-year plan to strengthen health
care," http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news.asp?id=260. Accessed April 15, 2005.

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