A great article by Andre Picard is on Page L6 in the LIfe Section of today's Globe and Mail.  It's one of those articles that you have to 'pay for' online, so parts of it are quoted below. Please see the print edition for the full text.

There is a photo of today's  CHN homepage included with the article, with the following caption:
"The Canadian Health Network website features reliable information.  About 40 per cent of its hits come from health professionals."

Use this opportunity to sign the petition to save CHN:  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/saveCHN in English  and http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/SauvonsRCS in French


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OTTAWA, DON'T PULL THE PLUG ON SUPERB WEBSITE

André Picard
Second Opinion
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As health-care costs creep steadily upward, one of the favourite mantras of politicians and public health officials is that individuals need to take greater responsibility for their health.
... But, practically speaking, where do you go for the latest health information?

The Web is a great tool, at least in theory, but it's hard to sort the shamelessly promotional and the scientifically dubious from the legitimate.  Not to mention that, given the preponderance of U.S. sites, it is a chore to find information relevant to Canadians, and available in both official languages.

That's why the Canadian Health Network (canadian-health-network.ca) is such a gem. ... [snip]
It's like having the Canadian library of health at you fingertips, just a mouse-lick away.

It's telling that about 40 per cent of the website's five million hits a year come from health-care professionals.  They, as much as anyone, know that credible, comprehensible healthy information is often lacking in cyberspace.

So why, oh why, is the Canadian Health Network shutting down?  Why is the federal government cuttint its funding effective March 31, 2008?

The Public Health Agnecy of Canada has been ordered to cut $16.7 million from its grants to outside groups, and, presumably the quickest way to meet that target is to lop off the $7 million going to the CHN.

In announcing the decision to the 26 affiliates who contribute to the site, the PHAC praised them as 'visionaries in recognizing how the Internet could help people find credible information on diverse topics.'

The affiliates don't need hollow praise, they need cold hard cash to keep the much-needed service up and running.

Can a government with an almost $14-billion surplus so desperately need $6 million that it has to silence one of the country's best sources of health information?

[snip]

It's the time for New Year's resolutions.

Here's one for the Health Minister:  Restore the funding to the Canadian Health Network.  Better still, boost the budget and promote the site aggressively.

... good health information. And that, more than anything else, is what we need to create a country of Healthy Canadians. 

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