PAHO News -- September 12, 2002

PAHO News is also available on the Web!
http://www.csih.org/synergy/synergy.html

In this issue:
-GLOBE & MAIL REPORTER WINS PAHO CENTENNIAL JOURNALISM CONTEST
-HEALTHY CITIES: AN INTEGRATED HEALTH PROMOTION APPROACH
-NEW GUIDELINES DEVELOPED FOR HEALTH WORKERS IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
-HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE AMERICAS FORUM: COUNTRY REPORTS ON HEALTH
PROMOTION ACHIEVEMENTS
-THE SECOND HISPANIC FORUM ON A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
-NEW PAHO SPANISH-LANGUAGE REPORT: LESSONS LEARNED FROM EL SALVADOR
EARTHQUAKES
-WHO RELEASES FIRST GLOBAL REFERENCE GUIDE ON SAFE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF
ESSENTIAL MEDICINES
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

GLOBE & MAIL REPORTER WINS PAHO CENTENNIAL JOURNALISM CONTEST

André Picard, a reporter for the Globe & Mail, has been named the winner
of PAHO's Centennial Journalism Contest. Picard's series of articles on
the obesity epidemic illustrated one of the most serious public health
problems in Canada and throughout the Americas. The "Fattest or Fittest"
series generated public debate and had a marked impact on public policy
in Canada. The winner of the hemisphere-wide contest was selected by a
panel of independent journalists from among national winners in each
country. The Pan American winner receives a $3,000 prize, and is invited
to Washington, D.C., the week of September 23rd to receive the award
during the Pan American Sanitary Conference.
For the press release, visit:
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/pr020909.htm.
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

HEALTHY CITIES: AN INTEGRATED HEALTH PROMOTION APPROACH

Many cities throughout the Americas are getting involved in health
promotion, emphasizing community approaches and making public health a
priority in municipal policies. This was PAHO's objective when it
launched its Healthy Cities initiative. In Mexico, the healthy
municipalities movement is considered a key national strategy to promote
collaboration among different sectors, community participation, the
dissemination of information on health and public policies, and the
creation of healthy spaces. PAHO has provided technical cooperation and
mobilized national and international resources for the consolidation of
strategies and projects of the healthy community network. Today, there
are more than 1,500 registered municipalities in a program coordinated
by the Ministry of Health. Many of these are around old Aztec
settlements that, in turn, were established according to sound
ecological principles.  To read more about PAHO's Healthy Cities
initiative, visit: http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/100/100feature35.htm.

*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

NEW GUIDELINES DEVELOPED FOR HEALTH WORKERS IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Three new guidelines for the application of the strategy of Integrated
Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in indigenous communities have
been prepared by PAHO.  The three guidelines include:

-Guidelines for community health workers that adapt the IMCI childhood
illness strategy to conditions and needs of indigenous children;
-Guidelines for facilitators of the courses;
-Guidelines for implementation of the IMCI strategy.

The guidelines are based on intercultural care models.  They aim at
improving health services responsible for the care of indigenous
children, and will be validated in pilot projects.  For more
information, visit: http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/pr020830.htm.
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

HEALTH PROMOTION IN THE AMERICAS FORUM: COUNTRY REPORTS ON HEALTH
PROMOTION ACHIEVEMENTS

The "Health Promotion in the Americas" Forum will take place in
Santiago, Chile, October 20-24, 2002.  The Forum will bring together
more than 500 high-level national and local government officials, health
professionals and mayors to participate in a review and discussion of
the progress made in strengthening health promotion in the region in the
last two years. Many countries have prepared reports on health promotion
achievements in relation to the Commitments agreed upon in the 2000
Mexico Declaration.  The country reports are available online in PDF
format on the Forum's webpage:
http://www.paho.org/English/HPP/HPForum.htm.
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

THE SECOND HISPANIC FORUM ON A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

PAHO is one of the sponsors of the Second Hispanic Forum on a Safe and
Healthy Environment, which will be held October 7-9, 2002, in San Diego,
California. The Forum will focus on four main areas: occupational safety
and health, environmental health, transportation safety, and
international workers' health. Hispanic health is an increasingly
important issue across the continent - support, by way of attendance or
sponsorship or simply promotion, is welcome.  For more information,
visit: http://www.paho.org/English/HEP/HEQ/Forum.htm.
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

NEW PAHO SPANISH-LANGUAGE REPORT: LESSONS LEARNED FROM EL SALVADOR
EARTHQUAKES

A new Spanish-language text from PAHO in the "Disaster Chronicles"
series examines the major earthquakes that struck El Salvador in January
and February 2001.  The report also takes a look at how prepared the
country was, the response to the emergency, and lessons that can be
learned from the disaster.  http://www.paho.org/Spanish/PED/ELS_2001.htm
(in Spanish only)
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

WHO RELEASES FIRST GLOBAL REFERENCE GUIDE ON SAFE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF
ESSENTIAL MEDICINES

In its efforts to promote safe and cost-effective use of medicines, the
World Health Organization (WHO) has released the first edition of the
"WHO Model Formulary." The formulary is the first ever publication to
give comprehensive information on all 325 medicines contained in the WHO
Model List of Essential Drugs. It presents information on the
recommended use, dosage, adverse effects and contra-indications of these
medicines, along with warnings. Correct use of this tool will improve
patient safety and limit superfluous medical spending.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/who67/en/
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

To unsubscribe from CANCHID send: unsubscribe CANCHID to: [log in to unmask]  -  for help see http://listserv.yorku.ca