I don't believe any "health promoter" arguing for the Wellness Fund in Alberta would disagree with Dennis Raphael or Alana that health is best addressed through the means they have outlined. However, that appears to be off the radar for Alberta politicians. The only two recommendations removed from the Mazinkowski report addressed child poverty and education. They apparently were inappropriate for a "health" initiative. [The state of thinking in Alberta is clearly outlined in the appendix on health promotion and prevention in the Mazinkowski Report. We were lucky that the concepts showed up at all but the thinking (except for a short section on determinants) is very dated. Whose fault is this? Where is the voice for health promotion in the discussion about health reform going on in the country right now? Who is providing the evidence and making sure the right people see it? Where are organizations like the Canadian Public Health Association?] We should be educating and pushing for a broader approaches to addressing health. However, that discussion (and conversion) cannot occur in the few short weeks that are left before the Alberta government takes the $200-$300 million dollars from a tobacco tax increase and pours it into general revenues! In doing so, they may put a little back into social services and education (we can hope!) but the opportunity to really work collaboratively with other constituencies to address health in a comprehensive way will be lost. What the health promotion community needs to do is develop and hone effective, on-going mechanisms to influence decision makers about these issues and approaches. We should not be waiting until there is a tiny window of opportunity (like a tobacco tax) to make the case. Linda _____________________ Linda Rasmussen Population Health Promotion Consultant Capital Health Phone: (780) 413-5150 Fax: (780) 482-5383 E-mail: [log in to unmask] _________________________ > ---------- > From: Alana LaPerle[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 3:47 PM > Subject: Wellness Alberta > > As an alternative to a Wellness Fund, what if we "health promotors" in > Alberta lobbied the government to direct the extra $200 million from > tobacco > taxes into early intervention programs, higher SFI rates, affordable > housing, basic education and other programs that address the social > determinants of health? Wouldn't that have a greater impact on health > outcomes than the proposed wellness fund/programs? > > Just asking. > > Alana > > Alana LaPerle Consulting > [log in to unmask] > Phone: 780.416.8085 > Fax: 780.416.1267 > Send one line: unsubscribe click4hp to: [log in to unmask] to unsubscribe See: http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/click4hp.html to alter your subscription