NUNAVUT – ASIST
As part of the territorial suicide prevention initiative, the Department Health and Social Services, the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and Health Canada have been working together on the development of a territory-wide suicide alertness and intervention training campaign called Uqaqatigiiluk!/Talk about it! This campaign uses the internationally recognized Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and has been translated into Inuktitut. For more information on the territorial Suicide Prevention Initiative, please see: http://www.hss.gov.nu.ca/en/Your%20Health%20MHA%20Suicide.aspx
ONTARIO – Aging at Home Strategy
Ontario recently expanded its Aging at Home Strategy. This initiative provides health care services to approximately 350,000 seniors to help them age in the comfort of their own homes. It permits Ontario’s seniors to lead healthy and independent lives with dignity while avoiding unnecessary visits to hospitals, which can ultimately reduce ER wait times. The initiative will benefit seniors participating in approximately 1,400 Aging at Home projects. Investing in better local community supports will help improve Ontario’s Alternate Level of Care (ALC) rate. ALC patients are individuals in hospital beds who would be better cared for in an alternate setting, such as long-term care, rehab, or home. By giving seniors the support they need to avoid hospitalization in the first place and helping those who do get admitted return home faster, access to health care will be improved for all Ontarians.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND – Girls Unlimited
Through funding from the PEI government, a local community organization designed and implemented a series of girl/caregiver workshops across PEI for girls ages 10-14 and their parents/caregivers to enhance girl’s self-esteem and confidence. The project was designed to provide girls and their caregivers with information to support them in dealing with the emotional, social and cultural issues they may face. There were a number of workshops that took place across the province, including one in the Francophone community and one in the newcomer’s community.
Five English language and one French language Girls Unlimited Conferences were held across Prince Edward Island. The conferences were well attended and had positive feedback from the participants. The main sessions for the conferences focused on media literacy, physical/mental/emotional health, self-esteem and body image. This upcoming year, a similar project has been funded to work with young boys in Prince Edward Island.
QUÉBEC – 2006-2012 Government Action Plan to Promote Healthy Lifestyles and Prevent Weight-Related Problems
In October 2006, the Government of Quebec announced its action plan entitled Investir pour l’avenir [Investing for the future] and declared its commitment to a collective strategy to improve the quality of life and well-being of Quebeckers by enabling them to live in environments that promote the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyles. In keeping with that action plan and with two measures outlined in the 2006-2009 Youth Action Strategy, the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports (MELS), with the participation of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) and the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), published the Framework Policy on Healthy Eating and Active Living. Through this action, it has demonstrated its firm intention to make Quebec academic institutions places where students can eat better and be more active. An initiative such as this is not possible, however, without the commitment and participation of all school community stakeholders and partners, who will need to continue working together to ensure the future of youth and our society.