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To ensure communities
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Fact: To fully realize the economic and social benefits of disease prevention and health promotion programs, communities need to become involved in a process that enhances their capacity to mount and sustain these activities.
Fact: Government needs to play a leadership role in providing support to communities in taking control of their own health. This includes resources, healthy public policy, and support for the environment and recreation.
Fact: Disease prevention and community-based health promotion are essential components of the health care system. These programs save money because individuals consume less health care resources at all ages.
Fact: Nova Scotia and Canada as a whole are in the throes of a developing epidemic of non-communicatable diseases - like cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease and diabetes. These conditions are more prevalent in the provinces of Eastern Canada than in the west.
Fact: Research and practical experience over the past three decades have proven that non-communicatable diseases can be prevented - and at the very least postponed - by strong health promotion and disease prevention initiatives.
Fact: Prevention efforts in the health system do pay big dividends. In Canada, there has been a steady decline in death rates from stroke since the 1970s. This drop is due to prevention efforts related to smoking cessation, reduction of salt intake and better control of high blood pressure.
Fact: Health promotion and chronic disease prevention are currently less than 1% of the total $1.7 billion health care budget.