COVID kills children through creating poverty
For the first time in 20 years, we are losing progress on ending extreme poverty. The devastating secondary effects of COVID are widening the gaps of inequality, or the divide between those who have and those who don’t have adequate money and healthcare.
More than 150 million people are predicted to be pushed into extreme poverty by the end of 2021. 10,000 more children will die from hunger every month.
Canada has an opportunity to become a leader in global health.
The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) is a country driven fund housed at the World Bank that supports countries to deliver high-impact health and nutrition interventions that generate results. It is an instrument that is about delivery of primary healthcare, and ensures that resources go where they need to go.
The GFF is in need of funding now. Canada should contribute $250 million over 3 years.
We must aim at closing the divide and not let it keep widening!
The Town of Coaldale is partnering with Alberta Health Services (AHS) on a pilot program designed to improving the well-being of town residents.
Healthy Communities by Design provides municipalities with public health information and guidance which may be used to design communities that better support healthy lifestyles.
“By partnering with AHS in this Healthy Communities initiative, the town shows a desire to look inward and make improvements where they are needed to improve the overall health of the population,” says Dr. Vivien Suttorp, Medical Officer of Health in AHS South Zone.
“Health outcomes such as life expectancy, cancer rates and infant mortality rates often differ between geographies and also within communities. One of the best ways to decrease these differences is, first of all, to understand a community and what’s important to the people who live there: the culture, access to recreation and healthy food choices, education and more.”
Through the program, the town can harness the expertise of AHS health professionals — including dietitians, health promotion facilitators, public health inspectors and medical officers of health — to assist with drafting or improving existing policies related to tobacco/alcohol reduction, healthy eating, sun safety, walkability and physical activity.
There is no cost to the Town of Coaldale for participating, and the town is under no obligation to implement any suggestions coming from the pilot program.
“People and their communities are closely linked. Creating healthy communities can help shape the future of wellness in our province and empower all Albertans to live healthier lifestyles,” said Grant Hunter, MLA for Taber-Warner. “I look forward to working with our community partners to improve the wellness of Coaldale residents, their families and our community as a whole.”
About 100 Alberta communities have participated in the initiative since it began in 2016. For instance, after participating in Healthy Communities by Design, the Pincher Creek Wellness Committee decided UV exposure posed a health hazard that could be mitigated. The committee developed a program that enabled community groups to rent shade tents for their events, and later added sun