A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT HEALTH
New theme aims to highlight different factors this year, such as poverty and housing
Community Health and Wellbeing Week kicks off on Monday SHIFTING FOCUS GTA teens play soccer at Esther Shiner Stadium on Saturday. The teens were involved in a tournament ahead of Community Health and Wellbeing Week, which is focusing this year on highlighting issues not usually associated with health.
Starting Monday, more than 100 community health centres across the province will host events to educate Ontarians about how to take better care of themselves, as part of the annual nationwide Community Health and Wellbeing Week.
Dozens of events are scheduled to take place in Ontario between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, many in the GTA.
This year’s theme, “shift the conversation,” highlights the desperate need to focus on factors that people don’t normally associate with health, a spokeswoman with the Association of Ontario Health Centres told the Star. These factors include things like education, housing and poverty that affect the well-being of individuals, families and entire communities, said Sofia Ramirez. “Health is about more than just going to your doctor’s office,” she stressed. Although Monday is the official start date for the week, a couple of events took place on the weekend, including a soccer tournament Sat- urday beneath the Hydro towers behind Esther Shriner Stadium. Several teams participated from around the city and included teens originally from South America and Burma. “When you’re just stuck in your community, you’re just staying in that silo thinking this is your own community. This is about getting out and interacting with other people,” said youth worker Marlon Greene taking in a match from the sidelines.