(Saskatoon) – On behalf of the Minister of Health, Rona Ambrose, Parliamentary Secretary, Eve Adams, Member of Parliament for Mississauga – Brampton South, Ontario, today announced funding by the Government of Canada's Innovation Strategy to support the Health Promoting Schools Program. The project supports children, youth and their families to achieve healthier weights, improve student health and learning, and to promote mental well-being in communities, including schools in Métis, First Nations and Francophone communities using a 'whole-school' approach.
"The Government of Canada supports innovative projects that improve the physical and mental health of Canadians," said Parliamentary Secretary Adams. "Our government is pleased to invest in this project to help schools and communities in Saskatchewan and British Columbia to improve their overall health while reaching out to those in need."
"A number of factors affect a person's health; including education," says Maura Davies, President and CEO of Saskatoon Health Region. "Education is an important determinant of health status, and health has a strong influence on a person's ability to learn. The Region and the school divisions have partnered to build a local approach that takes into account these determinants of health."
The Health Promoting Schools Program aims to develop innovative ways to share best and promising practices in school health between partners, engage diverse stakeholders, deliver school based activities and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program for the improved health and learning of students and their families.
Dr. Richard Stanwick, Chief Medical Health Officer, Island Health said, "Island Health is striving to emulate what has already been achieved in Saskatoon and to further enhance our understanding of what we can do locally to help our island schools develop exciting initiatives of their own choosing that will benefit the health of not only the students but also society as a whole."
The Public Health Agency of Canada's Achieving Healthier Weights in Canada's Communities is focused on taking action to address health inequalities through specific Innovation Strategy projects. These projects will focus on population health interventions — actions taken to maintain and improve the health status of the entire population and to reduce health differences between groups.
The Government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively across all sectors to promote programs and activities that support healthy living, physical activity and chronic disease prevention.
