The links that appear in this section are meant to challenge
our conventional thinking about Community and Health. That
means the resource could offer a different solution to health
problems, or it could say the traditional thinking is flat-out
wrong. We just want to know about all the thinking in this
field, not just from people who agree with our view.
Health
Canada: Taking Action on Healthy Living
Background Information
on the Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy (Canada)
The Integrated Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy is a federal
program to promote health in Canada. As this background
document indicates, while the Strategy does use some community
health principles, such as preventative measures and integration
of many sectors, it is a traditional, top-down approach, which
invites little community involvement in the design or implementation
of the program. Promoting healthy lifestyles for Canadians
is a good goal—involving them directly in the process
would increase community engagement, as well.
US
Department of Health and Human Services et al.: Healthy People
in Healthy Communities
A Community Planning Guide Using
Healthy People 2010 (USA)
Healthy People 2010 is an ambitious and impressive initiative by three federal health agencies in the US. The innovative
aspect, and one that we haven’t seen much of elsewhere,
is that Healthy People 2010 has specifically targeted Health
Disparities as a community health problem. Health disparities
are gaps in the “healthiness” of one group of
people compared to others. This introduction to Healthy People
explains the goal of the program: to try and eliminate health
disparities and improve the over-all quality of life for people
everywhere in the US. Like the example from the Ontario Ministry
of Health, this is a project originating at the national level,
instead of in the communities themselves.
 The
Healthy People 2010 website
has much more information about this interesting program.
“About
Healthy People” describes it all in detail.
Have we missed something? Know a great resource
we should include here? Email us at tamarack@tamarackcommunity.ca.
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