A new five-year plan has been launched by the Health Directorate aimed at supporting Canberrans to live healthy and active lives.
The Healthy Canberra: ACT Preventive Health Plan 2020-2025 sets out a framework for preventing chronic disease and supporting improved health and wellbeing outcomes, with the aim of keeping Canberrans out of hospital.
Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith said the Plan was about shifting the focus from treating illness to preventing illness.
“Our hospitals, health services and the health professionals that work in them do a fantastic job providing quality health care to Canberrans when they need it,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“Ensuring that our specialist health services are supported to do their job will always be a priority for our government,” she said.
“But we also need to invest in keeping Canberrans healthy through better preventive, primary and community-based care. This will not only take pressure off our hospitals and health services but will also see more Canberrans living in good health, enjoying full and active lives.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said the Plan had five key priority areas: Supporting children and families; Enabling active living; Increasing healthy eating; Reducing risky behaviours; and Promoting healthy ageing.
She said it would also focus on supporting families to set up a strong foundation for good health in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
The Minister said a new Preventive Health Coordinator would be appointed in early 2020 to oversee the implementation of the Plan across ACT Government.
She said the Coordinator would work in partnership with community and health sector organisations to implement a range of actions under the Plan to help keep Canberrans healthy and active.
The 23-page Healthy Canberra: ACT Preventive Health Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
