The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The monthly Healthy Flin Flon luncheon meeting was held at the Flin Flon Friendship Centre on Monday, December 6. The host was Christa McIntyre, the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority Education Director. McIntyre introduced the guest speaker, Catherine Hynes, who is the Director of Decision Support Services for the NOR-MAN RHA. Hynes presented a draft of the findings from the recent Community Health Assessment (CHA) that gives us, the general public, an idea of the health and well being of the residents in the NOR-MAN region. The first assessment was completed in 1997/98 and now, with this one being completed, there is something to compare the results to. Hynes went on to say, "The goal of the 2004 CHA was to provide a solid base of facts and data to guide the decision making within the NOR-MAN RHA. The information was gathered in two ways: first the statistical data/information on factors that influence the health and the health services was collected, secondly a series of community consultation activities such as public forums, focus groups, surveys and key interviews were held with community members and health care providers throughout the NOR-MAN region." The NOR-MAN region contains three districts with the #1 district being Flin Flon, Snow Lake and Cranberry Portage, #2 district being The Pas, OCN and the RM of Kelsey, and the #3 district being all cottage residents as well as Grand Rapids, Easterville, etc. (mainly First Nations communities). "Although we have many health concerns in NOR-MAN, we have seen some improvements in our health status since the last health assessment, which is very promising," stated Hynes. The following is some of the data gleaned from the surveys and studies: This pertains to the NOR-MAN region compared to the rest of Manitoba: - 49% of the residents are female and 51% are male; - 46% of the residents have claimed Aboriginal status; - 50% of residents are under the age of 30 (with the rest of the rate in Manitoba being 43%); - NOR-MAN's remoteness and widely scattered communities impacts on our access to services; - our region has two times higher rate of unemployment as well as lower education levels than other Manitoba regions; - within the NOR-MAN region, single parent family's median income is three times lower than couple families; - Flin Flon has the highest senior population in the region; - the NOR-MAN region has the highest rate of heavy drinkers in all of Canada (a heavy drinker is a person who consumes three or more drinks of alcohol a day); - suicides in the NOR-MAN region are the second highest rate in Manitoba. Health concerns: - in the NOR-MAN region of Manitoba, we have a higher rate of chronic diseases and a significant problem with unhealthy lifestyles; - leading cause of death in the region is diseases of the circulatory system; - leading cause of cancer deaths is lung cancer and we have the highest rate of lung cancer in Manitoba as well as the highest rate of cigarette smokers in the province, especially in females (thus family members and spouses are exposed to higher rates of second hand smoke); - deaths caused by unintentional injuries are three times higher than the rate than in the rest of the province; - diabetes is the top health concern, with NOR-MAN having the third highest rate of diabetes in the province and the rate is increasing rapidly. Type 11 diabetes used to show up in people over 30 years of age, however recently there was a 14 year-old diagnosed with it. - the teenage pregnancy rate in our region is almost two times higher than the Manitoba rate. Good news: - although we still have the second highest Premature Morality Rate (PMR) in the province, our PMR has seen a statistically significant improvement; - we are living longer, although we die three years earlier than the average Manitoban, our life expectancy has improved; - we have seen a significant improvement in our preventive screening rates including in mammography and cervical screening; - our influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates are steadily improving; - more people are quitting smoking in this area than the rest of the province. Less patients are being sent out for consultations as specialists are coming into the area. See 'Live' P.# Con't from P.# More residents are hospitalized than in other areas, we have the second highest admittance rate. However there are 40-66% Saskatchewan residents utilizing the Flin Flon General Hospital, which is the reason why the rate is high here. With regards to the Northern Transportation Plan, 6% of the warrants issued are for air ambulance, which uses up about 54% of the budget. As a comparison, in The Pas the majority of people sent out are for diagnostic, whereas in Flin Flon the majority of people sent out are for orthopedic treatments. Telehealth is showing great promise. The rates of cardiac catheterization and angioplasty are down compared to the rest of the province but the incidence of Caesarean sections and hysterectomies are quite high. In the telephone survey for the NOR-MAN region: - 50% respondents said they were good/excellent health; - 70% respondents said that exercise was a big part of their life; - 9% respondents said that diet was a big part of their life; - 15% respondents said that they had injured themselves in falls etc, enough to curtail physical activity; - 44% respondents said that they had utilized the hospital or ambulance in the last year; - 82% respondents stated that they had a regular health provider; - 70% respondents stated that they could get health services when it was needed; - the majority of the respondents stated that they were happy with the health services provided. (It should be noted that the telephone survey did not include the First Nations peoples, on reserves.) Hynes finished her presentation by saying, "People can't expect the NOR-MAN RHA to provide you with good health, you must take responsibility for yourself, by watching your diet, exercising and living a healthier lifestyle." The 2004 NRHA Community Health Assessment report can be accessed on the web site at www.norman-rha.mb.ca after December 15, 2004. Links are available within the Publications section of the main page. Questions or comments may be directed to [email protected]. Hard copies and booklet reports are also available at the NOR-MAN RHA office. The next Healthy Flin Flon meeting will take place on Monday, January 10, 2005 and will feature Early Childhood Education. See you there!
