Community Outcome - Porirua is Active and Healthy
This page describes the Community Outcome: Porirua is Active and Healthy.
Porirua is active and healthy - "People understand, access and participate in healthy choices, activities and healthcare services".
We want to live long healthy lives, with more people physically active and smokefree. This means we know about health services and use them when they need to. We want health inequalities to be reduced for Maori, Pacific people and those with disabilities. We also seek a well trained and dependable workforce.
While the health sector takes the lead role in the provision of healthcare services, health professionals and health promotion, Council makes a contribution to an active and healthy Porirua in a variety of ways. Some of these include: city designs that encourage walking and cycling, providing quality amenities such as pools and gymnasiums, ensuring public health through quality infrastructure (such as safe drinking water and water management) and regulatory services such as building and health inspections.
There are many projects and activities that assist in the achieving a healthy and active Porirua. Five examples are:
(1) Porirua Kids Project
The Porirua Kids Project has been launched to address the high rates of rheumatic fever and serious skin infections among local children. The initiative is a collaborative effort between local primary healthcare providers, PHOs, Regional Public Health and the Capital and Coast DHB. Work which contributes to reducing rheumatic fever will be a regular agenda item for the Porirua Strategic Coordination Group convened by Council. Attended by a range of government agencies, the rheumatic fever updates can include work by health professionals and those whose work contributes to addressing the wider social determinants, such as damp and cold homes and overcrowding.
(2) Healthy Eating / Healthy Action (HEHA)
HEHA Porirua (Healthy Eating – Healthy Action) is a local group of health providers and services that collectively has a vision “to create an environment that supports and encourages individuals, families, and communities to be physically active and maintain good nutrition”. HEHA Porirua aims to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce obesity through wide ranging and multiple actions. For example HEHA Porirua has supported the Schools Rugby Nations Tournament held recently with 20 local primary schools participating. This included featuring the children in the Strong Pacific Families World Cup Parade, hosting a number of visits to schools by local coaches, and numerous opportunities for the schools to meet with some of the visiting rugby teams.
(3) Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service
In May 2011 the Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service was launched replacing the School Dental Service. Aimed at improving access to dental services and improving oral care the Bee Healthy Regional Dental Service involves campervan sized mobile dental clinics visiting every school to provide each student with their free annual checkup. If any treatment is needed this can be done at one of the 11 brand new community based dental clinics. Porirua has two new clinics, the largest of which is at Brandon School in Cannons Creek (six dental chairs) and a two chair clinic in Titahi Bay. Further information is available on the Bee Healthy website.
(4) Dealing with Addiction - Porirua Alcohol and Drug Cluster
The Porirua Alcohol and Drug Cluster (PADC) is made up of a group of agencies that meets regularly to coordinate their collective response to the social harm caused by substance misuse including alcohol, drugs and problem gambling. PADC was established in 2008 following a Porirua community hui on alcohol and drugs and is chaired by the Porirua Healthy Safer City Trust Coordinator. The objectives of the Trust are:
- to promote more social responsibility by our community
- to advocate for more treatment centres and programmes; and
- for existing agencies to work together to educate and support those affected by alcohol and drugs in Porirua.
Recently the Cluster released a three disk DVD series called "Oi – Time to Think About Us!" It was filmed at Aotea College over the April 2010 school holidays and involved 47 Porirua youth aged 13-18 years. In the DVD students explore the impact of alcohol on their lives in a series of 25 short films. The second phase of the project involves young people taking the films back to the community to create better communication and improved behaviour around alcohol.
The "Oi! Time to think about us!" DVD is available as a community resource. If you are interested in the DVD or knowing more about the project please contact the Project Manager, Andrea Boston by email andrea.boston@huttvalleydhb.org.nz, or phone (04) 570 9138, mobile 027 630 6732.
(5) Healthy Porirua Project
The Healthy Porirua Project is a Regional Public Health (RPH) project aimed at reducing health inequalities and improving well being for families in Porirua. The project has five action areas:
- good quality affordable housing
- health affordable food
- access to services and facilities
- adequate income; and
- community safety and connectedness.
You can keep up-to-date with the progress of the Healthy Porirua Project through the Happening Porirua (HAP) newsletter.
Many organisations, sectors, groups, forums and people contribute to this outcome. Here are some of the lead agencies:
Many strategies, policies, programmes, charters and agreements contribute to this outcome, and are directly relevant to Porirua, while others are more of regional or national significance. Some that play a part in this outcome are:
Click to return to the Community Outcomes home page, or go forward to Community Outcome - Learning for Life.