Happy Holidays from the Public Health Association of BC!
As we look to the new year we want to share our highlights from 2019
Charitable Status: Canada Revenue Agency formally notified PHABC of its successful application for charitable status. PHABC is now a registered charity, the culmination of a two-year effort.
Summer School: Our tenth annual Summer School “Simplifying Complexity: Public Health Approaches & Practice in Complex Systems” expanded to reach a record 236 participants across five provinces and one territory.
Farm to School: Farm to School hosted a webinar series showcasing inspirational champions across the province. We reached 43 schools with funding to support their Farm to School programs and activities. The spring celebrations across the regional hubs celebrated the work of teachers, parents, students, and community partners. It was a highlight of the year.
Farm to Cafeteria National Conference: Farm to School co-hosted the first ever National Farm to School Conference in Victoria, in May, 2019. The conference, which brought over 300 delegates from 9 provinces and the USA, was a tremendous success. The conference was a 3 day event, which hosted 6 inspiring field trips, a harvest dinner reception at the Songhees Wellness Center, and two days of workshops, speaker sessions and keynote events. We were sponsored by a number of local producers, a detail that truly made the conference feel local.
Kids Boost Immunity: This free, online program used in schools across Canada has gained national and international interest. Lessons address vaccine misinformation, test knowledge through a “game” format and earn vaccines for children in support of UNICEF. Since March 2018, almost 1 million questions have been answered and over 56,000 vaccines earned.
Vaccine Safety Net: We became members of the World Health Organization Vaccine Safety Net as a result of our work with Immunize BC, I Boost Immunity and Kids Boost Immunity. Our Executive Director is part of the global advisory committee for the Vaccine Safety Net and was recently named the Chair of that multi country forum.
ChatterHigh: Is an online tool for middle and high school students to explore careers through quizzes. A total of 15 public health disciplines were identified and outreach to PHABC membership across these professions resulted in 11 excellent submissions for the quiz component. Questions were developed with practitioners and has led to excellent partnerships and collaborations.
Policy Advocacy Research and Communication Committee: This Committee was active on many fronts this past year. Positions were drafted and confirmed on the topics of Smoke-Free Housing, the overdose emergency public health response, the Basic Income approach to poverty reduction by David Green’s group, climate emergency and inequities, and most recently, Canada taking a stand against the inequities and Human Rights violations in Chile.
We remain committed to strengthening the impact of people who are active in public health in BC and achieving our mission of promoting health, wellbeing and equity for all British Columbians through leadership in public health. Reaching this requires a community of support and we count on your involvement as our members and partners so that we can continue to make a difference.
Wishing everyone peace on earth!
