BC Health Act Renewal Project

Page 1

Rationale for the Project

• SARS, the Walkerton tainted water crisis, the threat of pandemic influenza, and challenges of preventing chronic diseases have intensified the need to develop a new Public Health Act.
• Public health legislation is a cornerstone of effective public health action.
• Current legislation is outdated, fragmented, and has many gaps.
• New health challenges require new public health legislation that is modern, coherent and connected, comprehensive, and flexible to meet emerging needs.
• Failure to update the act may have the following consequences:
  • Public health practitioners lack tools available in other jurisdictions.
  • Public health service delivery barriers.
  • Reduced ability of government to protect and improve health, and respond adequately to public health issues and emergencies, with potential serious consequences for the government and the public.

Structures

• Steering Committee – Chaired by Dr. Perry Kendall, Provincial Health Officer
• Working Committee – Chaired by Dr. Brian Emerson, Medical Consultant
• Public health service delivery barriers.
• Task Groups – for specific issues

Processes

• Policy analysis, discussion papers
• Targeted consultation – email, attend meetings, teleconferences, conference presentations
• Website http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/phact/
• Public Health law network – national network of people working with public health law

Timeline

• Project initiated in spring, 2003
• Discussion papers, preliminary consultations during 2003/04
• Website launched January, 2005
• Consultation Public Health Act posted November 2005
• Drafting bill fall/winter 2005

Consultations that have occurred

• Medical Health Officers
• Health Protection Directors
• Public Health Nurses
• BC Centre for Disease Control
• Union of BC Municipalities
• Health Canada – First Nations Inuit Health Branch
• First Nations health policy group
• BC Health Promotion Coalition
• Public Health Dental staff
• Tobacco enforcement officers and coordinators
• Nutritionists

Feedback from consultations

• Good opportunity to clarify roles, responsibilities, and relationships
• Important to have modern legislative tools
• Be careful not to lose strengths of existing Act
• Focus on outcomes of how this will improve health
• Ensure complements other related legislation
• Avoid enshrining structures that may change in the future – should be useful for many years.

Content of proposed Public Health Act

Overview

• Establish powers, duties, functions of minister, PH officials, health agencies, local government etc.
• Define requirements for core programs and population health promotion planning.
• Provide for measures central to public health protection and improvement i.e. Communicable Disease
• Control, Health Hazards, Public Health Threats and Emergencies
• Provide for regulations and other procedures to deal with specific issues.
• Ensure individual privacy protection and public interest information release.
• Provide for penalties, immunities, and administrative processes.
• Establish a common terminology.