PAHO partners with Health Ministry to promote wellness

Philando Neil, Gleaner Intern

THE PAN American Health Organisation( PAHO) is partnering with the Ministry of Health to train 20 faith-based lay wellness promoters in response to the prevalence of chronic diseases and the need to promote healthy lifestyles.

Persons will be trained to do basic health checks such as blood pressure and glucose checks, and to make appropriate referrals for further treatment.

Dr Sonia Copeland, director of disease prevention in the Ministry of Health, said she hoped the training would be successful as they seek to promote healthy lifestyles through the development of a cadre of wellness promoters.

"Through this workshop, we want to reinforce the importance of being physically, mentally and socially well. The World Health Organisation has asked us to encourage persons to eat healthy, engage in physical activities and desist from smoking and consuming high intakes of alcohol," Copeland said. The workshop started Wednesday at the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston and will end today.

Meanwhile, Dr Tanu Davidson Sadler, medical epidemiologist in the Ministry of Health, said faith-based organisations were chosen primarily because a large percentage of the island's population belonged to a religious group and information could be easily passed on.

"We believe that this is a group that we must target, as the church plays an integral role in the involvement of health. Many faith-based organisations have a clinic and a health ministry, and we see this as a channel through which we can work," Sadler said. "When people are sick they turn to their church as this is central."

Sadler noted that most of the chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and hypertension are caused by modified risk factors such as smoking and high consumption of alcohol. She said this could be prevented through changing one's diet. Sadler urged persons to become more active, reduce high levels of stress and work towards promoting a healthy lifestyle.

'The World Health Organisation has asked us to encourage persons to eat healthy, engage in physical activities and desist from smoking and consuming high intakes of alcohol.'