Friday, September 28, 2012
Ottawa Public Health honoured with two distinguished awards
Ottawa - Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has received recognition this week for its work in brain injury prevention and for its contribution to excellence in health research.
OPH received the Brain Injury Association of Canada's (BIAC) Brain Injury Prevention Award in recognition of its head injury prevention initiatives including:
- Social media campaigns and contests to engage with youth, including Like My Helmet, Get Caught Wearing a Helmet, and, most recently, Adopt a Helmet
- Issuing a Helmet Day proclamation
- Increasing access to affordable helmets through “Helmet Day” and "Adopt a Helmet Week"
- Establishing a new helmet policy for indoor skaters under the age of 10 years in partnership with Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services
- Community outreach through Alcatel-Lucent Sunday Bikedays, Skate Safe on the Rideau Canal during Winterlude and community events
The award was presented at the BIAC's Annual Conference, held this year in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre from September 26 to 28, 2012.
OPH also received the Canadian Institutes of Health Research`s (CIHR) national Partnership Award for its part in the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (ONS). The team was led by Dr. Elizabeth Kristjansson and included partnering from the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, the City of Ottawa, local community health and resource centres, United Way/Centraide Ottawa, the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, IBM, and other community groups within Ottawa.
The ONS measures, quantifies and maps different aspects of the social and economic determinants of health across the city. Data such as obesity rates, numbers of parks and green spaces and quality housing information was collected and analyzed from neighbourhoods across Ottawa by team members. With localized data in hand, governments, residents and community groups can address the social challenges and the needs of individual neighbourhoods with a more informed approach.
Data from the ONS has improved OPH’s ability to meet the specific needs of Ottawa communities by tailoring public health programs such as flu vaccine clinics and school health programs.
For more information on helmet safety visit ottawa.ca. For more information on the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study visit the group`s website.
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