City and Eastern Health Partner on a Healthy City Strategy

Monday, May 17, 2021 - 8:00 AM

Today, Danny Breen, Mayor of the City of St. John’s, and David Diamond, President and CEO of Eastern Health, signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards developing a Healthy City Strategy and kicked off a four-week public engagement process to help inform the final draft of the strategy.

The Healthy City Strategy is a collaboration between the City of St. John’s, Eastern Health and key stakeholders. It aligns existing plans, strategies, and initiatives with health and wellness goals, to make St. John’s a healthier and more livable city for everyone. Considerable consultation and research have influenced the development of the Healthy City Strategy to date.

“The health and wellness of residents has a substantial impact on their quality of life,” said Mayor Danny Breen. “The Healthy City Strategy provides Council, staff, partners and other levels of government with a framework to consider health factors as an integrated part of the strategic planning process, budgeting process, and in the delivery of programs and services. Through this important partnership with Eastern Health, we will collaborate with health experts who will help guide the development and implementation of the strategy and resulting programs and services.”

The Healthy City Strategy dovetails with the work being done at the provincial level by Dr. Parfrey and Sister Elizabeth Davis through the Health Accord NL. Similar to the plan proposed by the Health Accord NL, the Healthy City Strategy is a 10-year plan that will guide the decision-making process to promote change at the neighborhood level, while aligning efforts of community partners and government.

“By partnering with the City of St. John’s on this 10-year strategy, we are committing to working together to find solutions that will improve health outcomes for residents and enable them to take steps to improve the overall health of the population,” said David Diamond, President and CEO of Eastern Health. “This strategy is aligned with Eastern Health’s vision of Healthy People, Healthy Communities which highlights our long-standing commitment to the health and well-being of individual, families and communities.”

“Ongoing input from residents is a crucial aspect of the Healthy City Strategy. Today, we begin a four-week public engagement process to educate the public, and to ask for feedback on what a healthy city means to them. We want to ensure that everyone is represented,” said Mayor Breen.

Public engagement focuses on assets within neighborhoods, and virtual information sessions are being scheduled by neighbourhood area. Visit engagestjohns.ca to register for your neighbourhood session.