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Respiratory health in northern B.C. One of our goals at Northern Health is to better understand the health needs of each community and to use this information to improve health. As we do this, we see that respiratory health often comes to the forefront.
Cathy Ulrich President and Chief Executive Officer, Northern Health
Why is this? There are many factors that impact respiratory health in northern B.C.: •
Where can you find Healthier You?
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• Doctors’ offices • Walk-in clinics • Pharmacies • Other community settings
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Smoking rates are higher here than in the rest of the province. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of hospitalization. Our aging population – and an aging population of current and exsmokers – contributes to this concern. Environmental factors impact the quality of the air we breathe.
As we enter another wildfire season and mark Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month (May), the timing is ideal for an issue of Healthier You looking at respiratory health. What I hope you’ll see in this issue is that respiratory health brings together so many different programs, people, and community partners. Northern Health, the YMCA of Northern BC, and the Department of Physical Therapy at UBC coming together to reduce hospital readmissions through pulmonary rehabilitation (page 14) is one great example of this. When we looked for the diverse people and programs impacting respiratory health, we found generous northerners who, through foundations and auxiliaries, are bringing state-of-the-art equipment to local hospitals across our region (page 9). We also found podcasters (page 7), meteorologists (page 5), respiratory therapists (page 12), and UNBC researchers (page 11) all working to promote health, protect healthy environments, and prevent lung disease. I hope that you enjoy learning about the many fascinating ways that we can have an impact on respiratory health. As always, we would love to hear what you think about the magazine. If you have any comments about the magazine, please contact our health promotions team at healthpromotions@northernhealth.ca. Thank you for reading. 4
Healthier You
SUMMER 2017
Healthier You Volume 6, Issue 2 – Summer 2017
Published by:
the northern way of caring
www.glaciermedia.ca
PUBLISHED BY NORTHERN HEALTH & THE PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
Copyright ©2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction of articles permitted with credit. Northern Health
Contributors / Healthier You is produced by the Northern Health health promotions team with contributions from Northern Health staff and partner organizations, in partnership with The Prince George Citizen.
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Advertisements in this magazine are coordinated by The Prince George Citizen. Northern Health does not endorse products or services. Any errors, omissions or opinions found in this magazine should not be attributed to the publisher. The authors, the publisher and the collaborating organizations will not assume any responsibility for commercial loss due to business decisions made based on the information contained in this magazine. Speak with your doctor before acting on any health information contained in this magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without crediting Northern Health and The Prince George Citizen. Printed in Canada. Please recycle.
