Ward 11 candidate Derek Young says he would introduce a motion within the first month of office to establish a committee of council to address the overall health of our population.
Young says he has made mental health a priority and has attended a number of events aimed at addressing the issue.
"Mental health and wellness affects everyone in our community directly or indirectly," Young said. "We must treat each other with dignity and respect to foster a caring community."
Following is the full press release:
On June 20, 2018, 185 people from various agencies came together to discuss population health.
Last week, the “Population Health” report was presented to city council.
The report focuses on 10 key areas, which include Mental Health and Wellness, Indigenous Youth, Resiliency, Compassion, Housing, Play Opportunities, Holistic Health, Families, Age Friendly Strategies and Healthy Streets.
Since 2005, the City of Greater Sudbury has facilitated the Healthy Community Strategy, which has been a priority of council. Population health refers to “an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups. In order to reach these objectives, it looks at and acts upon the broad range of factors and conditions that have a strong influence on our health.”
Ward 11 candidate Derek Young would introduce a motion within the first month of office to establish a committee of council to address the report's recommendations and to work collaboratively and proactively with key stakeholders and engaged citizens to address the overall health of our population.
"While I read the report with great interest and applaud the efforts of the 185 people who came together, I feel this report provides a good foundation to build on with some very broad strategic goals, however, we need to see immediate action with our community partners and the City to develop real solutions, affecting real people, right now and make sure we have allocated the necessary resources to achieve our objectives" Young said. "We need tangible goals and outcomes."
During this campaign , Young has made mental health a priority by attending the Downtown Safety
Forum, where businesses were looking for solutions to deal with social order, which accounts for
approximately 30 per cent of the calls to police, attended the Suicide Awareness Day on Sept. 11 in Bell Park to hear from survivors, attended “An Audience of Chairs,” filmed in Sudbury, which screened at Cinéfest, documenting a mother's struggle with bi-polar disorder, and visited with a dear friend and community activist who is in recovery at HSN after two suicide attempts.
As Young was leaving HSN, a symbolic large rainbow appeared over Lake Ramsey.
"Mental health and wellness affects everyone in our community directly or indirectly," Young said. "We must treat each other with dignity and respect to foster a caring community."
A friend once said to me "You are the product of your creation, and if you are not well, the product is not well."
Opportunities and services will go a long way in helping to address population health and ensuring we have diversity in our services because we all respond differently. While some of us like to dream, others require structure. Young recognizes how important population health is to our community, our environment and our economy. He is prepared to champion this cause with our city, community partners and engaged citizens.
