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2010 is the year to celebrate public health in Canada with the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). In preparation for this centenary, CPHA has unearthed many fascinating public health stories that will appeal to Canadians from all walks of life. These stories carry forward the public health tradition of advocacy for social change and illustrate the victories that have been won because individuals, communities and governments “fought the good fight.”

 

Why do these stories matter? Today the average lifespan of Canadians is more than 30 years longer than in the early 1900s and at least 25 of those years are attributable to initiatives taken in public health. CPHA is framing the story of “fighting the good fight” through the lens of 12 great public health achievements that are being celebrated this year. These achievements are: safer and healthier foods; control of infectious diseases; healthier environments; vaccination; recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard; motor-vehicle safety; decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke; healthier mothers and babies; acting on the social determinants of health; universal policies; safer workplaces; and family planning.

 

There are many great stories to tell. We tell some of them through the voices from the past, including provincial and federal health officials. Some of the topics covered in these conversations include:

 

The storytellers are at least as compelling as the issues. Consider, for instance, Dr. Gordon Bates, the founding director of the Health League of Canada, who said that “when people get sick unnecessarily or die before their time, I get hopping mad and I’ve got to do something about it.” And what did he do? He became a rough-and-tumble crusader for public health, the first known Canadian physician to use the words syphilis and gonorrhoea in public speeches. His persistent badgering of health authorities led to compulsory pasteurization of milk in Ontario and Saskatchewan to prevent the spread of typhoid and tuberculosis.

 

There’s also Lyle Creelman, who for 14 years was the Chief Nursing Officer with the World Health Organization and who, it was said, probably achieved more for nursing throughout the world than any other nurse in her time. Nurse Creelman was born and educated in Nova Scotia, specialized in public health nursing administration at Columbia University, was Director of Public Health Nursing with the Vancouver Health Committee, and immediately after World War II was appointed Chief Nurse for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in the British zone of occupation in Germany.

 

CPHA has assembled over 200 profiles such as these. The stories that these public health leaders tell are often simple but emotionally powerful. For example, the story told by Dr. Heagerty to his colleagues on the Dominion Council of Health in 1932:

 

 

In preparation for the centenary, a great deal of research has been undertaken and the rich material that has been gathered including: 

A project of CPHA, this book will be released in June and is the first attempt to tell the whole public health story in a comprehensive and well documented way.

 

A look at more than 200 public health leaders, both past and present.

 

Quotes from federal and provincial deputy ministers of health from the Dominion Council of Health minutes beginning in 1919; many quotes are gritty and very candid and indicate the challenges (and prejudices) that had to be overcome to achieve the benefits of good health we enjoy today.

A decade-by-decade look at the field of public health through its people, projects and accomplishments. It captures the breadth of public health and highlights special moments.

 

Several hundred public health milestones have been identified chronologically, starting from Confederation.

 

Current public health leaders discuss: what is public health; the current state of public health; most urgent issues; key achievements; and advice to those just starting a career in public health. There are also clips from frontline staff.

 

12 great achievements are being featured on the website through 2010 and each feature tells a story of a “good fight” that was fought and won.    

 

We have a deep roster of Canadians who can provide excellent accounts of these stories. We are working with public health leaders, experts, and the frontline across the country along with historians, researchers, and public health educators. More than 40 national NGOs are working with us as partners to present the Great Achievements program.

 

The Canadian Public Health Association is a national, independent, not-for-profit, voluntary association representing public health in Canada with links to the international public health community. CPHA’s members believe in universal and equitable access to the basic conditions which are necessary to achieve health for all Canadians.

 

CPHA was formed 100 years ago by a small group of doctors who were concerned about the state of public health in Canada. Public health concerns at that time included: the control of tuberculosis; compulsory vaccination against smallpox; the need for municipal planning and the regulation of housing and land development; the lack of training in hygiene, sanitary chemistry and bacteriology. The early founders of CPHA were determined to bring about change, “come hell or high water”. And indeed they did.

 

CPHA developed as a compelling story in its own right over the next 100 years, reflecting and shaping the broader evolution of public health in Canada. For its centenary, the Board of Directors formed a Centenary Steering Committee. The Chair of that committee, Mr. Gerry Dafoe, was the Chief Executive Officer of CPHA from 1973 to 2003. The Steering Committee struck working groups to provide advice on historical products and communications.

 

CANADIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
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OTTAWA ON  K1Z 8R1
 

613-725-3769