Around the Regions

St. John's

from St. John's Heart Health Coalition....

A New Steering Committee Elected

A new Steering Committee for the St. John's Coalition was elected at the September 1998 meeting. A welcome is extended to:

• Linda Carter, Health & Community Services, St. John's - Chairperson
• Kathie Saunders, Memorial University Wellness Centre - Vice-Chairperson
• Lisa Clouter, Kenmount Park Community Centre - Secretary
• Sean McKenna, Mt. Pearl Parks & Recreation Department - Active Living Representative
• Margie Coombs, Health & Community Services, St. John's, - Healthy Eating Representative
• Brent Smith, Canadian Cancer Society - Smoke-Free Representative
• Linda Andrews, Health & Community Services, Torbay Office - Community Health Representative

The Coalition has also established their goals and objectives for the next year, which promises to be another busy one.

Summer Activities - 1998

A student was hired this summer to conduct heart health activities, which once again proved to be very successful.

Two Heart Health Workshops for recreation leaders were held with a total of 40 leaders attending. Information provided focused on healthy eating, active living and being smoke-free. Participants learned games such as "Guess the Food", the "Grocery Store Relay" and the "Over Under Relay", which they could play with the children at their centres to help reinforce the health messages.

Following the workshop, a "Ticker Tom Heart Health Week" was coordinated and the leaders who attended the workshop were invited to participate. Nine recreation programs in the region, involving over 600 children , participated. During the week, children performed plays on how to say "no" to smoking; wrote heart healthy songs and brought in food items to create a "giant snack tray". For their efforts, children received pencils, stickers and a Ticker Tom Newsletter. The sites that participated in the week were entered in a draw for a 2-hour "fit and swim" party at New World Fitness Centre. Flatrock Recreation Program was the winner. A "thank-you" is extended to New World Fitness for their generous donation.

Summer Student Alison James, (left) completing a Heart Health Survey at a site visit.

A Heart Healthy Survey was developed and conducted with Health and Community Services staff this summer. It provided alot of information about heart health activities in the region and generated some new interest in the Coalition. Three staff from St. John's Health and Community Services have now joined as new members of the Coalition and are anxious to get going with some heart health activities.

The Cable TV series "Heart Health for Life" has finally been completed. The shows were aired during September by Cable Atlantic Stations in the province. A big thank-you to Cable Atlantic for supporting Heart Health. Re-runs are on the air, so keep your TV tuned in to see some of your colleagues in action.

A "Walk for Wellness" was held in Trepassey this summer with 60 people attending. Included in the event were a variety of displays on lifestyle issues and heart health promotional items for participants. A number of businesses in the region donated food and drink items. A good time was had by all.