News From Provincial Office . . .

New Staff At Provincial Office

A hearty welcome is extended to Carol Ann MacDonald as Manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador Heart Health Program. Carol Ann has been with the Department of Health and Community Services for a number of years and is looking forward to working with and supporting the Coalitions on Heart Health Initiatives.

The program also welcomes Peggy Holmes to the position of Planning and Research Analyst. Peggy has worked both provincially and regionally on health related issues and looks forward to working with and visiting the Coalitions across the Province.

A special thank-you is extended to Carla Brown, former Planning and Research Analyst, for her contribution to the Program.

Ticker Tom......A Cat With Some Cool Health Messages To Share!

The Ticker Tom Program provides a fun and interactive way to get Heart Health messages to children and youth ages 6 - 12, enrolled in summer recreation programs. Throughout this program, Ticker Tom promotes out three Heart Health messages ..... eat healthy, be active and stay smoke-free. The original program was developed by the St. John's Heart Health Coalition and used in recreation programs throughout this region. Due to the positive response and interest in the Program, the NLHHP and the Teen Tobacco Team have joined forces to revise and make Ticker Tom available across the province by June 2000......purr-fect!!!

Heart Smart Restaurant Program

The Heart Smart Restaurant Program is a public education initiative designed to help restaurant patrons identify and select healthy food choices. Since the early 1990's, this program has been successfully implemented by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Health and Community Services - St. John's Region. Due to requests from other Regional Heart Health Coalitions, the Newfoundland and Labrador Heart Health Program and the Heart and Stroke Foundation are partnering to make this program available province-wide.

A Steering Committee, which has been meeting to review and revise the program, plan to have it ready to implement by September 2000.

To find out if your favorite restaurant, cafeteria or lunch counter is a Heart Smart participant, look for the Heart Smart Logo on the front door or window, or ask when you make a reservation.

Volunteering... A Time Honoured Tradition

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have always relied on and helped each other....this tradition of community support and action lives on today, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

In recognition of Volunteer Week, the Newfoundland and Labrador Heart Health Program would like to say a special thank-you to the many volunteers involved in developing and organizing heart health activities in our communities around the province.

NLHHP Heart Month Activities

During the month of February, staff at the Department of Health and Community Services were pleased to participate in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's "Dress for Red" campaign. A large number of employees supported this initiative by sporting many shades of red to both raise awareness and funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The Provincial Heart Health office participated in a Wellness Week Health Fair, organized to raise awareness of health and wellness issues for government employees. Thank-you to the St. John's, Heart Health Coalition for kindly allowing us to use their newly developed Heart Health Booklet and Trivia Contest, during this event.

Heart and Stroke Foundation.....Heart Month

Know Your Numbers......

February was Heart Awareness Month with the focus this year in Newfoundland and Labrador on the critical area of hypertension. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke and there is a tremendous need for people to understand how important it is for them to "know their numbers".

More than three million Canadians have high blood pressure - many without knowing it! That's why it is so dangerous. Silently, without symptoms, it damages the heart, brain and blood vessels, Fortunately, it is easily diagnosed and treated. The best defense is to have your blood pressure checked regularly and to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Blood pressure, or the pressure at which the blood flows through the body, fluctuates depending on physical activity levels, stress levels and the consumption of certain stimulants (for example, caffeine increases blood pressure).

Normal blood pressure ranges from 100/60 to 130/80 millimeters of mercury, with the average being 120/80. Blood pressure of more than 140/90 indicates hypertension. Approximately 10 per cent of the population suffers from high blood pressure. Too much pressure over time causes damage to your arteries, putting you more at risk for a heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

For more heart and stroke information, log on to the new Canadian Heart and Stroke website at www.heartandstroke.ca.

Teen Tobacco Team and Launch of Kick the Nic Program

The Teen Tobacco Team was formed in the fall of 1999. It was set-up to advise government on issues related to youth and tobacco, and in particular, to help reduce the amount of smoking among the young people in Newfoundland and Labrador. During National Non-Smoking Week, the Team launched its first promotional campaign by distributing a poster to all schools across the province. The Team also assisted in the development of the Class of 2000 Smoking Prevention Scholarship Program.

In March 2000, the Teen Tobacco Team met to provide input into a new smoke-free web site targeted primarily at young people and to offer suggestions for the multi media campaign to be launched by the Alliance for the Control of Tobacco in the Spring of this year.

The Teen Tobacco Team also had a chance to review a smoking cessation program aimed specifically at teens. The Kick the Nic program was officially launched in Newfoundland and Labrador as part of the provincial Youth Tobacco Strategy. This youth smoking cessation program, developed in British Columbia, is being pilot tested in schools in Western, Northern, and Central Newfoundland and in St. John's this Spring. Early next year, Kick the Nic will be implemented province-wide, once the pilots have been completed and evaluated.

Through the Kick the Nic Program, the Teen Tobacco Team, and other initiatives, the province's Youth Tobacco Strategy hopes to send the message to young people that smoking kills.