Working together to promote wellness and prevent illness

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is responsible for delivering health services to you, your family members, your friends and your neighbours. In partnership with Alberta Health, we’re collaborating with Albertans throughout the Calgary Zone on what healthcare could or should look like in 15 years. We’re working toward a vision - Healthy Albertans. Healthy Communities. Together. And we hope to work toward a health system that is more focused on wellness and prevention than it is today..

There are a number of factors that can influence the general health of the population. Consider some facts from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA):

• Half of all illnesses are associated with a person’s life and lifestyle, including, working conditions, social safety nets, smoking, physical inactivity and poor nutrition.
• 15 per cent of illnesses are associated with our biology, such as family history of disease.
• 10 per cent are associated with our environment, such as air and water quality.
• 25 per cent are associated with our healthcare system such as access to physicians, specialists and services.

This means that between AHS and Albertans, we have some control of some of the factors that can make people sick or sicker.

Preventative care includes access to health services and also extends beyond the care delivered by AHS. We may need to include the educational system in a 15-year plan, and the ability to teach children at a young age how to live a healthy life. Some answers might be as simple as access to sidewalks or fresh food, or socio-economic factors such as appropriate housing.

Half of all illnesses are associated with a person’s life and lifestyle, including working conditions, social safety nets, smoking, physical inactivity and poor nutrition.