In British Columbia, the Population and Public Health program collects, analyzes and shares all health data pertaining to health status, chronic disease and protective and risk factors affecting British Columbians. They work closely with the Ministry of Health, regional health authorities (Fraser Health, Interior, Coastal etc) as well as Universities. Similarly, Manitoba’s Health and Seniors department provides this same information. The information gathered from both provinces is then shared with the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System.
The Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS) is a collaborative network of provincial and territorial surveillance systems, supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) (Government of Canada, n.d). Data is collected and stored on all residents. It generates both national estimates and can detect trends.
So how is information gathered?
In British Columbia, information is gathered from the Ministry of Health and Provincial Health Services, and disease registries. The development of a system for gathering all information is currently in the works. In addition to the above, BC has developed a Healthy Families BC (HFBC) program. This program provides families with resources, tools and programs needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent both chronic disease and injury.
In Manitoba, information is gathered by the epidemiology and surveillance unit as part of Public Health. This specialized unit supports public health by monitoring, analyzing and reporting on the “occurrence, spread, and severity of communicable and non-communicable diseases and conditions in Manitoba”.
Both provinces work similarly in terms of data collection and surveillance. Each province has developed a team for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and sharing data. The difference is how the information is then shared.
How is information shared?
In Manitoba, you can find the information on the Government of Manitoba website under chronic disease reports. I did not find this user-friendly. The reports were outdated and broken down by disease requiring time to access your required data.
In British Columbia, you can access statistics through the Chronic Disease Dashboard. This dashboard is user-friendly and easy to understand. I have attached a screenshot of the database.
References
BC Centre for Disease Control. (n.d.). Population & public health surveillance. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from http://www.bccdc.ca/our-services/programs/population-public-health-surveillance
Government of Canada. (n.d.). Canadian chronic disease surveillance system (ccdss). Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://health-infobase.canada.ca/ccdss/#about_ccdss
Government of Manitoba. (n.d.). Chronic disease reports. Province of Manitoba - Health and Seniors Care. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/surveillance/chronic.html
Government of Manitoba. (n.d.). Epidemiology and surveillance. Province of Manitoba - Health and Seniors Care. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/surveillance/index.html
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