Child and Youth Health
Why is Child and Youth Health one of MidCentral District Health Board’s Health Priority Areas?
Poor health in childhood can lead to poorer health in adult years, which is why MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) believes focusing on child health is an investment in the future health and wellbeing of the district.
More information about MDHB's planning around child or youth health is available in the document 'The Determinants of Health for Children and Young People in MidCentral (PDF. 4.03MB)'.
Two young children playing at the water's edge
The Child Health Strategy
The Board has released the Child Health Strategy that focuses on coordination and collaboration within and between sectors to address the many diverse factors that influence child health.
The strategy identifies seven objectives broadly based on the national Child Health Strategy:
- Develop leadership and strategic direction on child/tamariki health services
- Improve health outcomes for children/tamariki
- Reduce inequalities in health outcomes for children/tamariki
- Support families/whanau and communities in providing health environments for children/tamariki
- Improve collaboration and coordination in planning and provision of health services for children/tamariki
- Ensure equitable and timely access to health services for children/tamariki
- Develop information collection systems and research links
MidCentral DHB’s Strategies to Improve Child health:
- Invest in the prevention and reduction of child abuse, including the development of a systematic approach to children at risk, in conjunction with other agencies
- Develop healthy lifestyle and health education programmes targeted to both children/youth and their parents.
- Establish a community paediatric service
- Ensure more children are receiving child focused services
- Ensure the Well Child Tamariki Ora Framework is implemented and functioning well at a local level
- Establish a child health advisory committee
Investment
Additional funds will be used to purchase services to enhance child health on an ongoing basis. This will commence in the short to medium term and will have an annual value of $1 million.
Links:
MidCentral DHB Child Health information
Ministry of Health - Child
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Last Updated 16/06/2010