As I have spoken about before, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) have a very unhealthy population with a high prevalence of chronic disease. We have some of the highest rates of:
· Heart disease
· Diabetes
· Cancer
· Obesity
· High blood pressure
· Stroke
· Multimorbility in a rapidly aging population
Although we see the negative results related to all of these illnesses within the cardiac and critical care program, the chronic disease that is most relevant to my practice is the incidence of cardiac disease we have in NL. Although the occurrences of cardiac disease and myocardial infarctions have decreased over the years across most of Canada, the numbers in NL are still significantly high.
The table I have created below shows the rates of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and myocardial infarction (MI) in Newfoundland and Labrador in comparison with Ontario (highest provincial population) and Canada as a whole. The numbers for NL look very low, however, when you look at the population of NL it is high for our small populous.
NL has the worst life expectancy, highest death rates for cancer, cardiac disease and stroke, and highest rate of chronic disease in Canada. (Health Accord, 2020). In my program we have the only cardiac catheterization (diagnostic and procedure) lab and the only cardiac surgery program on the island. Our referral rates are astronomical with the amount of cardiac disease in NL. In 2019-2020 we completed 3,448 cardiac catheterizations and 411 heart surgeries. A large contributor to our high rates of cardiac disease is unhealthy lifestyle: smoking, lack of exercise, and healthy food inaccessibility/education. Out of the NL population of a little over 500,000: 76% don’t eat the recommended number of fruits and vegetables, 50% are not as active as they should be, and 20% are smokers.
Something that is recognized in our government and health care system is accessibility. The Health Accord of NL is looking to stream line health care with a focus on public health. We definitely need to focus more on prevention and be proactive instead of reactive. We cannot change where people live or how they live their lives, but when they need us, we can optimize the care they receive as shown in this video.
Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS). Public Health Infobase. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/ccdss/data-tool/.
Health Accord Newfoundland and Labrador. (2020). Health Accord for Newfoundland and Labrador: A 10-year health transformation. St. John's, NL.
Live Well Health Clinic: Guelph, Canada. Live Well Health Clinic | Guelph, Canada. (2020, March 16). https://livewellhc.ca/.
Comments