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The Cost of Chronic Disease in Nova Scotia

Media Coverage

Sick days cost N.S. $100 million
March 12, 2003, The Halifax Herald

Keeping it simple; Choosing healthy foods easier with new labels
January, 28, 2003, The Halifax Herald

Political courage needed to improve our health system
Monday, January 27, 2003, The Halifax Herald ~ Danny Graham
“ Smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition cost the health care system $500 million per year. That's enough money to make university education completely free, pay for the health-care costs of seniors in nursing homes, twin 50 kilometres of highway, pay the salaries of 100 nurse practitioners, and still have enough left over for a 10 per cent personal tax cut. ”

Wednesday, January 22, 2003, The Halifax Herald ~ Jane Farquharson

N.S. needs 20-year health strategy

“ Over the past few months, I have heard comments from government officials indicating that fundamentally, health is the responsibility of the individual. However, in my two-plus decades working in the field of health promotion in this province, I have never believed that Nova Scotians have among the highest rates of illness and disease in Canada because they do not feel responsible for their own health. While I acknowledge that everyone has a role to play in creating a healthy society, government has the primary responsibility and mandate to introduce and implement policy and legislation that supports and encourages the health of the population. ”

December 5, 2002, The Coast, Halifax ~ Erica Butler

In sickness and in health

Romanow Report ignores what makes Canadians sick
“ That's why Ron Colman wants people to look beyond "The Future of Health Care In Canada," and start thinking about getting healthier. Colman, director of GPI Atlantic, a non-profit research group dedicated to measuring sustainable development, says Romanow has produced "a very powerful and first rate report on one of three burning health questions, and that's how to treat people who are sick. The other two are how do you improve the health of Canadians, and how do you curb spiraling health care costs?" ”

Get fit to cut health costs, Muir urges Nova Scotians
Saturday, October 19, 2002, The Daily News, Halifax ~ Peter McLaughlin
“ Nova Scotians battling the bulge and their unhealthy lifestyles should give up their remote controls and fatty diets if they want to help the province save the $3 billion it costs taxpayers to battle chronic illness, Health Minister Jamie Muir said Friday. ”

Chronic disease costing province billions
Friday, October 18, 2002, The Daily News, Halifax ~ Beverley Ware
Study finds preventable illnesses are creating an 'enormous economic burden' “ Chronic illness costs each Nova Scotian $3,200 a year, according to a new study released in Halifax yesterday. ¶ But nearly half of those diseases are preventable, the study’s author says, and so if people started living healthier the province could save nearly $3 billion a year. ”

Chronic diseases cost N.S. $3b yearly, 40% of illnesses preventable, says report's author
October 18, 2002, The Halifax Herald

October 17, 2002, Canadian Press ~ Alison Auld

Chronic disease costing N.S. $3 billion in health care, productivity

“ Chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease cost Nova Scotia more than $3 billion a year in lost productivity and direct health-care spending, according to a new study. ¶ The report, funded by Health Canada and the province, found that many of the costs were linked to people with both low income and education levels, and that many of the illnesses were preventable. ¶ "This is clearly a huge, huge issue for every Nova Scotian," Tom Ward, deputy minister of health, said Thursday during the release of the study, the first of its kind for the province. ¶ The study, done by the non-profit research group GPI Atlantic, found that chronic illnesses cost more than $1 billion a year in direct medical billing and about $1.8 billion in lost productivity... ¶ "The risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, are major problems in this province - things that are preventable, things that we can fix," Ward said. ”
Copyright © 2002 Canadian Press

The Cost of Chronic Disease in Nova Scotia
October 2002	Social Capital ~ Population Health
Author: Ronald Colman, Ph.D
Backgrounder 3 pages 56K PDF	Executive Summary 3 pages 184K PDF
	Full Report 139 pages 1.5MB PDF
Press Release	Media Coverage
Presentation: The Tides of Change: Addressing Inequity and Chronic Disease in Atlantic Canada September 22, 2004 (57 slides) 2.2MB PDF

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