Health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity (adapted from World Health Organization, 1948 to include spiritual). The health of a population is influenced by the overall health of its citizens as well as the social,...

Life expectancy:  According to Statistics Canada Health Profile 2011, female life expectancy at birth is 80 years in Niagara and 81 years in Ontario. Life expectancy for males was 77.5 years and 82.5 for females. Age standardization:  Because Niagara has an older population compared to Ontario, we need to adjust...

The lifestyle indicators for Niagara, 2009 are:  Tobacco use 30.1% of Niagara adults over the age of 20 reported smoking daily or occasionally. This is significantly higher compared to the percentage of adults that reported smoking daily or occasionally in Ontario (22.5%). Physical activity For physical activity, Niagara has a...

Rates of chronic conditions in 2011:  Rates are decreasing slightly in Niagara for arthritis (17.7% in 2009 compared to 22.2% in 2005), but are higher than the 16.2% rate for Ontario. Niagara rates for diabetes are lower (5.1% compared to 6.1% in Ontario) , but higher for asthma (10.1% to...

Obesity rates: The Niagara region continues to fight rising obesity rates and the concerns that arise from increasing obesity rates for children and youth. The rates of obesity are generally higher than those in Ontario, but similar to Canada in the last 2 years.  Current estimates indicate that 49.3 %...

Mental health and mental illness:  Mental illness hospitalization rates in Niagara are reported to be very high – at 616 per 100,000 persons versus 392 in Ontario. According to the Canadian Community Health Survey 2011, 7.5% of Niagara residents are affected by a mood disorder (6.5% in Ontario and 6.7%...

Low birth weight rate:  This refers to the percent of babies born weighing less than 2,500 grams. Low birth weight is an indicator of the general health of newborns and a key determinant of infant survival and development. Low birth weight infants are at a greater risk for developing life-long...

Cancer rates: Niagara Region Public Health compiled a report in August, 2011 entitled Niagara Cancer Statistics, 2000-2007 (Excerpt from PHSSC Report – PHD 29-2011). http://www.niagararegion.ca/news/publications/pdf/Niagara-Cancer-Stats-2000-2007.pdf From 2000 to 2007 there were 9,016 cancer-related deaths inNiagararegion. These figures show the percentage of deaths due to different types of cancers. Over one-quarter...

Emergency response times:  The Niagara Emergency Medical System (EMS) dispatch center has seen an increase in the emergency call volume of 16.7% between 2007 and 2009, which is substantially higher than the average 6% increase across Ontario.  There are 17 ambulance bases throughout the region with 30 emergency service vehicles,...

Wait times for surgeries and emergency rooms … Ontario’s Wait Time Strategy was developed to improve access to 5 key health services by reducing wait times for cancer surgery, cardiac procedures, cataract surgery, hip and knee replacement and MRI and CT scans. The strategy has expanded to include all surgeries...

Health care providers in Niagara:  Physicians are one important professional group involved in primary health care. It is important to have enough physicians, specialists and health care providers in Niagara to provide care. Access to a primary health care provider has long been associated with overall decreased medical costs and...

The Niagara Health System (NHS), Ontario’s largest multi-site hospital amalgamation is comprised of 7 sites and serves over 434,000 residents across the region.  Currently, the NHS has almost 900 acute care, complex continuing care, mental health, long term care and addictions treatment beds. The NHS has 4,154 employees and 599...

Hospitalization for adverse health events … Niagara data indicates we are above Ontario and Canada in rates of hospitalization of acute myocardial infarction events and above Ontario for injury hospitalizations. Source: Statistics Canada Health Profile Death rates for specific cancers in Niagara indicate they are highest for circulatory dieases and...

Health planning:  In 2006, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care divided the province into 14 regions, more commonly known as Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) so that people living locally were able to plan, fund and integrate health services in their own communities (Ministry of Health and Long Term...