Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office

Health Promotion

Objective:

To promote healthy living for all persons with disabilities and those at risk of disability, including those affected by FASD, chronic illness and mental health issues

Key Accomplishments

Extended Health Benefits

• Health benefits, including drug, dental and optical benefits, under the Rewarding Work Health Plan were extended for up to two years to all single parents and persons with disabilities who leave EIA to take a job.
• The Deductible Installment Payment Program (DIPP) for Pharmacare helps reduce financial hardship for individuals and families whose eligible drug costs are a significant portion of their monthly family income. The Payment Program is an option for eligible Manitobans to pay their annual Pharmacare deductible in monthly installments.
• Changes to Pharmacare will provide additional treatment coverage for persons with disabilities who have diabetes, mental health, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and severe forms of psoriasis. New generic drugs requirements mean Manitobans have access to lower-cost prescriptions.
• A new agreement with the Manitoba Orthotists and Prosthetists Association will assure the continued access to orthotic and prosthetic devices for persons with disabilities. It will also recognize the clinical services provided by professional orthotists and prosthetists, and it will establish an expert advisory committee to review and make recommendations on new orthotics and prosthetic technologies.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Initiatives

• Stop FASD is a three-year community outreach program providing intensive support to women who are pregnant or have recently had a baby and are struggling with alcohol or drug use. The program is offered at four sites, two in Winnipeg, one in The Pas and one in Thompson. Portage la Prairie, Flin Flon and Dauphin are possible future sites.
• Spectrum Connections provides services and supports for Manitoba youth and adults living with FASD. The program provides services for youth and adults who do not qualify for other Manitoba funding.

Health and Wellness

• Funding has been provided to regions to strengthen an integrated team approach to chronic disease prevention and healthy living across the province. A key aim is to prevent disabling conditions.
• Manitoba Health and Healthy Living has implemented a staffing education initiative focused on long term care.
• Funding has been provided for an education program for staff who work with people with dementia in home care, personal care homes, physicians’ offices, families etc. The program is co-ordinated by the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba and is province-wide.
• The Regional Diabetes Program is a province-wide initiative for prevention, education, care and support services. As part of the program, more than 700 health care providers have been trained to screen Manitobans and teach the risks for the development of Type 2 diabetes, diabetes complications and/or other chronic diseases. In addition, the Manitoba retinal screening program has screened more than 1800 people in over 50 communities in the North since 2007, helping to prevent vision loss and blindness. Through early detection, prevention, intervention and partnerships (ex: Canadian National Institute for the Blind), this program promotes independent living for persons who are blind or have poor vision.
• Round Table Recommendation: The province has implemented Get Better Together!, a self-management program to help people living with chronic disease gain the skills and confidence required to manage their condition and maintain active, fulfilling lives.
• The province has provided $3 million to the Rick Hansen Going Forward Together legacy initiative. This investment will provide support at the community level for research and improved quality of life for persons living with spinal cord injuries.
• The Unified Referral and Intake System (URIS) was created to support children who require special health care interventions while they are apart from their parents or guardians so they can safely attend school, child care, recreation programs or respite. URIS is a joint initiative between the partner departments of Family Services and Housing, Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth and Manitoba Health and Healthy Living.

Injury Prevention

• The Provincial Injury Prevention Strategy supports key activities to reduce injury at provincial, community, professional and personal levels.
• Manitoba Healthy Living, in partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives and Manitoba Labour and Immigration, has developed the Safe Play Area Development Grants. These grants provide farm families with up to $500 to help with the costs of building secure, enclosed play areas for their children.
• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, Manitoba Labour and Immigration and Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation have implemented a two-year pilot
  Farm Safety Check Program. It supports 60 producers with management practices that help them ensure the safety and health of everyone on their farms.
• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives offers farm safety training programs on farm all terrain vehicles (ATV) operation, tractor operations, horse handling, cattle handling and first response to farm incidents.

Service Delivery

• Manitoba Health and Healthy Living has a long standing funding arrangement supporting American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting and intervener services.

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2009/10 Down Payment on the Disability Strategy

• A $250,000 investment will support development of a website and public awareness campaign to help Manitobans identify the risk factors that can lead to Type 2 diabetes and find ways to prevent or delay it.
• Legislation has been tabled that strengthens the Personal Injury Protection Plan (PIPP) and includes a new definition of catastrophic injury. Once passed, the legislation will provide an additional $14 million to increase benefits for victims of catastrophic crashes.
• Mental health stabilization services for youth (including a crisis stabilization centre and mobile crisis service) in Thompson will be established and the crisis stabilization service in Interlake will be expanded.
• The province is developing a new, community based program to give youth, adults and families timely access to early intervention and treatment for eating disorders. In 2009/10 the province will invest $238,000 in this program.
• The province will continue to invest in the Unified Referral and Intake System to support more children who require health care interventions to participate in community programs while apart from their parents or guardians.

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Future Directions

• The province will support healthy living teams to work with primary care teams and others to expand existing chronic disease prevention and healthy living programs.
• Manitoba’s Provincial Injury Prevention Strategy will continue to employ preventative measures to help reduce the leading causes of injury for children, youth and adults in Manitoba with special focus on motor vehicle collisions, falls, workplace injuries, farm injuries and drowning.
• The province is developing Canada’s first mental-health crisis response centre. It will be developed near the Health Science Centre in Winnipeg and will strengthen supports for vulnerable people and Manitobans with mental illness.
• Manitoba Health and Healthy Living is currently developing a provincial mental health strategic plan (with consumers, families, service providers, decision maker groups) that will guide the planning of the mental health system over the next five years.
• Manitoba Health and Healthy Living will continue to pursue ongoing partnerships with community organizations to further the self-help model of support for persons with disabilities and chronic conditions and to promote health and wellness.
• The province is working to create an interdepartmental, cross-jurisdictional initiative to keep persons with disabilities free from abuse.
• Healthy living components will be integrated into assisted living facilities.
• Information about healthy living will be made more accessible to persons with disabilities.
• Round Table Recommendation: The provincial government will work to enhance access to primary care for persons with physical and intellectual disabilities.
• Workplace safety and health initiatives will continue.
• Diabetes prevention activities for high-risk populations will be expanded.

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Questions for Feedback

1. How can we better support persons with mental health issues?
2. How can we better support persons with chronic illnesses?
3. How can we ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in healthy living initiatives?

Leave your Feedback now.

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