The Minister of Health, Esther Monzón, inaugurated today this annual activity in which professionals from the regional, insular and local administration from sectors such as education, health, social services, physical activity and others participate, including the third sector.
Mental health, emotional well-being, nutrition and physical activity in childhood and adolescence, the role of information and communication technologies in the health of the adolescent population and the emotional well-being of the elderly, among the topics that make up the program of the meeting
A total of 46 municipalities and three island councils have joined the Health Promoting Islands and Municipalities Strategy
The Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, inaugurated this morning in the Agüimes Auditorium the opening ceremony of the VI Meeting of the Canary Islands Strategy for Health-Promoting Islands and Municipalities (ECIMPS), which is being held this year in Agüimes under the Canary Islands motto, promoter of mental health and emotional well-being.
Along with Esther Monzón, the general director of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, Pedro Gullón, and the mayor of Agüimes and first vice president of the Canarian Federation of Municipalities (FECAM), Óscar Hernández, participated in the inauguration of this event.
During her intervention, the counselor highlighted the Health Promoting Islands and Municipalities Strategy launched in 2017 by the General Directorate of Public Health, to which 46 municipalities have joined, fourteen more are in the process of adhering, which represents 67 percent of the Canarian municipalities, and three island councils, another three are in the process of joining, with the aim of promoting an intersectoral approach to health promotion.
Monzón recalled that health is forged in the environments of daily life, in the neighborhoods and communities in which people of all ages live and that it is at the local level where measures aimed at developing lifestyles must be adopted. healthy, and where policies that respond to the health needs of the population must be implemented.
The general director of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, Pedro Gullón, highlighted the commitment that the Canarian institutions, both local, island and regional, have demonstrated with the promotion of health in all these areas, materialized in their active participation in the Health Promotion and Prevention Strategy in the National Health System (EPSP).
For his part, the first vice president of FECAM and mayor of Agüimes, Óscar Hernández, highlighted the achievement of bringing together health professionals from different fields in the same forum: city councils, councils and the Ministry of Health. Likewise, he pointed out the commitment of the Canary Islands councils to the Health Strategy, which is reflected in facts such as the number of participating municipalities having multiplied by five since last year, with the Canary Islands being the autonomous community with the highest percentage of participating local corporations.
VI Meeting
This regional meeting is one of the tools of the Canarian Strategy for Health-Promoting Islands and Municipalities, whose objective is the consideration of health in all policies.
Under the motto Canary Islands, promoter of mental health and emotional well-beingthis sixth edition of the meeting focuses on addressing mental health and emotional well-being from the local level, in coordination with the educational sector and with the community health field. In addition, other topics will also be discussed such as nutrition and physical activity in childhood and adolescence, the role of information and communication technologies in the health of the adolescent population and the emotional well-being of older people.
More than 220 participants, including professionals from regional, insular and local administration from sectors such as education, health, social services, physical activity and others, including the third sector, meet at this meeting of relevant interest for managers. politicians, the technicians involved and the entire population in general.
The program of the meeting has the participation of the psychologist and representative of the Program and attached to the Strategy Coordination department in Madrid Salud, Ana Casla Puig, Psychologist, at the local level table. The experiences of the municipalities of Valverde (Activa Colorea Project) and Agüimes (Municipal intersectoral work for emotional well-being) will also be made known.
In the educational field, the psychologist and co-author of projects such as ‘SuperAbuela’ and ‘I am not a robot’ from the Department of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Cristina Bermúdez Arbelo, will intervene. In addition, the town councils of Fuencaliente and Yaiza will share the initiatives ‘A journey towards positive parenting: first steps’ and ‘Safeguarding and good treatment through sport: promotion of mental health and emotional well-being’, respectively.
The professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology of the University of La Laguna, Wenceslao Peñate Castro, is part of the session in the health field.
The meeting will conclude with the presentation of the municipal experiences of the municipalities of Adeje (Proyecto Adeje Diversa: Comprehensive attention to the psychological, social and health needs of LGBTI+ people) and Granadilla de Abona (Granadilla de Abona Promotes Health) .
At the end of the morning, the Canary Islands Promotes Health badge was presented, a regional award that highlights a health promotion plan, program or action that can be replicated or developed in another island or municipal context.
health fair
Parallel to the Meeting, in the square adjacent to the Agüimes Auditorium, the Health Fair organized by the Villa de Agüimes City Council with the collaboration of the IASS of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. bring to the population devices, institutions and resources aimed at promoting health and promoting the population’s quality of life.
All these activities seek, as in previous editions, to achieve a point of confluence between all sectors, institutions and administrations that in one way or another determine the environment in which lifestyles and therefore the health of people are built. .
In addition, students from different educational centers in the area will also attend this fair.
Canarian Strategy Islands and Municipalities Promoting Health
Since 2017, the Ministry of Health, through the General Directorate of Public Health of the SCS, has been working closely with the FECAM and the FECAI in the development of the ECIMPS, to facilitate the adhesion of municipalities and councils to the Health Promotion Strategy. Health and Prevention in the National Health System (EPSP).
The fundamental objective of this initiative is to promote the health and well-being of the Canarian population, promoting healthy environments and lifestyles and enhancing safety against injuries.
Currently, there are 46 municipalities in the Canary Islands linked to the EPSP and thirteen in process, which together represent 67 percent of the municipalities.
Likewise, the councils of Tenerife, Lanzarote and La Palma are fully adhered, with those of Gran Canaria, La Gomera and Fuerteventura in the process of joining.
This number of local administrations involved in health promotion is a reflection of the importance that these institutions attach to it and makes the archipelago the autonomous community in the country with the highest percentage of local entities linked to the Health Promotion Strategy and Prevention in the National Health System, promoted by the Ministry of Health.