The Belize City Council today held its first public health expo. And while normally when you think of City Council and public health, you think of garbage and sanitation. But today's expo was about all things health because as the theme said: public health is everyone's business. The City Council told us why it is now theirs.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This morning the NICH parking lot was converted into a public health zone. There were blood pressure checks being offered, booths on healthy eating and living, multiple booths on HIV and Aids education, a booth from the KHMH, and even Ozzie the clown. So what does this have to do with the Belize City Council? Councilor in charge of public health Wayne Usher says, a whole lot.
Wayne Usher, City Councilor
"We want to promote health in its entirety, all aspects of health and we're having the health expo which is an expanded concept of a health fair where we have more information sharing and where people can come out and see what the stakeholders in health actually do firsthand."
Keith Swift,
Most people think the City Council's job is cleaning the streets and picking up garbage. Why have a health expo?
Wayne Usher,
"We have a sanitation department in the city council that has always been there but it has always been looked at just for garbage collection. But we have taken it to a new dimension, this new city council because we see that it is needed and necessary."
Merging public health and public policy is new ground - and the success of this venture will determine if it is solid ground.
City Hall plans to make it an annual event.
