Community Health 29

The Canadian Red Cross is a leader in Ontario when it comes to providing community support services, and sometimes we get the chance to pass that knowledge along to other organizations to help build community capacity in the area of health and wellness. The Red Cross had that opportunity recently when the Chapleau Hospital turned to the Red Cross for advice on establishing their transportation program for seniors.

Serena Ryder and Jully Black took the stage at the #CanadaCares concert in Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto last night. The event also highlighted the tremendous work of Canadian organizations in promoting maternal and child health.

A recent addition to the Canadian Red Cross website now makes it easier for people in Ontario to locate community support services in their area. A new listings directory enhances the experience for visitors to the site who are looking for Red Cross support services such as nutritional assistance through Meals on Wheels or rides to and from medical appointments.

What better way to celebrate Canada’s part in saving millions of lives than with the free #CanadaCares outdoor concert and family day. We hope you'll join us on May 29 in Toronto for a day of family activities and entertainment that will show how we're making a difference in the lives of women and children around the world.

The Canadian Red Cross Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program will soon be rolling out in South Sudan. The program will help ensure life-saving care is available to hundreds of thousands of women and children in South Sudan who might otherwise die from preventable deaths. In Calgary on Wednesday, the Government announced support for $19.9 million dedicated to this program.

Every 45 seconds, a child dies somewhere in the world from malaria and 3.3 billion people are still at risk from this deadly disease. It continues to kill nearly 700,000 people every year, primarily children under the age of five, despite the fact that there are options for treatment and prevention.

Natural disasters like storms, earthquakes and floods make news around the world, but health emergencies are silently affecting hundreds of millions of lives every year. The recent Ebola outbreak in Guinea—which the Red Cross is working to help contain—is a rare example of public health emergencies becoming global news. One of the most silent, and rapidly growing, health emergencies in the spread of dengue fever, a disease spread by mosquitos.

To mark International Women's Day, we share a story from Mali, where the Canadian Red Cross is working to improve women and children's health.

Over 274 Malian children under the age of five die every day, mainly from preventable causes. Since 2012, the Canadian and Malian Red Cross Societies have been working together to implement a maternal, newborn, and child health project to deliver Basic Healthcare in the Community.