Citation

Heale JD, Abernathy TJ, Kittle D. Can. J. Public Health 2000; 91(2): 148-152.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Canadian Public Health Association)

DOI

10.1007/BF03404932

PMID

10832183

PMCID

PMC6979764

Abstract

In December 1997, public health units in Ontario received revised mandatory program guidelines from the Ministry of Health in advance of the downloading of public health to municipalities. Public health units face difficult decisions in allocating municipal resources to meet the Province's mandated programs. To set priorities for resource allocation, it is critical to assess need across program areas and to use a common unit in doing so. This paper applies the Healthy Life Years (HeaLYs) method in assessing health need related to the mandatory programs for the population of Wellington and Dufferin counties in Ontario. The HeaLYs method incorporates duration and severity of ill-health, incidence and mortality in calculating years of healthy life lost (YHLL). For Wellington-Dufferin, the leading causes of YHLL were concentrated in the program areas of chronic disease, injury, and substance abuse and included four areas not addressed in the MPG (suicide, depression, dementia, and osteoarthritis).

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Child; Adult; Infant, Newborn; Aged; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Age of Onset; Data Collection; Health Services Needs and Demand/*statistics & numerical data; *Health Care Rationing; *Public Health Practice; *Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Ontario/epidemiology