‘Local communities can make a significant contribution to improving health and wellbeing when they are empowered to make positive changes for themselves’.
Final call for comments: ‘Your Story Can Change Lives’ and improve mental health services
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people who have used mental health services to make sure their views are heard by completing the ‘Your Story Can Change Lives’ survey, before 31 October.
GENIE makes important diabetes discovery
An international group of researchers has discovered two genes that increase the risk of developing diabetes-associated kidney disease. Kidney disease is a common and serious complication of diabetes and it is associated with a greatly increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Globally, diabetic kidney disease is now the leading cause of kidney failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplant. Up to now scientists and clinicians were aware that some patients developed kidney disease but not why this happened.
Local pregnant woman protects herself and unborn baby from flu
Pregnant women are more likely to develop serious complications as a result of flu compared to women who are not pregnant, so the message from the Public Health Agency (PHA) is to protect yourself and your baby by getting the flu vaccine. First-time mum-to-be Grainne Cushley is 34 weeks pregnant, and explained that getting the flu vaccine was an easy decision to make.
World Mental Health Day is everyone’s business
“Mental health issues can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex or background” – that is the key message for this year’s World Mental Health Day from the Public Health Agency (PHA). World Mental Health Day aims to raise public awareness about the wide range of mental health issues which people experience.
PHA highlights stop smoking services in support of ‘Stoptober’
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging all local smokers to support ‘Stoptober’ – a Department of Health campaign running in England to encourage smokers to go smoke-free during the month of October. The campaign seeks to encourage as many smokers as possible to attempt to go smokefree for 28-days throughout October as they are five times more likely to stay smokefree if they successfully make it through the first four weeks of their quit attempt.