Seven changes to make New Brunswick one of the healthiest provinces in Canada

FREDERICTON – Following a months-long call for New Brunswickers to share their ideas on how to make the province’s residents healthier, New Brunswick’s doctors are releasing their findings to the public.

“This is really a report that was created by New Brunswickers, for New Brunswickers,” said Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck, President of the New Brunswick Medical Society. “We received some ideas hundreds of times from different people, and we’ve highlighted the most popular ideas in the report.”

The report calls for the Province to make specific, measureable changes that will support the population’s health. The themes addressed are:

The report concludes the first phase of the Medical Society’s Top 3 in 10 campaign, which set a goal of making New Brunswick one of the top three healthiest provinces in 10 years. The initiative focuses on community and environmental supports such as walking trails, food preparation education and affordable, nutritious food. It acknowledges the role that an individual’s surroundings play in influencing their health.

“We know that New Brunswickers are facing barriers to improving their health,” said Dr. Murphy-Kaulbeck. “While personal choices certainly play a significant role, we wanted to find out what changes would make it easier for people to take the steps they need to improve their health.”

Since putting out the call for idea submissions in September, 1452 ideas have been sent in, with 795 people contributing. In addition, every riding in the province was represented in the submissions, and the campaign’s well-known video that started the conversation has been viewed nearly 200,000 times.

“The response we’ve received shows that our message really resonated with New Brunswickers,” said Dr. Murphy-Kaulbeck. “We’re excited now to release our findings, and look forward to seeing how we can work together with government to implement the changes New Brunswickers have asked for.”

CONTACT: Aleisha Bosch, New Brunswick Medical Society, (506)462-4633

Founded in 1867, the New Brunswick Medical Society is the professional association representing all physicians in New Brunswick. Its twin goals are to represent and serve physicians, and advocate for the health of New Brunswickers. Over a hundred New Brunswick doctors sit on our Board and Committees, representing the 1600 doctors in the province.