Healthcare Quarterly

Healthcare Quarterly 8(4) October 2005 .doi:10.12927/hcq.2005.17714
Longwoods Review

Adversaria

Peggy Leatt

Abstract

This issue of the Longwoods Review provides readers with analysis of two issues of importance in the broad continuum of health - protecting sources of drinking water and provision of service for seniors.
The first paper by Robert Patrick from the University of Guelph focuses on drinking water management - a public health issue about which many Canadians are keenly aware. Based on research in British Columbia, the author describes human health impacts of past waterborne diseases in B.C. as well as the recent response from the regulators to mitigate these impacts. He further discusses the concept of source water protection, an emerging approach in drinking water management, and the critical relationship between source water protection and public health. In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Perry Kendall, medical officer of health for the province of British Columbia, provides his specific insights on public health policy and actions designed to preserve the quality of the province's water sources.

The second article is from Jamie Davenport, Tom Rathwell and Mark Rosenberg who were part of a national study of service provision to seniors. They report specifically on the results from Atlantic Canada, including where services are provided and what services are available. An important point raised by the authors is that of disparity of services between the "urban-rich" and "rural-poor." The authors conclude with a discussion of the challenges facing providers of services for seniors and how these results may be extrapolated to communities across Canada.

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