Public Health Saba is pleased to present “Public Health on Saba 2023-2026 – a look at Sabans’ current health and our vision to promote health further.”
This comprehensive report is the second edition issued for Saba. It is required by the Dutch Public Health Act to be written every four years in order to review the health status of the Saba community. Additionally, the report is utilized to inform policy decisions and define priorities in the coming years by looking at current achievements and using data to guide the way forward.
Data for the report was pulled from a wide variety of sources including the 2021 Central Bureau for Statistics Netherlands (CBS) Omnibus Survey and anonymous aggregated data from Saba Cares, Saba Public Health Department, and Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands (ZJCN).
The information was further analyzed and presented alongside data from the other Caribbean Netherlands islands to provide additional context. This was done in close collaboration with dedicated colleagues from Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
“It is important as a community to have benchmark information that identifies the health challenges in the community – at all stages of life. Once you have that information, priorities around health promotion and disease prevention can be set with healthcare partners and policy makers with a focused ‘health in all policies’ approach,” stated Jane O’Flynn, Head of Public Health Saba.
The hope is that in the future the report can be used as an evaluation tool to review the success of the programs and initiatives introduced by Public Health and other health stakeholders.
The document is the product of multi-stakeholder commitment to public health on Saba and would not be possible without multiple partners who have been extremely generous with their time, data and expertise, said O’Flynn. “We extend particular thanks to our partner, Saba Cares, and our colleagues at the RIVM who offered guidance and support.”
Public Health Saba will be hosting an informational discussion about the report and its key findings for the community. This information session will be held on Tuesday, May 30th, 6:30PM- 8:00PM at the Eugenius Center. To access the full report – https://www.sabagov.com/_files/ugd/98f703_543a883cf8e743a29e66a4d7176c656f.pdf
