Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
decreasing numbers of church members and rival denominations in many cities
has meant that their ability to act on behalf of the local area has been drastically
reduced, although many still provide support for their church members or space for
other groups. There can be little doubt that there is a need for more secular local
organizations like the Helsinki approach, or the contemporary YMCA and YWCA
that have evolved out of their Christian origin. All these local centres provide im-
portant places for social and recreational contact, not simply for the youth, but as
centres that may also alleviate the loneliness of many old people in cities.
13.6.5
Engaging the Private Sector
Although the objective of these more comprehensive health initiatives has been
to involve as many stakeholders as possible, the contribution of the private busi-
ness sector in health has not been as widespread as it could be, although many
of the schemes discussed above do have representatives from private businesses.
Part of the problem is that some firms do provide extra medical benefits for their
workers, and feel that this is enough. Others, especially in Europe, provide some
employees, usually at managerial levels, with stays in spas, presumably to recover
from the stress of decision-making!. Hence such firms are reluctant to also con-
tribute to general health care schemes for which the benefits seem to be beyond
their immediate interests. In some cities there are signs that private firms see the
advantages in participating in schemes to promote better health, especially when
there are new business opportunities. This is certainly the case in Helsinki where the
promotion of new technology, a focus on health and new organizations to promote
healthy living, has led to many initiatives (Otgaar et al.
2011
). For example, Forum
Virium (FV) was established with support from major national organizations and
companies to promote and create new digital services in several areas, including
health care. This led to a photo and diary service for day-care centres to provide
parents with images of their children's activities, a service that has subsequently
spread to many countries, creating a new business venture. In addition, FV helped
create the Healthy Helsinki programme that initiated several ventures to improve
health through citizen empowerment, such as a Mobile Health project. Set up with
help from telecom companies, it enabled participants to monitor their leisure and
exercise levels, getting positive feedback through mobile devices if they increased
their levels in attempts to change their behaviour. Elsewhere the development of
computerized Personal Health Records, together with interactive mobile devices,
has not only enabled users to store their own data but provide access to training,
life-style and nutrition advice while in a neighbouring town it led to the monitoring
of the growth in children, which identified abnormalities. More generally there are
increasing numbers of smart applications for health-related issues being provided
for use by smart or mobile phones, such as regular personal contacts to reduce isola-
tion. Also, organizations such as the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) are not
only treating patients with long term disabilities from injury or aging, but actively
