The area of Social Welfare and Inclusion of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, led by Marci Acuña, has begun its process to adhere to the Strategy for Health Promotion and Prevention in the National Health System (SNS).
The president of the Island Corporation explained this Monday at a press conference that "the objective of the Cabildo is for the families of Lanzarote and La Graciosa to be healthy. It is essential to invest in health, and we will spare no effort to do so."
Betancort emphasized that "the mission of this strategy is to facilitate a common framework for health promotion and primary prevention, actively involving other sectors of society and promoting citizen participation to increase their autonomy and capacity and exercise greater control over health."
Oswaldo Betancort, who is also president of FECAI, stressed that "it is extremely important that the seven island councils of the Canary Islands adhere to this initiative to develop joint actions aimed at improving the health and quality of life of the Canarians, proposing actions that promote and create healthier living environments."
Likewise, the island councilor for Social Welfare and Inclusion, Marci Acuña, stated that "today we ratify the commitment of the Cabildo of Lanzarote to join this strategy to achieve, among all public administrations and social and health associations, that our island is more inclusive and healthy."
As a representative of Fecam in Lanzarote, the mayor of San Bartolomé, Isidro Pérez, attended the press conference, who congratulated the Island Council for adhering to this strategy "which implies coordination with the municipalities to value health as the center of policies."
Pérez also stressed that "the town councils are key agents in the construction of more cared for and healthy environments with the aim of improving the quality of life of our citizens."
For his part, the general director of Public Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, José Fernando Díaz Flores, congratulated the Cabildo of Lanzarote for the initiative and explained that the Strategy for Health Promotion and Prevention in the National Health System (EPSP) "aims to promote community interventions and their coordination in the different environments, health, social, educational and community, always based on the guiding principles of integrality, scientific evidence, cohesion, participation, evaluation, health in all policies and equity."
Díaz Flores also pointed out that "we are proud to say that the Canary Islands is, today, the autonomous community with the highest percentage of municipalities adhering to the EPSP or in the process, with a total of 50 of the 88 municipalities linked to it."
Keys to the EPSP
The Health Promotion and Prevention Strategy (EPSP) proposes the progressive development of interventions identified as good practices and based on scientific evidence, aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle habits among the population, preventing diseases and injuries, acting comprehensively throughout the life course on factors such as physical activity, nutrition or emotional well-being, among others.
