Public Health Agency of Canada
Encyclopedia
The Public Health Agency of Canada (French
: Agence de la santé publique du Canada) is an agency
of the Government of Canada
that is responsible for public health
, emergency preparedness, and response and infectious
and chronic disease control and prevention. It was formed by Order in Council in 2004 and subsequently by legislation that came into force December 15, 2006 and it is member of the Federal Health Portfolio (along with Health Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and other organizations).
The head of the Public Health Agency is the Chief Public Health Officer
of Canada. The current Chief is Dr. David Butler-Jones
. As the Deputy Minister responsible for the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer reports to the Minister of Health
. As the Federal Government's lead public health official, the Chief Public Health Officer provides advice to the Minister of Health and the Government of Canada on issues concerning the health of Canadians.
Its headquarters are located in two pillars - one is in Ottawa, the other is the National Microbiology Laboratory
in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, the location of Canada's only Level 4 microbiology lab for human health. At the time of its creation in 2004, most of the agency's staff were located in the former Gandalf Technologies building in Nepean
, south of Ottawa
, and were part of Health Canada's Population and Public Health Branch.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Agence de la santé publique du Canada) is an agency
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
that is responsible for public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, emergency preparedness, and response and infectious
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
and chronic disease control and prevention. It was formed by Order in Council in 2004 and subsequently by legislation that came into force December 15, 2006 and it is member of the Federal Health Portfolio (along with Health Canada, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and other organizations).
The head of the Public Health Agency is the Chief Public Health Officer
Chief Public Health Officer
The Chief Public Health Officer is the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada. The current Chief Public Health Officer is Dr. David Butler-Jones.The Chief Public Health Officer is responsible for:* Providing leadership of the new Public Health Agency....
of Canada. The current Chief is Dr. David Butler-Jones
David Butler-Jones
Dr. David Butler-Jones is the current Chief Public Health Officer of Canada. He is the first person to hold the office. The Chief Public Health Officer is the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada.- Biography :...
. As the Deputy Minister responsible for the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Chief Public Health Officer reports to the Minister of Health
Minister of Health (Canada)
The Minister of Health is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's health department and the enforcing the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Health Act, the law governing Medicare...
. As the Federal Government's lead public health official, the Chief Public Health Officer provides advice to the Minister of Health and the Government of Canada on issues concerning the health of Canadians.
Its headquarters are located in two pillars - one is in Ottawa, the other is the National Microbiology Laboratory
National Microbiology Laboratory
The National Microbiology Laboratory is a division of the Public Health Agency of Canada that is located in the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This modern state-of-the-art facility houses the NML's Biological Safety Level 4 containment laboratory,...
in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, the location of Canada's only Level 4 microbiology lab for human health. At the time of its creation in 2004, most of the agency's staff were located in the former Gandalf Technologies building in Nepean
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
, south of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and were part of Health Canada's Population and Public Health Branch.
Responsibilities
- Disease Control and Detection
- Health Safety
- travel alerts
- immunization and vaccine
- Emergency Preparedness
- Health Promotion
- Injury Prevention
- Research and Statistics
Organizational structure
- Chief Public Health Officer
- Senior Assistant Deputy Minister - Population and Public Health Integration Branch
- Assistant Deputy Minister - Infectious Disease and Emergency Prepardness
- Deputy Chief Public Health Officer - Health Protection and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch
- Executive Director - Corporate Secretariat
See also
- Similar Agencies
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and ControlEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and ControlThe European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is an independent agency of the European Union aimed at strengthening Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It was established in 2005 and is located in Solna, Sweden....
(ECDC) - Health Protection AgencyHealth Protection AgencyThe Health Protection Agency, or, in Welsh, Yr Asiantaeth Diogelu Iechyd is a statutory corporation. It is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards...
(HPA) - Institut de veille sanitaireInstitut de veille sanitaireThe French Institut de veille sanitaire is a Health minister public establishment. Its mission is to survey the health of the population and, if required , to alert the administration, health specialists and the whole of the population...
(IVS) - Centre for Health ProtectionCentre for Health ProtectionThe Centre for Health Protection is an agency under the Department of Health in Hong Kong and responsible for health and safety.Created in 2003 in response to the SARS outbreak, CHP plays the same role and function as the Centers for Disease Control in the United States and the European Centre for...
(CHP) - Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- National public health institutesNational public health institutesNational public health institutes are science-based governmental organizations that serve as a focal point for a country's public health efforts, as well as a critical component of global disease prevention and response systems...