KCI's Health Funding Initiatives

PHO’s receive funding based on their register size for Health Promotion Activities. Funding for Services to Improve Access is also available to support high quintile areas, Maori / Pacifica peoples. Funding rounds for held twice yearly for these initiatives, with Request for Proposals (RFPs) distributed amongst Society Membership. Subcommittees made up of Board and Staff members consider the proposals, making recommendations to the KCI Board and the DHB.

Background Information on PHO’s, Services to Improve Access, Health Promotion & KCI’s Maori Health Plan

Introduction:
(Extracts from Public Health in a Primary Health Care Setting – MOH Feb 2003)

The New Zealand Health Strategy has as its aim to reduce inequalities in health and improve overall health status of the population. The Primary Health Care Strategy sets out how this will happen in a primary care setting. This will require population approaches to be used in primary care. It will be necessary for a range of players in the health sector to understand the way both public health and primary care are
delivered. This document is designed to assist those who work in these two complementary paradigms to better understand each other’s perspective in order to facilitate co-operative working relationships.

Primary health care as described in the Primary Health Care Strategy (PHCS) is wider than the currently delivered general practice services. It includes some population-based services that are best delivered in a primary care setting. The new style of primary health care will require new skills and competencies and a degree of co-operation and co-ordination across the health sector not previously achieved. Exciting new opportunities exist to deliver services in an innovative way using a range of health professional skills.

The vision for the Primary Health Care Strategy is:
• People will be part of local primary health care services that improve their health, keep them well, are easy to get to and co-ordinate their ongoing care.
• Primary health care services will focus on better health for a population, and actively work to reduce health inequalities between different groups.

Implementation of this strategy will occur gradually by establishing Primary Health Organisations. Health services will be re-oriented so that primary health care is:
• Developed through community participation
• Universally accessible
• Centrally placed in the New Zealand health system
• The first level of contact with the health system.

Inequalities in Health
Significant inequalities in health exist among different groups of New Zealanders.
For example, Mäori, Pacific peoples and people from lower socio-economic groups have worse health and die younger than other New Zealanders. The reasons for health inequalities are complex and generally beyond the control of the groups most affected (Ministry of Health 2002).
The wider determinants of health underlie many health inequalities. They include:
• Age, sex and hereditary factors
• Individual lifestyle factors
• Social and community influences
• Living and working conditions
• Gender and culture
• General socio-economic and environmental conditions.
Inequalities in health exist throughout life across several dimensions, including:
• Socio-economic status
• Ethnic identity
• Geographic place of residence
• Gender

Success in reducing health inequalities will mean a fairer and more inclusive society,
better health and well being for the population as a whole and a stronger economy
(Woodward and Kawachi 1998).

Health Promotion
Health promotion is the term given to planning, implementing and evaluating
activities that promote health and well being in communities (Ministry of Health
2002a).