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Northern Health is looking for community partners to help improve the health and wellbeing of those living, working, learning and playing in Northern BC. NH’s Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL), HEAL for Your HEART, Injury Prevention, and RoadHealth along with Men’s Health, Tob offering over $380,000 worth of “IMAGINE” grants that will provide financial support for the work of community organizations to promote safe, healthy families and healthy communities.

The grants support the province’s Healthy Families BC initiative, which aims to reduce chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Healthy Families BC supports healthy eating, healthy lifestyles, healthy families and communities and giving the most vulnerable BC children a healthy start in life. 

Seven types of grants are available:

o NEW - True North Strong & Tobacco Free: Supporting activities and initiatives to reduce tobacco use in northern BC. These grants (up to $1000 each) will fund tobacco reduction initiatives aimed at preventing people from starting tobacco use, protecting people from secondhand smoke exposure, helping people quit tobacco use, or helping to enforce provincial and federal legislations. Funding is also available for projects focusing on promoting Men’s Health within industry (i.e. forestry, mining, construction, oil & gas, trucking).

o NEW – HIV Prevention: Funded in partnership with the Government of British Columbia to support projects aimed at reducing rates of HIV infection and its associated health complications. These grants (up to $5000 each) will fund projects that promote youth and elder collaboration, engage youth, help communities develop HIV prevention plans, and/or promote increased HIV testing and education in Northern BC communities.

o Injury Prevention: Supporting activities and initiatives promoting safety and the prevention of injuries. These grants (up to $2000 each) will focus on initiatives that prevent falls among seniors in the community, or prevent injuries among children and youth (0-19).

Also new this year, grants of up to $2000 promoting Men’s Health and prevention of off-road injuries (e.g. ATVs and snowmobiling)

o HEAL: Supporting groups and communities within Northern Health that are looking to take charge of Healthy Eating and Active Living and encourage sustainable change in their communities. The HEAL grants (up to $2000 each) will fund prevention-based strategies aimed at reducing risks associated with diabetes, cardiac and vascular diseases, obesity and cancer through programs encouraging healthy foods, gardening, cooking, active living and healthy lifestyles all year round.

o HEAL for Your HEART: Aimed at communities within Northern Health to provide education and skill building to prevent cardiac and vascular diseases and/or secondary health problems for people already diagnosed with cardiac and vascular conditions. These grants (up to $2000 each) will be awarded to applicants that demonstrate how education, activity and healthy nutrition choices can work together to prevent childhood obesity and/or promote blood pressure awareness. Also new this year, grants of up to $2000 targeted to men’s health and wellness.

o RoadHealth: Available to community-based groups for road safety prevention projects that target drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, school children or workers. These grants (up to $5000 each) will support projects/initiatives aimed at reducing motor vehicle crashes and increasing the overall health of people who spend a lot of time driving, through education, awareness and the support of behavioral changes. These initiatives may include a focus on healthy eating, activity/alertness breaks, support of proper sleeping habits, promotion of screening for health risks common to drivers, defensive driving education, etc. Northern Health’s goal in partnering with community groups to promote good health and safety is to help find fresh approaches to creating healthier northern communities and to acknowledge that communities are the most effective settings for promoting the health and wellbeing of northern residents.

For more information on Healthy Families BC, please visit www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca.

The deadline for applications is October 17, 2011 at 4:30pm PST.

Information and application forms for IMAGINE Grants can be found at www.northernhealth.ca.

Information can also be obtained via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 250-645-6407.