Event Description

Al Gomez, MAE alumni, will present on the ACT Chief Health Officer’s population health reporting and explain its important role in population health policy, planning and research in the ACT.

Abstract

Under the ACT Public Health Act 1997, the Chief Health Office (CHO) is required to provide a report every two years on the health status of the ACT population. In 2016, in response to the ACT Government’s commitment to timeliness and access to quality data, ACT Health Directorate introduced HealthStats ACT, an open online dataset which provides access to the most up-to-date population health statistics and trends.

HealthStats ACT is supplemented with explanatory narrative and focused reports which together provide a detailed overview of the health status of the Canberra community. In particular, this data provides an overview of public health challenges and opportunities for improvement, forming the basis of ACT Health’s population health reporting which in turn guides policy, planning and research.

In 2023, ACT Health has moved to a more dynamic reporting approach, releasing topical reports on population health topics of interest. The first of these focused reporting topics were released in 2023, examining burden of disease and healthy weight in the ACT.

In this seminar, Mr Gomez will provide insight into how population health data is collected, how it informs the CHO reporting on health in the ACT and the role this plays in guiding government policy.

Speaker Biography

 Mr Al Gomez is an MAE alumni and epidemiologist from the Population Health division, ACT Health Directorate. The directorate provides strategic leadership, direction and action to improve the health of our community and ensure our health system meets the ACT community’s needs, now and into the future.

The Preventive and Population Health Policy team presenting at this seminar provides strategic leadership and policy oversight relating to a range of population and preventive health issues. The Preventive and Population Health team works with the Epidemiology team to develop the CHO Report. ACT Health collects, analyses and disseminates information on the health status and health-related behaviours of the ACT population through these reports. Data collected is also used to monitor, evaluate and guide health service planning and policy development with a particular focus on chronic disease prevention.