SINGAPORE’S FIRST HEALTH PROMOTING COMMUNITY CLUB HAS CHANGED EVERYDAY LIVES OF BUKIT TIMAH RESIDENTS A YEAR AFTER LAUNCH
Residents now enjoy convenient access to a range of healthy activities and health checks
Singapore, 18 March 2012: For Mr Joseph Yap, monitoring his health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is sometimes too troublesome. Since the Health Promotion Board (HPB) transformed his neighbourhood Community Club (CC) at Bukit Timah into a health promoting CC about a year ago, however, he has been getting his checkups regularly.
2. “The health checks at the CC enable me to monitor my weight and blood pressure regularly without having to make a trip to clinic. The presence of HPB’s Health Ambassadors is also very helpful as they help to explain the readings,” he said.
3. In addition to conducting simple BMI and blood pressure tests, these Health Ambassadors also share health tips and information, which includes helping residents apply for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS), as well as encourage residents to get involved in the various nutrition talks, cooking demonstrations, supermarket tours and other healthy physical activities at the CC.
4. Since the launch of Bukit Timah CC as a health promoting CC, Bukit Timah CC has tripled its pool of Health Ambassadors to more than 100, which is one of the largest numbers of Health Ambassadors in any health promoting CCs. They come from different age groups and diverse CC committees and clubs, such as the Women’s Executive Committee, Malay Activity Executive Committee and Community Sports Club.
5. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of HPB’s first health promoting CC, about 1,000 residents visited Bukit Timah’s Healthy Roadshow and Flea Market today. Bukit Timah grassroots advisor Ms Sim Ann was also present to encourage and support the 400 residents who attended various health screenings conducted at the event.
6. Said Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer, HPB: “HPB launched the Health Promoting Community Club initiative last year in order to give Singaporeans convenient access to health screenings, health advice and healthy activities, so as to make a healthy lifestyle the default choice. A year later, our first health promoting CC at Bukit Timah has achieved good results, and helped to change the lives of many residents. Through the health promoting Bukit Timah CC, Bukit Timah residents can look forward to more healthrelated programmes coming to their neighbourhood in 2012, such as the Nurture Your Mind and Lose to Win programmes.”
Issued by Health Promotion Board