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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
 Michael J. Coughlin, MS Director, Health & Human Services |
HEALTHY CITY FALL RIVER
This forum provides an opportunity to
expand on and link the mission of Healthy City Fall River with other health and other fields
that affect the well being of those who live and work in Fall River. |
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NOTE: Mr. Coughlin is currently visiting Funchal, Madeira with his wife and Dr. Odete Amarelo from the Fall River School Dept. as a first step in establishing a "Sister Healthy City" relationship between Fall River and Funchal. REPLY |
April 18, 2007 - Funchal, Madeira[Click here for more photos from Funchal.] Today (Wednesday) we met with a number of Funchal officials.
Dr. Joao Neto, Director of Department of Human Resources – Dr. Neto is the personnel director for the municipal government. An open and friendly man, Dr. Neto’s English is very fluent and he was very generous with his time. We had a far-ranging discussion on a number of topics: The City implements a comprehensive evaluation process for its employees, which includes rating their performance in several qualitative and quantitative areas and makes ample provision for professional growth. We outlined the Fall River Healthy City process for him and he listened with great interest and wants to keep in touch.
Dr. Neto shared his working knowledge of the health status of the city. Among the health concerns of the city are alcohol use, domestic violence, and smoking. Madeira is beginning to organize some health education and prevention efforts, but they are still in the early stages. Access to health care is more advanced than in the US, all citizens have access to free or very low cost health care, a benefit which is extended to them when they travel elsewhere in the EC.
Sr. Presidente da C.M.F., Dr. Miguel Filipe Machado de Albuquerque -- The Mayor of Funchal, Dr. Albuquerque was only able to spend a few minutes with our delegation. He greeted us warmly and expressed his interest in further communication and exchange. He told us excitedly about his goal of organizing a charter flight of visitors from New England to attend the 500th anniversary of the settling of Madeira in 2008. We exchanged gifts, presenting him with the plaque from the Healthy City Initiative and a book about Fall River while he presented us with beautiful pieces of crystal and silver engraved with the city seal and a colorful book about Madeira.
Dr. Costa Neves – Dr. Neves is the Minister of the Environment for the city. Under his jurisdiction are water and sanitation, parks and gardens, and science. Dr. Neves is a serious man whose commitment to the environment shows forth very clearly. Funchal has an elaborate mechanism to transport water via lavadas (channels) from the north side of the island to the south. His departments maintain the extensive system of parks and gardens run by the city, including the Parque Ecological do Funchal. He told us of their successful recycling efforts that are estimated to recapture 22% of the city’s trash. This is accomplished by use of prevalent recycling centers and a new emphasis on curbside recycling. Efforts are enforced by a team of inspectors reporting to his office.
In the afternoon we visited the Parque Ecological do Funchal. This park is a large area north of the city proper that is under the city’s full jurisdiction. The land was purchased by the city several decades ago as the city leaders recognized the importance of protecting the environment and providing resources for the growing coastal area. The park is part of the extensive water supply system for the city. We witnessed efforts that have been underway for a number of years to restore the parkland to its natural habitat. Of particular concern is an infestation of eucalyptus trees that have invaded the forest land and forced out most other forestation. Large tracts of the trees have been removed and replaced with seedlings of native trees. We were given an informative talk and guided tour by a young technician who works in the park and is very involved in these efforts.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Madeira! In addition to a tour through central Funchal, we will have one last meeting, with Dr. Rubina Leal, the Director of Social Services for the City.
Until then….
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PREVIOUS POSTS April 4, 2007 - Funchal arrival |
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