Kids Health Foundation founder Dr. Kellie Leitch commends the Speech from the
Throne

TORONTO, March 3 /CNW/ - Today Dr. Kellie Leitch, the founder of the Kids Health Foundation commended the Harper Government on its commitment to a national strategy on childhood injury prevention. As stated in the speech from the throne by Governor General Michaelle Jean: "To prevent accidents that harm our children and youth, our Government will also work in partnership with non-governmental organizations to launch a national strategy on childhood injury prevention".

"This is a crucial step forward to improving the health of our children," Dr. Leitch stated. "Unintentional injuries are the number one cause of death among our nation's children ages one to fourteen. This commitment will help us move forward by preventing many injuries from occurring in the first place or dramatically reduce their impact".

In March 2008 Dr. Leitch published her Report: "Reaching for the top: a report by the advisor on healthy children and youth" which made many recommendations on how to improve the well being of Canada's children and youth. The No.1 recommendation in Dr. Leitch's report was for the government of Canada to "develop and implement a National Injury Prevention Strategy for children and youth".

The Kids Health Foundation was founded in January 2009 and seeks to work with Academia, the Not-For-Profit sector, Government and Industry to make Canada the healthiest place on earth for children to grow-up. Tackling the serious problem of unintentional injuries is a critical aspect of achieving that goal. The Kids Health Foundation looks forward to working with the Government to see the commitment of a national injury prevention strategy become a reality.

For further information: Dr. Kellie Leitch, Tel: [phone]