The Saskatchewan dissemination story

The Saskatchewan Heart Health Program (SHHP) Dissemination Phase "Building Health Promotion Capacity" is a five-year program funded by Health Canada, Saskatchewan Health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan. This phase began in July 1998 and builds on two previous SHHP phases: the provincial heart health survey (Saskatchewan Health, 1990), and the community demonstration projects (SHHP, 1998a, b, c, d). The evolution of the SHHP has occurred in a dynamic provincial context. Saskatchewan is a Canadian prairie province of one million people with most living in the southern and central parts of the province. The population is ageing and urbanizing, and the economy is shifting away from agricultural production toward a diversified service sector. In 1993, health reform created 30 Districts in southern and central Saskatchewan; the formation of three northern Districts followed five years later. All but two Districts are rural-based. Population served ranges from 2,261 to 237,274; total area ranges from 4,019 to 133,900 square kilometers.