The Regional Secretary for Health stated in Angra do Heroísmo that the "Haja Saúde" (health) project is the reflection of a new intervention paradigm in the promotion of healthy living habits, considering it will be "certainly an asset to the evaluation of behaviour trends."
 
Luís Cabral spoke on behalf of the President of the Government at the presentation of "Haja Saúde - School Health" that took place at Tomás de Borba Basic Education and Secondary School. The government official stressed the initiatives intended to increase proximity to the community "should not have a direct intervention on the Government's part, but through partnerships with other entities, such as this one."
 
"Haja Saúde" project is an initiative promoted by "Casa do Povo" of Santa Bárbara on Terceira Island. It is directed to intervention and promotion of community health based on the Regional Health Plan.
 
The initiative, which is mainly focused on primary health care, through the involvement of citizens and their groups, aims to encourage the promotion of healthy lifestyles and minimise risk factors.
 
In this context, the project starts on Terceira Island with a multidisciplinary team consisting of a clinical psychologist, a nurse and a cultural animator, contributing to the strengthening of health citizenship; it is expected to cover the entire Region.
 
The initiative will promote several actions in the following areas: health promotion in schools, children's health, women's health, oral health promotion, addictions, chronic and infectious diseases, sexual education, prevention of occupational accidents, violence prevention, road safety and promotion of active ageing.
 
In his speech, Luís Cabral pointed out the initiatives of this project and how they extend to the entire community regardless of age, through various actions to be implemented throughout the Region.
 
The government official pointed out that the Government of the Azores supports this initiative because it believes that it will "provide an important contribution to make health literacy a reality for all." In this regard, the Government allocated 64 thousand Euros for the acquisition of the mobile unit that is part of the project.
 
The Regional Secretary also highlighted the fact that this initiative addresses "themes that are perfectly in line with the action outlined in the Regional Health Plan," which "guarantees the quality of the project and its contribution to health education of the Azorean population."