Government To Shut Down Popular, Independent Health Advice Website

"It's a huge loss," said Dr. Taylor Alexander, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association. "One of the unique features of this site is that it is consumer-focused. It gives access to a treasure house of health information and resources that's available to the general public right across the country on a wide variety of subjects and for all ages." The association is one of the 26 government and non-government affiliates, ranging from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Diabetes Society to the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, that contribute to the eight-year-old site. Website affiliates say they were stunned by the health agency's decision to kill the website. They say shutting down the site will deprive ordinary people, as well as nurses, doctors and other medical personnel, access to an unparalleled source of reliable information on physical and mental health issues. Websites operated by the federal health department and the public health agency offer nowhere near the depth and breadth of practical information found on the Canadian Health Network (www.canadian-health-network.ca), they say. Public health agency officials declined to discuss the decision, but spokesman Alain Desroches said in a statement it was "very difficult" to make. The statement praised the website's affiliates as "visionaries in recognizing how the Internet could help people find credible information on diverse topics, from active living to workplace health." ... http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=a0116cf0-987a-4586-ae9f-12744d857b15 [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on November 19, 2007]

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