Public health

In terms of public health, successful education starts with prevention. From nursery school to the end of primary school, in all of Nantes' public and private schools, a multi-disciplinary team composed of doctors, nurses and social workers implement the action plan:

• carrying out health assessments and spotting children in specific situations in order to inform their families and refer them to health or education professionals;
• conducting collective health education actions to boost self-esteem and mutual respect.

The laying down of an action plan for environmental health, in connection with the services of the Metropolis of Nantes, is aimed at coordinating the actions of all the services concerned.

In parallel, a third awareness-raising campaign was undertaken on the risks of radon contamination in homes and on interior air pollution. On that occasion, 189 dosimeters were distributed in the Chantenay Sainte-Anne district, as well as in the crèches and schools concerned.

Healthcare actions in the heart of the priority districts rest on the local healthcare networks and local players. In 2010, this coordination gave rise to numerous local actions including the following:

• In Bellevue, the action focused on women's health resulted in the participation of 35 local women in workshops, as well as the set-up of information booths on the occasion of the "pink month" in October dedicated to breast cancer screening, allowing interchanges with nearly 200 Nantes residents;
• At Les Dervallières, the new Maison des Associations de Santé was the site of an increasing number of activities by partner health organisations, totalling 955 hours;
• In the Nantes-Nord district, a 2-day health forum called "Santé Vous Bien Santé", organised by the local health network, attracted 250 people;
• In La Bottière, a course was set up for professionals on the topic of boy-girl relationships at adolescence, further to the collaborative work conducted over recent years;
• As for the Malakoff district, it was the site of a novel experience involving workshops (10 workshops, each with 7 participants) dedicated to food on a small budget; the experience was then transformed into illustrated cook books which can be used by non-French speakers.

Since the 1st quarter 2009, a nutrition group has been working on coordinating the actions of the various municipal departments and partner organisations operating in this field. This mobilisation was stepped up in 2010 with the City's participation in prevention days such as the one entitled La Fraîch'attitude. The most significant event to raise awareness on nutrition problems took place at SEQUOIA in Les Dervallières where tastings were offered by participants in the food workshops.

The alcohol plan was set up at the end of 2007 in the aim of reducing excessive drunkenness in young people and its effects on health in terms of associated risks.

This participatory project involves:

• prevention and risk-reduction actions at student evenings (the training programme covers 200 young people per year),
• street actions by the night watchmen of ANPAA 44 (7,000 young people approached since 2008)
• and a Night Life Charter which was signed by at least 50 players concerned with the issue of alcohol abuse.

• 6,413 pupils benefitted from health education actions (+187), out of approximately 17,500 nursery-school and primary-school children
• 123 children were put into care under child protection procedures, versus 114 in 2009
• 215 handicapped school children (+64 in comparison with 2009) and 710 children with a chronic illness (+78) were covered by school healthcare
• €101.30 per child was dedicated to public health during the year
• 2,200 posters were distributed within the scope of a campaign against homophobia
• 12,441 admittances were recorded at the public baths, including 40% with CCAS vouchers for people in precarious situations.
• 68 health promotion actions reached 8,467 people.