Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer has said his Ministry will be collaborating with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to find ways to improve air quality especially as it relates to the impact on children and their development.

Minister Spencer was speaking at the Cabinet Office on Monday (July 12, 2010) during a presentation of a video by the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston. The video – ‘Choking on Air’ - focuses on Air Quality and its impact on the learning environment. It examines the quality of the air in some parts of the corporate area and the impact it has on children’s health, development and learning.

Minister Spencer congratulated the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston for what he described as a very important initiative and said the information would be passed on to other persons across the public health sector to increase awareness.

“The Ministry of Health has a keen interest in this project. It will require collaboration and we will be doing that. It is not only affecting children, it also impacts adults. We will need all the available information on this so that we are able to make informed decisions and find solutions to the problem,” said Minister Spencer.

The project, which falls under the Kiwanis Environmental Health and Learning Initiative (KEHLI) is the major project of the Club for 2008-2009 and was spearheaded by immediate past president, Yvonne Crawford.

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer (3rd left) accepts a copy of the video 'Choking on Air' from Immediate Past President of the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston, Yvonne Crawford (far left) as Education Minister, Andrew Holness (3rd right) looks on. Joining in the presentation are president of the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston, Suzanne Lesley Bailey (left), Environmental Chemist, Rashidah Khann Haqq and Eleanor Jones, Managing Director and Consulting Principal, Environmental Solutions Ltd.

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Contact: MOH, Public Relations Unit - Tel: 967-1561