| Type | Statutory Authority |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder(s) | Government of Victoria |
| Headquarters | 15-31 Pelham St, Carlton, Victoria, Australia |
| Area served | Victoria |
| Key people | Jerril Rechter (CEO) |
| Products | Health Promotion |
| Net income | A$35.7 million (2011) [1] |
| Employees | 67 (2011) |
| Parent | Department of Health |
| Website | www.vichealth.vic.gov.au |
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria, originally funded by hypothecated taxation raised by the Victorian Tobacco Act 1987. It was the first health promotion body in the world to be funded by a tax on tobacco. [2]
Better known as VicHealth, the organisation has a mandate to promote good health for all Victorians. With a focus on health promotion and primary prevention of non-communicable diseases, it leads and advocates for excellence in health-promoting policies and programs. VicHealth’s activities include small grants funding for community-based projects to long-term multi-million dollar funding for programs such as Quit. VicHealth also invests heavily in public health research.
Contents |
The objectives of VicHealth as mandated by the Tobacco Act 1987 are:
VicHealth has a Board of Governance that is responsible to the Victorian Minister for Health. The current CEO is Jerril Rechter. Her predecessors were Todd Harper, now CEO of the Cancer Council Victoria; Rob Moodie, Professor of Global Health at the Nossal Institute of Global Health; University of Melbourne, and Rhonda Galbally, currently CEO of Australian community sector resource directory Our Community. Sir Gustav Nossal led VicHealth’s first Board, followed by Professor John Funder. VicHealth’s current Chair is Jane Fenton.