Healthy Cities / Healthy Communities

Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities

• A theoretical framework for a process by which citizens can create healthy communities.

• Communities where all systems work well and together and where all citizens enjoy a good quality of life.

• Loosely-defined strategy that involves all community members addressing issues that are important to them.

Two Premises of Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities

• A comprehensive view of health• A commitment to healthy promotion

Prerequisites for Health in Communities

• Peace• Shelter• Education• Food• Income• Stable ecosystem• Social justice• Equity• Sustainable resources

How to Promote Community Health

• Build public policy• Create supportive environments• Strengthen community action• Develop personal skills• Re-orient services

Community Environments • Natural• Economic• Leisure• Political• Work• Built• Social

Why use Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities?

• Community perspective• Participatory planning and community

ownership• Range of ideas• Knowledge of the community• Community-wide ties

Why use Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities?

• Achievable and measurable goals• Identification and use of community assets

and resources• Community commitment to the long-term

process• Community self-image

Who should participate? • Elected and appointed officials• Those most affected by the issue• People who will carry out the initiative or

those whose lives will be affected by it• Agencies and groups involved in

implementing the effort• Community opinion leaders

Components of Healthy Cities/Healthy Communities

• Create a compelling vision based on shared values.• Embrace a broad definition of health and well-

being.• Address quality-of-life for everyone.• Engage diverse citizen participation and be citizen-

driven.• Seek multi-sectoral membership in widespread

community ownership.

Components of HC/HC (cont.) • Acknowledge the social determinants of health and

the interrelationship of health and other issues.• Address issues through collaborative problem-

solving.• Focus on system change.• Build capacity using local assets and resources.• Measure and benchmark progress and outcomes.

Three Social Determinants of Health

• Socio-economic equality• Social connectedness• Sense of personal efficacy

Potential Local Assets and Resources

• Impassioned individuals with talent, skills, and leadership

• Those with material resources: money, space, etc.• Institutions (libraries, schools, houses of worship…)

that can be resources• Organizations whose mission is to work for a better

community

Potential Local Assets and Resources

• Official government support along with legal and regulatory powers

• human resources—skills and work ethic• Natural and other environmental resources• The potential for these parts to coordinate

Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy

• Assemble a diverse and inclusive group• Generate a vision• Assess the assets and resources in the

community that can help you realize your vision, and the issues that act as barriers to it

Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy (cont.)

• Choose a first issue to focus on• Develop a community-wide strategy,

incorporating as many organizations, levels, and sectors as possible

• Implement the plan

Steps to Implement a Healthy Community Strategy (cont.)

• Monitor and adjust your initiative or intervention

• Establish new systems that will maintain and build on the gains you’ve made

• Celebrate benchmarks and successes• Tackle the next issues