BALTIC REGION HEALTHY CITIES ASSOCIATION. Annual Plan 2012

Transcription

1 BALTIC REGION HEALTHY CITIES ASSOCIATION Annual Plan 2012 Accepted in the Board Meeting on

2 Foreword Association entered in 2011 the new re-designation period of WHO Collaborating Centre for Urban Health and Healthy Cities in the Baltic Region until The strategy and statutes of the association were updated in It was concluded that the two main tasks of Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association are networking and project work in health promotion locally, nationally and in the Baltic Region. PART I Framework - Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association was founded in 1998 to promote health conditions in urban areas in the Baltic Sea Region and to support WHO programmes, which concentrate on urban health issues. Since 2002 the Association acts as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Health in the Baltic Region. The WHO Healthy Cities movement stresses the importance of health in the decision making and activities of cities and seeks to build a local level movement for health promotion. 1. Healthy Cities Networks in the Baltic Sea Region Participation in the WHO Healthy Cities network gives the cities an opportunity to exchange experiences in health promotion. At the end of 2011 there were 23 cities/regions officially designated in the Healthy Cities network in 10 countries around the Baltic Sea (Figure). There are totally 1400 cities/regions from more than 30 countries in WHO European Healthy Cities. 2. WHO Healthy Cities Themes in Phase V The overarching goal is Health and Health Equity in All Local Policies and themes for Phase V are: 1. Creating caring and supportive environments; 2. Healthy living; 3. Healthy urban environment and design. 1

3 3. Strategy and organisation The Association develops, maintains and strengthens knowledge in health and wellbeing promotion in the cities of the Baltic Region. Vision The Association is a recognized actor in cross-sectoral health promotion by WHO, cities and partners. Mission The operations effect health promotion knowledge of the decision makers and wellbeing is involved in all local policies. WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Health in the Baltic Region WHO and the Association have agreed on the Collaborating Centre to: Assist cities in the Baltic Sea Region in implementing WHO s Healthy Cities goals and motivate new cities into joining the Network; Build capacity for health and well-being by bringing appropriate expertise to the local level with relevant institutions and organisations; Enhance the visibility of the Healthy Cities operations in the Baltic Sea Region; Build an information system of best practises and the state of well-being in cities belonging to the Healthy Cities networks; Network with local, national and international health and well-being experts (including other WHO CCs); Establish research and development cooperation with the Urban Research Unit of the City of Turku and member organisations of the Association. Organisation and operational environment of the Association The members of the Association are the City of Turku, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The association is governed by the board and practical operations are carried out by the office personnel together with member organisations and other partners. The highest authority in the Association s affairs is the statutory meeting. Main target groups are politicians and decision-makers of local governments, civil servants and officers of local and national administrations, Healthy Cities co-ordinators and experts in universities and institutions. The following methods are used to evaluate the activities: Process descriptions, amount and descriptions of results of the projects and activities Amount and content of meetings/seminars Questionnaires and feedback from the cities, member organisations and collaboration partners Using the information from the WHO Annual Reporting templates of the cities. PART II: Activities in Capacity building work with cities The Association provides expertise and tools to ensure the Healthy Cities development in cities. Projects, events and seminars support the Healthy Cities themes and include member cities for cross-sectoral activities: training, seminars and tools. 2. Supporting visibility of Healthy Cities operations The Association increases the visibility of the Healthy Cities operations at the local, national and international levels. We support general understanding of the Healthy Cities ideology and motivate cities to develop and carry out health promotion actions. 3. Networking with local, national and international research and development organisations and experts The Association aims at strengthening the Healthy Cities Network in the Baltic Region. Partners are the cities in WHO Healthy Cities network and National Healthy Cities networks. Other networks include - Union of the Baltic Cities, Environment and Sustainable Development Secretariat - Union of the Baltic Cities, Commission on Health and Social Affairs 2

4 - Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) - Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) - National Institute for Health and Welfare - WHO HEPA Europe network, The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA), Kunto ry. - Culminatum Oy/Finnish Wellbeing Cluster, Turku Science Park The Association aims at developing further cooperation with these partners in Association joined European Public Health Alliance EPHA in 2011 which gives opportunities to new European partners in public health. Cooperation will be done with Turku University of Applied Sciences, ScanBalt and experts in culture and wellbeing. Locally, Association will take part in implementation of the Turku Urban Research Programme for example by common seminar planning. European Healthy Cities Research Centre Haven s role will be clarified with WHO. Cooperation aims at either strengthening the Healthy Cities network or at health-promoting projects. PART III: Implementation of Actions In terms of thematic focus, the Association works on issues related to physical activity / active living, healthy life style prevention of HIV / AIDS development of alcohol and drug addiction prevention programmes healthy urban planning health inequalities and social inclusion health literacy urban health culture and health Action 1 Support for Healthy Cities activities The Association will cooperate with Healthy Cities National Networks in Baltic states, Russia and Nordic countries. Their National Networks meetings will be visited and common training, events and projects planned. Association supports the Finnish National Network in communication, seminar planning and international issues. The Baltic Profile aims at supporting city health development planning. Funding and scientific cooperation partners will be sought. Suitable cases for WHO th Global Conference on Health Promotion will be presented from the Baltic Profile for the preparation of the Europe Day. If the WHO Annual Business and Technical Conference will be organized St. Petersburg the Association will support its arrangements. Association is involved in EPHA training in Latvia. Cooperation with the Baltic Sea Region University network will be done in seminars and in strengthening cooperation between universities and cities. Action 2 Communication In 2012, the website will be updated at least once a month to include up to date information about on-going work. Association s e-newsletter will be sent 4 times/year. Blogging in Innokylä which started in 2011 continues. Articles will be offered in Healthy Cities themes to local and national newspapers. Papers on HC themes will be submitted to conferences (e.g. WIS2012). Association will promote WHO events and campaigns (e.g. World Health Day, World Heart Day, World Cancer day). There will be a road show among member organisations to inform about the Association s activities and to discuss cooperation possibilities. The Baltic Sea House in Turku brings together organisations representing the Baltic Sea Region: Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association, Centrum Balticum, UBC Environment and Sustainable Development Secretariat and Valonia, Service Centre for Sustainable Development and Energy Issues of Southwest Finland. The Association s activities and Healthy Cities themes will be promoted in UBC Bulletin, Baltic Rim Economies and other suitable media. There will be common seminars and Internet portal for the Baltic House in

5 Action 3 Project Implementation This Action presents projects having received funding for HEPROGRESS Reducing health related social and gender inequalities and barriers to social and economic participation. Project will run until Other partners are Østfold County Council, Østfold University College, Volda University College, Amata and Moss municipalities and University of Latvia. The Association is responsible for dissemination of knowledge of the project results to the Healthy Cities and other actors in the Baltic Sea Region. HEPROGRESS project aims at supporting the development of local policies and interventions to reduce social and gender inequalities in health and social participation. It builds more cohesive society at a local community level in Latvia, using experiences from Norway. Project target groups are: 1) citizens from high risk groups, 2) local and regional politicians and 3) staff of academic institutions. Association s share of funding for 2012 is about Healthier People: Management of Change through Monitoring and Action The project tackles non-communicable diseases and premature mortality in Russia by capacity building and networking of key stakeholders. Main partner is Lappeenranta University of Technology. Association s share of funding is about 5000 in VIRTU - Virtual Elderly Care Services on the Baltic Islands The project creates a virtual service model which benefit elderly people, their relatives, municipalities, health care professionals in the archipelago areas of Finland and Estonia. The Lead Partner is Turku University of Applied Sciences. The project gives no financial benefits to the association WIS 2012 The Association organizes with Turku School of Economics the 4 th International Conference on Well-being in the Information Society on August 2012: WIS 2012 exploring the abyss of inequalities Supporting physical activity/active living The Association has developed together with TAFISA (The Association For International Sport for All) and Finnish Sport for All Association (Kunto ry) 3 AC Active Cities, Active Communities, Active Citizens concept. There is an aim to search project funding for further development of the concept. Action 4. Planning of projects, seminars, training and events In 2012 Association actively participates in planning of project applications from various funding programmes. The following proposals are waiting for approval or disapproval. New projects and trainings will be planned e.g. about urban health and effect of climate change in health EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region - Flagship projects on health a) BADY - Alcohol and Drug Prevention among Youth in Baltic Sea Region BADY is a flagship-project in the framework of the European Union Baltic Sea Region Strategy. The Lead Partner of the project is STAD (Stockholm Prevents Alcohol and Drug Problems, Karolinska Institutet). Other partners are NVC (Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues), NDPHS and cities and organisations from the Baltic Sea Region. The aim is to develop an instrument for assessing community readiness to prevent the use of alcohol and drugs among young people in the ages of 13 to 17. Project is on waiting list and may not receive funding. b) Stop NCD-epidemic now!: Health policy and strategy support to combat NCD and hazardous and harmful lifestyle epidemic in Northern Dimension geographical area The project brings eleven Partnership countries in the Northern Dimension Area to the ongoing European health policy debate and preparation of strategic plans to overcome Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) epidemic. The project will introduce new health policy language helping the public, 4

6 media and decision makers to better understand the risk factors at the population-level health and individuals Improving EU Regional Co-opetition in Human Needs Impact Assessment (HIAtool.org) The project aims at developing decision-support activities to address factors contributing to health inequalities at EU level. Main Partner is Research Health Foundation of the Balearic Islands Esteettömät kulttuuri- ja virkistyspalvelut suunnittelutyökalu kunnille The aim to to test accessibility of public cultural and recreational services in municipalities. Association is the Main Partner with University of Turku Brahea Centre for Training and Development Tools for Cooperation between Immigrants, Police and Social Work (TIPS) The main partner is Turku University of Applied Sciences. The project aims at promoting a better understanding of the contributions of legal migration and migrants to the receiving societies and to enhancing the capacity of public and private bodies, to reflect and manage increasing diversity Health literacy and healthy ageing The aim of this project is: To strengthen the development of evidence-based methods on health literacy in older adults. The Main Partner of the project is Netherlands Institute for Health Promotion. PART IV: Funding for operations 2012 The operations of the Association are financed by the City of Turku, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, member organisations and project funding. Table below describes the budget for Budget 2012 and estimation for 2011 Estimated profit and loss account 2011 Budget 2012 INCOME City of Turku MSAH Project funding EU / other project funding Member fees Income total COSTS Personnel costs Other fixed costs Variable costs Costs total Interest income PROFIT/LOSS FOR THE PERIOD