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Health in All Policies is a collaborative approach that integrates health considerations into policy making across sectors such as housing, land use, transportation, and economic development. Bringing to light the potential health effects and inequities of all plans and policies can help decision makers, community members, and organizations avoid inadvertent negative health effects and maximize positive health impacts of development and policies.
In recent years, it has become clear that plans and policies in many sectors outside of health and health care have the potential to affect the health of communities. For example, residents in neighborhoods with safe, accessible parks, trails, and community centers are more likely to meet recommended levels of physical activity. Residents of high quality, affordable housing are less likely to experience asthma, lead poisoning, and other risks to health than those who do not have access to quality housing. Many population health inequities are related to social and environmental determinants of health that are influenced by decisions made in sectors that have not traditionallybeen considered related to health.
The Lane County Public Health Division (PHD) and the Lane Livability Consortium (LLC) cosponsored a health in all policies (HiAP) workshop for public health and planning professionals, policymakers, and non-profit professionals from a wide range of sectors on November 21, 2013. Green Health Consulting created the workshop content and structure and facilitated the half-day session. Health in All Policies is a collaborative approach that integrates health considerations into policy making across sectors such as housing, land use, transportation, and economic development. The workshop's goal was to build capacity among LLC members and other Lane County organizations to integrate health into plans and policies in diverse sectors, and to apply practical solutions that result in healthy communities. The workshop objectives were:
Thirty-seven individuals from a wide range of agencies and sectors attended . The workshop included presentations, hands-on small group work applying HiAP methods to local case studies, and discussion about how healthy public policies could be achieved and sustained in Lane County. A report entitled Integrating Health, Plans, and Policies Summary and Recommendations provides a summary of the workshop, key informant interviews and information from other groups.
Integrating Health, Plans, and Policies
Summary and Recommendations