1. Applying a Health Lens to Municipal Policy Making
Dr. Lisa Simon, Associate Medical Officer of Health
AMO Conference
August 15, 2016

2. Outline Local public health Applying a health lens
5 ways to bring a health lens to municipal policy making

3. Local Public Health in Ontario
36 local public health agencies
Each governed by a Board of Health with partial or complete membership by municipal politicians
Legislative mandate from Health Protection and Promotion Act
MOHLTC establishes Ontario Public Health Standards
Municipal and provincial funding

4. Applying a Health Lens
Applying a health lens to municipal policy making = considering health implications when developing policy outside the health sector
Why do it?:
Most powerful impacts on health and health equity are outside health purview, & policy change is most powerful tool
People want to live places that support health & wellness
Strong return on investment
Policy will be made anyways…don’t lose value-added opportunity to make it healthy

5. Determinants of Health

6. 5 ways to bring a health lens to municipal policy making

7. 1. Make Use of Your Public Health Agency
Collaborate/consult
Health data/evidence
Board of Health advocacy
Tools & Resources

9. 2. Form Cross-Sector Committees
Bring health and other sector perspectives to policy agendas focused on:
Health & Wellness
Active transportation
Land use planning
Transportation
Food & agriculture
Child & Youth-friendly, Age-friendly
Community safety
Economic development
Poverty reduction
Affordable housing
Environment

10. 3. Use Health Impact Assessments
A process that provides predictions of potential impacts of a proposed project/policy on health and health equity of a population, and suggests ways to improve
Consider using for policies such as:
Land use and transportation planning
Food and agriculture policy
Economic policy
Housing policy
Climate change policy
Alcohol policy, etc.

11. HIA Steps P R O S A L Screening Scoping Appraisal Recommendations
Evaluation

12. 4. Adopt ‘Health in All Policies’
An approach to public policies across sectors that systematically takes into account the health implications of decisions, seeks synergies, and avoids harmful health impacts in order to improve population health and health equity
Supports other sectors in achieving their goals, while taking population health into consideration (win-win)
Implemented via inter-departmental and cross-sector committees or coordinators, HIA, community engagement, etc.
Shankardass et al, 2016; NCCHPP, 2014; WHO, 2010

13. 5. Become a ‘Healthy Municipality’
World Health Organization’s ‘Healthy Municipalities and Communities’ movement
E.g. Vancouver’s Healthy
City Strategy

14. Summary of approaches Make use of your public health agency
Form cross-sector committees
Use Health Impact Assessments
Adopt ‘Health in All Policies’
Become a ‘Healthy Municipality’

15. Thank you Takk Mahalo Dziękuję Miigwetch Spacibo 谢谢 Gracias Merci
Dankie
Mahalo
Dziękuję
Spacibo
Merci