Healthy Wellington brings together Wellington Shire Council, Wellington Primary Care Partnership, Central Gippsland Health Service, Gippsland Women’s Health and Yarram District Health Service and partners to deliver health and wellbeing outcomes for the local community.
The Wellington Shire Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2013-17 (the Healthy Wellington Plan) identifies four priority areas for collective action. These are healthy eating, physical activity, social connection and inclusion, and prevention of violence against women and children. Four working groups - one for each priority area - meet regularly to collaboratively advance the strategies within the plan.
The groups focus on a place-based approach to health promotion, coordinating different programs and initiatives under each priority area to align with and complement one another. For example, strategies under physical activity include: delivering new and improved recreation facilities through council’s capital plan; making use of existing initiatives like Walk to School to audit local footpaths and trails; reviewing local pathways for their potential as shared walking and cycling paths; and supporting uptake of the Achievement Program.
Reporting against this effort is also collaborative, with a single report meeting the reporting requirements for: the Primary Care Partnership; Community Health and Women’s Health health promotion funding; and the review of the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.
The approach in Wellington is still evolving, with partners aiming to introduce a ‘systems thinking’ approach to their prevention effort in the next Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.
For more information on Healthy Wellington see Healthy Wellington Plan.
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