[H+T--Friends] New guide on health in all policies

This new guide on Health in All Policies may be of interest to you or your networks. Eloisa Eloisa Raynault | American Public Health Association | 800 I Street NW, Washington DC 20001 | Transportation, Health and Equity Program Manager | o: 202-777-2487 | http://apha.org/transportation Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. October 1, 2013 - A new guide released today offers practical strategies for improving the public's health by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. Written by public health practitioners, "Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments" was developed in collaboration with the American Public Health Association, the Public Health Institute and the California Department of Public Health. A four-page brief and the full guide are available for download on this website: http://www.apha.org/programs/cba/CBA/health_all_policies. The "health in all policies" framework requires collaboration between various sectors to promote health, equity and sustainability, and simultaneously advance other goals such as promoting job creation and economic stability, transportation access and mobility, a strong agricultural system and educational attainment. "Improving the public's health through policy development often falls to non-traditional health partners and this guide emphasizes the importance of collaboration between these partners and public health agencies and organizations," said Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of APHA. "To ensure that health is a top priority in education, nutrition, transportation and other policies, this guide will be of great value as the implementation of 'health in all policies' expands to transform the practice of public health for the benefit of all." The goal of "Health in all Policies" is to ensure decision-makers are informed about the health, equity and sustainability consequences of various policy options during the policy development process. The guide was produced in response to growing interest in using collaborative approaches to improve population health by embedding health considerations into decision making processes across a broad array of sectors. It draws heavily on the experiences of the California Health in All Policies Task Force and incorporates information from published literature and interviews with individuals across the country.