BACKGROUND: THE EVOLVING ROLE OF CITIES IN HEALTH CARE
As cities and other local authorities become increasingly important for the health of their population, the EFPC launches the Working Group PRIPHECI http://www.euprimarycare.org/working-group-primary-care-and-population-health-european-cities-pripheci. Important pressures are the integration of community care and primary care, i.e. the connection between public health and health care for the individual. Local authorities often find it difficult to adapt their care system to the increased and complex needs of individuals living within their neighbourhoods. An adequate monitoring system for these local authorities, providing insight in the needs in terms of prevention and health promotion, reactive care (including emergencies), and continuity of care (dealing with chronically ill, mainly in the context of home care) is crucial. The creation of equitable financing, which takes into account the differences between affluent and other parts within the city are needed. Local governments need information, assistance and capacity building on achieving practical solutions for these major challenges for the coming decades. The ‘Community oriented and integrated primary care approach’ is a model that fits very well to tackle most of the challenges. Moreover, addressing the upstream causes of ill health requires an intersectoral approach at the local level, integrating health and welfare sectors with housing, work, education, and infrastructure. Several recent publications, for example from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the Nuffield Trust and the WHO, emphasize the importance of this initiative (see ‘useful links’ at the end of this article).
OBJECTIVES OF PRIPHECI
The objectives of the project are to:
Develop a conceptual framework and several case studies.
Let local authorities, professionals and other stakeholders better understand the available models for city population health.
Network between cities on the theme of population health.
Get local authorities/cities interested and committed to develop interventions.
MORE IN ISTANBUL, 9–10 SEPTEMBER 2013
At our Istanbul conference on 9 and 10 September, our Turkish member TAHEV—with the technical input from the Sahlik Bahcesi group—will explain the development of a web-based learning environment based on a similar tool ‘Compactonair http://www.compactonair.net/welcome.’ On the second day Dr Cagri Kalaca, former Head of the department of family medicine at Marmara university, will provide a keynote based on these ideas with the title ‘Learning pathways for local authorities in developing policies for the increased demands for population health.’
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Several cities have already expressed their interest like Ghent (Belgium), Lisbon (Portugal), Fulda (Germany), Almere (The Netherlands), Pisa (Italy). Please make sure your own local authority will be informed about this important initiative and gets involved fulfilling our future ambitions and activities like:
Exchange of experiences and knowledge in population health between cities, professionals and other stakeholders including CSO (civil society organizations) supported by the three levels represented within the EFPC: research, policy and practice (multiprofessional).
Establishment and dissemination of learning pathways for local authorities and their civil servants in developing, in interaction with professionals and CSO, policies for the increased demands for population health.