The South Dublin Healthy County Steering Group is an interagency group established during 2014/2015 for the purposes of attaining Healthy City/County Status through the National Healthy City/County Network linked to the World Health Organization.
Healthy Ireland South Dublin County is a coordinating body with the aim of improving the Health and Wellbeing of all those who live and work in South Dublin County. It caters for all ages and abilities, with a focus on areas where there are health inequalities; such as areas of disadvantage, older persons, people with a disability, minority groups, and adapts a cradle to the grave approach to Health & Wellbeing. Key objectives include:
- To assist in the delivery of Healthy Ireland at local level
- To deliver actions from the National Physical Activity Plan
- Having participated in local Health Assets Needs Assessment (HANA) we will deliver local actions identified
- To improve the Health & Wellbeing of the residents of our County
- To Promote and utilize the wide range of facilities and programs provided by the local Authority and expand them as required
- Tackle Health Inequalities
In 2016 South Dublin County gained accreditation as HI Healthy South Dublin and since then partners have been active locally, regionally and nationally in the HI Healthy Cities and Counties Network. The project is managed by South Dublin County Council in partnership with Health Service Executive, South Dublin County Partnership, Trinity College Dublin Public Health & Primary Care, South Dublin Volunteer Centre, Tallaght University Hospital, Technological University Dublin, Tallaght Campus and the Education & Training Board.
South Dublin County Health & Well Being Strategy
Becoming a Healthy City and working to achieve the goals of Healthy Ireland requires creating cities with adequate housing and public transportation, quality health care, and safe places to exercise and play. In short it is recognising that health is the business of all sectors. In seeking Healthy Cities accreditation and/or achieving the goals laid out in Healthy Ireland, South Dublin CYPSC/LCDC will undertake a number of steps to improve health and wellbeing. This requires thorough political commitment, working in partnership with local stakeholders and supporting innovative projects. The strategy developed through this process should provide a road map for how this could be achieved.
Any city can be a healthy city, since this has never been defined as an outcome but a process. A healthy city is not one that has achieved a particular health status level but rather one that is conscious of health and health equity and strives to improve it. Moreover, South Dublin CYPSC/LCDC recognises that while such programmes are generally initiated by local government – for them to be effective there must be mobilised integrated action from civil society such as community groups and charities and from private enterprises. It represents a timely mind-set shift from a health-care system centred on disease treatment to one that combines treatment, prevention, promotion of health policy, and a transferral of responsibility from health professionals to the entire society, with an emphasis on the role of local governments. The development of a Healthy Ireland Strategy for South Dublin County will outline the pathway by which this local leadership can make a real difference to the lives of its citizens.
Healthy South Dublin Role, Vision and Goals
Over the past few years, significant work has been undertaken, in consultation with the public, in developing national policies and plans. These include, but are not limited to the following: Tobacco Free Ireland (2013), National Sexual Health Strategy (2015), National Physical seems to be data missing here?