Councils do a lot for public health. Almost every function of a council can be placed under the umbrella of public health.
Public Health Plans often seek to cover all these functions. This can lead to very long and onerous Plans.
We know public health planning has greatest impact when it targets the most significant public health challenges in an area.
The councils of Adelaide Plains, Barossa, Gawler and Light Regional have taken a revolutionary approach to their second Regional Public Health Plan.
This new Plan identifies the most significant challenges for public health and establishes three targeted “lighthouse” projects for the councils to pursue. These lighthouse projects are:
- Community transport, walking and cycling.
- Mental health and suicide prevention.
- Community participation project.
This approach was underpinned by evidenced-based research and a co-design process involving council, service providers, stakeholders and community.
The Plan also establishes a governance and delivery model to enable collaboration, implementation and reporting – an area often omitted from such Plans.
We are excited to think that this Plan can have a positive influence beyond its region.
Its simple methodology can be easily adopted by other councils and regions, and the Plan’s governance model and delivery cycle are directly transferable.
