Population Health Mobilization: A Regional Strategy

Executive Summary

This paper outlines the emerging strategy that will be used to steer the regional mobilization of the population health approach, for which the Regional Directors of the Health Promotion and Programs Branch have assumed the role of champion. It provides background information and reviews health promotion activities in the regions in relation to the population health approach. As well, it outlines key approaches and activities, entry points, provides suggestions for how to analyze health issues and set priorities, and finally, identifies opportunities and next steps.

The basic elements of the strategy were developed at a meeting of Regional Directors and regional Population Health Managers in August 1998. It draws upon all the work that has been done to articulate the nature and scope of the population health.

Five Approaches

The Mobilization Strategy proposed by the regions includes five key approaches. The first three, to broaden work on determinants, focus on populations and sub-populations and collaborate across sectors are external in focus. Approaches four and five, knowledge development and documenting the experience of the population health approach, are internally focused.

Priorities

Priorities for mobilization will be based on work at a multi-sectoral level and in particular, work which draws in non-traditional health care sectors to:

Increase the focus on the broader determinants of health such as income and social status, employment, social environment and health services;

• Give priority to initiatives which involve a range of sectors in developing healthy public policy; and

• Generate a variety of evidence which can inform our processes and strategies for influencing healthy public policy and support the development of future programs and initiatives.

The Blueprint to Promote a Population Health Approach in Canada has identified two building blocks or short term outcomes for mobilization: increasing skills needed to use a population health approach and increasing intersectoral and intergovernmental action. Regional priorities will directly address these outcomes. Mobilization initiatives are also intended to influence a number of the mid term outcomes identified for population health in the Blueprint. These outcomes include more integration across sectors/government, the development of healthy public policy, more supportive environments, and an increase in community action.

Next Steps

The Regional Population Health Managers' Forum has taken on the task of coordinating the further development of the Regional Mobilization Strategy. Future steps include the following:

• To review planned regional initiatives for mobilization;

• To identify common outcomes, characteristics and benchmarks and an evaluation framework; and

• To develop a framework for documenting and analyzing population health approaches and activities.

During the initial implementation period, a portion of regional resources will be set aside for specific mobilization activities in order to protect them from the pressures that other funding programs and issues can put upon Branch resources. At the same time, work will continue to shift the delivery of all programs and resources so that they increasingly reflect the population health approach.

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