The HEALTHY COMMUNITY is an Initiative of the Kharkiv Expert Group Supporting Healthcare Reform aimed at supporting Ukrainian communities with development of a health management system.
The HEALTHY COMMUNITY is a community where representatives of local authorities, business, education, culture, healthcare, media and NGOs are united around improving public health in their communities.
Guideline on Empowered Community Development
We believe that true care for human health can only be achieved in a community.
What Does This Initiative Bring to a Community?
Health is not only an emotional category (“it’s good to be healthy”), but also an economic one, as it constitutes part of human capital, a basis for community well-being.
Healthy individuals who are able to manage stress and are not burdened with caring for a bedridden relative with a chronic illness can support each other, work, volunteer, create, start businesses, and improve their community. This is precisely what a community committed to this initiative on a long-term basis will achieve.
Additionally, there are ‘short-term’ benefits: the dialogue platform for NGOs, businesses, and local authorities about community health; attracting additional funding for health improvement activities; and increased efficiency of municipal healthcare facilities.
What Should a Healthy Community Look Like?
A healthy (empowered) community is one where:
- a public health decision-making center is established
- integrated interventions to influence public health are developed
- local healthcare institutions are integrated into local health-management system
- individuals take responsibility for their own health
- health-related data are collected and analyzed
- interventions for maintaining and improving public health are well controlled
- people take better care of their health and are knowledgeable about the prevention of the most common diseases
- community members participate in decision-making on health-related issues
The Initiative Implementation in Ukraine
Mukachevo
Community
Yasinya
Community
Fastiv
Community
Bucha
Community
Skvyra
Community
Zlatopil
Community
Kramatorsk
Community
Voznesensk
Community
Bashtanka
Community
How Can a Community Become Healthy
(Empowered)?
Form an "Integrating Entity" workgroup
These groups should be composed of representatives of local authorities, businesses, education, culture, healthcare, media, and civil society organizations.
Analyze the community health status
to identify "gaps”. The first task of the integrating entity is to collect and process public health data to identify "gaps" and to offer solutions to local authorities for public health improvement.
Identify community health priorities
The key priorities should focus primarily on non-communicable diseases, which account for 90 percent of deaths and 80 percent of lost potential life years due to premature death and disability in Ukraine. It is advisable to limit the overall number of priorities to a maximum of three per year.
Identify interventions/initiatives for implementing priorities
There are many evidence-based interventions available, meaning those proven effective by research. When planning interventions, it is beneficial to combine the efforts of healthcare and non-healthcare organizations to enhance their impact.
Measure the Results of Actions
Action outputs should be monitored on an ongoing basis. At the end of each year, analyze whether the goals for health priorities were achieved and make adjustments to the plan for the following year.
Analyze the community health status
to identify "gaps”. The first task of the integrating entity is to collect and process public health data to identify "gaps" and to offer solutions to local authorities for public health improvement.
Identify interventions/initiatives for implementing priorities
There are many evidence-based interventions available, meaning those proven effective by research. When planning interventions, it is beneficial to combine the efforts of healthcare and non-healthcare organizations to enhance their impact.
Form an "Integrating Entity" workgroup
These groups should be composed of representatives of local authorities, businesses, education, culture, healthcare, media, and civil society organizations.
Identify community health priorities
The key priorities should focus primarily on non-communicable diseases, which account for 90 percent of deaths and 80 percent of lost potential life years due to premature death and disability in Ukraine. It is advisable to limit the overall number of priorities to a maximum of three per year.
Measure the Results of Actions
Action outputs should be monitored on an ongoing basis. At the end of each year, analyze whether the goals for health priorities were achieved and make adjustments to the plan for the following year.
Library of Initiatives
Examples of evidence-based interventions
Where to Look for Details?
Any community that shares the principles of the HEALTHY COMMUNITY and the ideology of the Manifesto of a Healthy Society can become a member of the Initiative
Detailed information on Initiative implementation could be found in the Guideline
To join the Initiative please email ngoperspectives@gmail.com
Official Facebook page of the HEALTHY COMMUNITY Initiative.
Partners of the Initiative
The Initiative is implemented by the team of Kharkiv Expert Group Supporting Healthcare Reform in cooperation with NGO “Change Agency “Perspectives” and Charitable Foundation “Healthy Solutions for an Open Society”.
Project Team
Mykhailo Dovhopol,
change management expert and business consultant, co-founder of Kharkiv Expert Group Supporting Healthcare Reform (KhEG)
Olena Reshetnyak,
PhD in Economics, health economics consultant, international trainer and consultant, KhEG expert
Tetyana Gavrysh,
GR consultant, KhEG coordinator, co-founder of the CF "Healthy Solutions for an Open Society"
Viktoriia Tymoshevska,
Executive Director of the Charitable Foundation "Healthy Solutions for an Open Society”
Oleksii Holovin,
legal consultant, senior lawyer at ILF