Practices

Healthy residents are the basis of a wellbeing municipality and region. Therefore, the promotion of health and wellbeing should be reflected in all decision-making and activities of the municipality and the region.

Management of wellbeing requires a clear management system and clearly defined responsibilities. Top management is responsible for promoting well-being and health in both the municipality and the province.

Finland's legislation defines a wide range of tasks to promote well-being and health.
Read more about the legislative background

The strategy sets the guidelines

Promoting health and wellbeing should be a strategic priority in municipalities and regions. The strategy outlines the will and means to build a healthy municipality and region.

The strategy is based on information about the health and wellbeing of the residents and how well the service system responds to the challenges in the region and municipality.
Read more about information sources

The strategy is reflected in concrete tasks in the financial and action plans in both municipalities and regions.

Responsiblities for implementation

The municipal wellbeing group  is responsible for putting the policies into practice. The group consists of representatives from different divisions of the municipality. The council or the board may also act as a responsible party.

Municipalities and regions may also have a wellbeing coordinator who is responsible for the co-operation in the promotion of health and wellbeing with various sectors of the municipality, other actors as well as regional actors.

A Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach emphasizes that public policies and decisions made concerning policy areas other than health (e.g. transport, agriculture, education, employment etc.) have the most impact on citizens’ health, on health determinants and on the capacity of health systems to respond to health needs.
Read more about Health in All Policies

Tools for management of health and wellbeing promotion

According to the law, municipalities must prepare a welfare report at regular intervals. It is used to monitor the promotion of health and wellbeing.
Read more about the welfare report

Human impact assessment is also required by law. Before making key decisions, the effects on different groups of people and the environment are assessed.
Read more about human impact assessment