THE ROLE OF PLANNING IN PUBLIC HEALTH By Ezinne Obele.

What is planning?  Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal.  If done effectively, it can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the goal.

 Planning is one of the most important project management and time management techniques.  It involves the management function of formulating detailed plans to achieve optimum balance of needs or demands with available resources.

 A plan is like a map.  It details the proposal for doing or achieving something.

Goals Desired Outcomes Strategies Measures and Targets Results Mission Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How do we measure success? How did we do? How can we improve? Strategic Planning Cycle

The planning process does the following:  It identifies the goals or objectives to be achieved  It formulates strategies to achieve them  It arranges or creates the means required  It implements, directs, and monitors all steps in their proper sequence.

Recall that… “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” WHO, 2006

The relationship between health and the environment in its widest sense has been reformulated in modern times in the shape of the social determinants of health model, most famously articulated by Whitehead and Dahlgren (1992). Health Environment Social determinants of health model

Social Determinants of Health  Social determinants of health are economic and social conditions that influence the health of people and communities.  These conditions are shaped by the amount of money, power, and resources that people have, all of which are influenced by policy choices.  Social determinants of health affect factors that are related to health outcomes.

Social Determinants of Health include:  How a person develops during the first few years of life (early childhood development)  How much education a persons obtains  Being able to get and keep a job  What kind of work a person does  Having food or being able to get food (food security)  Having access to health services and the quality of those services  Housing status  How much money a person earns  Discrimination and social support

 Health is a function of a person's socio- economic and environmental circumstances, as well as hereditary and personal influences. Socio-economic factors Personal influences Hereditary factors Environmental circumstances DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH Social Determinants

Planning in Public Health  Planning in public health and crisis management aims to manage those very same determinants of health – employment, housing, transport, education and environment.

Why address Social determinants of Health? The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. Addressing social determinants of health is a primary approach to achieving health equity. Health equity is "when everyone has the opportunity to 'attain their full health potential' and no one is 'disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance.

 Putting health (and crisis management) at the centre of planning strategies will produce many synergies.  Healthy communities will be sustainable communities.  To achieve these goals, planning in public health is very crucial.  Also, planning will induce and guide change in disadvantaged communities as well as in growth areas.

Challenges of Planning in Public Health and Crisis Management  The challenge is designing spatial policies that will deliver a social justice and tackle health inequities head on.  This will include planning healthcare services so that we get the right services in the right place at the right time while making plans to avert and tackle crisis head-on.

Example Planning cycle for Municipal Public Health Planning Source: Department of Human Services 2009, Heatwave Planning Guide: Development of heatwave plans in local councils in Victoria, Public Health Branch, Melbourne, p. 11.

 The Environments for Health Municipal Public Health Planning Framework has represented a leading edge approach to supporting quality health planning at a local government level.  This framework incorporates an awareness of the social, economic, natural and built environments and their impacts on health and wellbeing.  The Framework has had a major impact on local government planning and influenced the conceptual understanding of population health at a local level and beyond.

Summary. Because there are many determinants of health, effective planning in public health is important to integrate all these factors, so as to achieve the common goal of a healthy community void of health inequities.

Conclusion  The role of planning in public health and crisis management is to organize and manage the determinants of health.

Remember…