The California Department of Public Health, the California Endowment, and the Public Health Institute released a document called  “Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments” this week…  which provides best practices to improve the public’s health and safety by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across all sectors and policy areas. 

The guide features strategies for achieving good health and sustainability across the community and tips for engaging stakeholders, building relationships, and making joint decisions across sectors. The publication also includes guidance on developing messages around health in all policies, as well as examples of benefits that can be attained through strong public health policy. 

This new report ties in nicely with our new azhealthcommunities.org website, which is another tool that provides information on the influence of community design, accessibility and transportation on health. You can even find some recent examples of how communities in Arizona are working to create healthier environments and learn to create a Health Impact Assessment, which can be used to help city projects improve population health. These are just some examples of how we can work to promote healthy and safe community environments – one of our priority areas of our Strategic Map.