As Finland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, in collaboration with NIVA Education, organised a conference on the Psychosocial Working Environment on September 11 in Helsinki. We were pleased to bring our MentalHealthMatters project to the forefront of the discussion and to share the stage with leading OSH experts and researchers, regulatory authorities and ministries from the Nordic-Baltic region.

This dynamic guide brings together essential background knowledge, proven tools, best practices, audiovisual materials, and step-by-step guidance on how to plan, implement, evaluate, and invest in Arts on Prescription programmes. The online guide is a part of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region funded Arts on Prescription project and aims to assist and support public authorities, public health professionals and cultural institutions to establish and implement AoP programmes, in order to promote mental health and wellbeing in communities.

The EUSBSR Annual Forum is one of the largest pan-Baltic cooperation events in the Baltic Sea Region. This year the Forum will be organized in Sopot, Poland from October 29 to October 30. Join us on Thursday, October 30 for a discussion about the workplace mental health and psychosocial risks featuring expert insights. In times of uncertainty and mental health decline across the Baltic Sea Region, we will look for practical strategies to support well-being, resilience, and build stability.

From climate resilience to mental health, project platforms transform stand-alone solutions into powerhouses of cooperation. These capitalisation initiatives, labelled Operations of Strategic Importance in Interreg Baltic Sea Region, connect project results and drive meaningful change. The NDPHS led BSR Mental Health project platform outlines a modern healthcare system for the region and consolidates outcomes from 13 EU projects.

The Interreg Baltic Sea Region project "Arts on Prescription" (AoP) drew widespread attention for its innovative approach to mental health and well-being at the Nordic Public Health Conference 2025 in Gothenburg. Hosted from 13-15 May, the conference gathered 600 public health professionals from 18 countries, underscoring the growing global interest in Nordic models of health equity and social innovation.

As it nears completion, the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project MentalHealthMatters has released a Discussion Document with practical recommendations for improving workplace well-being. The project also unveiled a digital First-Aid Kit packed with research-backed resources to help navigate common psychosocial risks at work.

Tune in Health! The Interreg Central Baltic project's "Solutions for Age-Friendly Employer" (SAFE) consortium is launching "SAFE and Sound", a sub-series on the NDPHS podcast "Tune in Health". Join us as we dive into what makes a workplace age-friendly, share success stories, and explore how to boost job opportunities for individuals aged 55 and above.

Nicotine is a toxic and highly addictive substance found in cigarettes and other tobacco products. In recent years, new nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, have entered the market, appealing particularly to children and young people. On World No Tobacco Day we join the global campaign to raise awareness about the harmful tactics of the tobacco industry and share a recently published report by Nordic Welfare Center highlighting the trends in nicotine product use among youth in the Nordic and Baltic countries.