MentalHealthMatters project partners explore social innovations related to psychosocial risks at work
In September, the MentalHealthMatters Transnational Community of Practice gathered for a workshop in Stockholm, hosted by the NDPHS Secretariat. The participants explored practices related to psychosocial work environments across the Baltic Sea Region. Promising practices from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Poland were presented and the goal was to examine how social innovations in this field have facilitated behavioural and organisational changes.
29 October, 2024
Nordic-Baltic countries and Ukraine public health experts meet in Stockholm to explore social innovation transfer
Public health experts from Germany, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Ukraine recently came together for a workshop focused on exploring framework conditions for social innovation transfer. Organized by the NDPHS Secretariat, the “Transferability Workshop” aimed to identify successful public health interventions in the Baltic Sea region that could be adapted and implemented in other countries facing similar challenges.
14 October, 2024
Interreg Cooperation day 2024
To celebrate our network and project community and to showcase how cross-border and transnational work promote unity and progress, we join Interreg Cooperation Day 2024 with a week full of events. With the support from Interreg, we can make boundaries irrelevant in our daily lives and build inclusive communities with an aim to improve the health and well-being of all.
20 September, 2024
Arts on Prescription animation – from concept to reality
Since 2023 we are working on a project "Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region" aiming to improve the mental wellbeing of citizens. In short, Arts on Prescription is a non-clinical health programme in which people with mild to moderate mental health problems are referred to arts and cultural activities. To better grasp the Arts on Prescription concept, watch a short animation that introduces the idea of the novel approach and its benefits.
10 May, 2024
Harnessing Collective Strength to Advance Occupational Safety and Health in the Baltic Sea Region
The International Labour Organization (ILO) member States amendments to the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work to explicitly include "a safe and healthy working environment" is a pivotal moment in the effort to prioritize occupational safety and health on a broader scale. Amidst these developments and considering the profound changes in the world of work, what steps can be undertaken to elevate occupational safety and health standards within the NDPHS countries and give effect to the amended Declaration?
9 April, 2024
World TB Day 2024 – ‘Yes! We can end TB!’ The NDPHS Expert Group of HIV, TB & AI begins a project on Latent Tuberculosis Infection Inventory
Every year on March 24 we commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis and to step up efforts to end the epidemic. In the Northern Dimension countries TB disease incidence has gone down thanks to successful control measures. However, a much larger number of people is latently infected, forming a reservoir for TB cases in the future. To better understand the situation, our Expert Group on HIV, TB & AI with Finnish Lung Health Association leading the project, will conduct a study on latent tuberculosis infection in the region.
22 March, 2024
NDPHS congratulates Sweden for becoming a NATO member
On 7 March 2024 Sweden became Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) newest member. With Sweden’s accession, all NDPHS Partner countries have now joined the Allience which counts 32 countries among its members. The NDPHS Secretariat congratulates our colleagues and partners in Sweden and across the Partnership on this important event.
11 March, 2024
Enhancing Mental Health: Fostering Well-Being in the Baltic Sea Region
Can our mental well-being be positively affected by the power of art? We believe so. The idea of the Arts on Prescription project is that people with a diagnosed mental condition get a prescription for engaging in cultural activities which has been proven to have a positive effect on mental health. Read an interview with our project partner, Marta Ciesielska from Poland and step into the challenges public authorities face and the innovative solutions offered by this project.
13 February, 2024
Mental health at work high on the political agenda
In 2023 the European Commission established tackling psychosocial risks at work as one of its key commitments in the Comprehensive Action on Mental Health. In 2024, the political commitments to improving mental health at work have not slowed down – in fact, on the contrary, action has only intensified both in the EU and the Baltic Sea Region.
29 January, 2024
The NDPHS Secretariat is looking for an intern
Gain practical knowledge and professional experience related to the NDPHS activities, we are looking for a motivated trainee to join our team in the NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden. The programme grants a monthly scholarship. Read more what is in it for you and begin 2024 with a unique experience!
11 December, 2023
WHO report on Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases “Learning from the Arts”
There is a growing momentum to integrate the arts into the practices of the health-care sector. Research on the effects of arts on health and well-being has increased during the past two decades. There is now a body of evidence that arts interventions play a significant role in the prevention of ill health, promotion of good health and management and treatment of disease. The report summarizes the value of arts interventions for health, focusing on initiatives into prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.
5 December, 2023
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: Global Collaborations and Collective Action
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat across human, animal, plant, food, and environmental sectors. AMR is also one of the thematic areas of the NDPHS and every year in November, we join the global campaign to raise awareness and understanding about this pressing health threat.
20 November, 2023
Policy Area Health in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2023
The 14th EUSBSR Annual Forum, organized in the City of Riga on 4-5 October, invited participants to celebrate and reinforce multilevel cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. The official programme included the joint PA Health and PA Education workshop and the kick-off event for the project – “Economy of Wellbeing of People”, financed by the Swedish Institute.
27 October, 2023
MentalHealthMatters partners tackle challenges and gaps related to mental health at work
Since the beginning of the MentalHealthMatters project in August, the partners in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Norway have been working with policymakers, employers, employees, researchers and other stakeholders to identify the national gaps in data and policy related to workplace psychosocial risks. Read what happened when the partners got together to discover the joint gaps and challenges.
28 September, 2023
International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day
On September 9th, International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day is observed. People all around the world raise awareness about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and the plight of individuals and families who struggle with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders which can turn into a lifelong disability.
8 September, 2023
The MentalHealthMatters project’s kick-off
After receiving the positive news about funding in the Spring of 2023, the NDPHS Secretariat, our Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health and project partners from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway and Poland have been actively plotting the project’s implementation and identifying national priorities and approaches. We now move from plans to action.
21 August, 2023
Lessons learned from the tested Arts on Prescription concept in Denmark
With the goal to improve their mental and social well-being and quality of life, 10 participants met voluntarily over a period of 8 weeks and took part in different cultural activities. A short film gives valuable insights into experiences of participants, coordinators and facilitators of the programme that has been evaluated in 2023. Read six most important conclusions of the evaluation.
17 August, 2023
World Hepatitis Day 2023
You’ve only got one life, and you’ve only got one liver. Hepatitis can devastate both. Viral hepatitis still kills over a million people every year and there’s a huge number of undiagnosed and untreated people living with hepatitis. This must change. Don’t miss the target: stopping a hepatitis C epidemic requires quick action - both prevention and improving testing and access to treatment.
31 July, 2023
A story from Ukraine
This is the story of Anastasia, an HIV positive person, who fled the war in Ukraine to Finland and found a way to continue her antiretroviral treatment. The article is prepared in connection to the European Public Health Week 2023.
24 May, 2023
New guide for arts and health collaboration
Together with the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture we are delighted to launch a guide: “Talking Points: Arts and Health in Communities”. The guide is about arts-based interventions that combine medical and cultural approaches with the aim of offering support to arts and health practitioners interested in creative approaches to wellbeing.
16 May, 2023
Mental Health Matters – an NDPHS project on mental health at work selected for funding
Today, on the annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work, we are happy to announce that Mental Health Matters, a project developed by the NDPHS Expert Group on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH EG) together with the NDPHS Secretariat, has been approved for funding by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. The project aims at improving mental health at work, thus contributing to the well-being of citizens and the resilience of enterprises and societies.
28 April, 2023
NDPHS congratulates Finland for becoming a NATO member
4 April 2023 marked a historic day for one of the NDPHS Partner Countries. The blue cross flag was raised at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Finland had just become the 31st member of the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
5 April, 2023
Using behavioral insights in public health programming
As public health professionals, we tend to rely on education and training to encourage people to adopt more healthy behavior. Although we know that often, even when people know how to behave healthily, they choose not to do so. This is because behaviors are driven by multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors. Knowledge alone does not necessarily change behaviors.
28 March, 2023
World Tuberculosis Day: ‘Yes! We can end TB!’
Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in some of the NDPHS partner countries, and it is crucial that governments and international organizations continue to prioritize its prevention and treatment, on World TB Day 2023 emphasizes the NDPHS Expert Group on HIV, TB, and Associated Infections. While progress has been made, there is still much more work to be done.
24 March, 2023
The NDPHS Secretariat is looking for an intern
If you are interested and motivated to gain a hands-on experience in an international environment, the NDPHS Secretariat Internship Programme in Stockholm, Sweden is for you. Join our team to gain practical knowledge and professional experience related to the NDPHS activities.
23 March, 2023
Barbro Westerholm, an activist and politician has passed away
Barbro Westerholm, an activist, politician, and Nordic Public Health Prize laureate for fighting ageism, has passed away at the age of 89. Barbro has led by example and has paved the way for work against discrimination that is still ongoing today.
16 March, 2023
A new project aiming to improve the mental wellbeing of citizens
NDPHS Secretariat and Odense Municipality in Denmark are excited to announce a new Interreg Baltic Sea Region project called: "Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region". The project will be developed in collaboration with twelve other partners from seven countries within the Baltic Sea Region from 2023-2025.
9 February, 2023
Changing Patterns in Alcohol Consumption in the Nordic Countries
What are the challenges within alcohol use prevention work in the region and what opportunities a transnational collaboration can bring? In this episode we discuss changes in alcohol consumption patterns in our region and the most effective policy options to reduce health and economic harms from it. Episode’s expert guest is Håkan Leifman from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
3 February, 2023
The new NDPHS Strategy has been adopted
The Strategy is guiding the Partnership’s work from 2023 to 2025. The aim of this document is to describe how the Partnership intends to be, change, and contribute to a better world, and guide the Partnership’s ambition to do meaningful and impactful work, to stand by our values, and to continue sharing knowledge, learning from each other, and caring for people.
26 January, 2023
World AIDS Day
On the 1st December the globe commemorates World AIDS Day, this year under a slogan “Equalize”. Our Expert Group on HIV, Tuberculosis and Associated Infections find it extremely important to remind the NDPHS Partners that HIV infection continues to persist and is not yet eliminated as a public health threat, and inequality is one of the factors which stiffens the progress, also in our region.
1 December, 2022
Looking back at the Baltic Sea Youth Declaration 2020
Throughout the last two years we as the PA Health coordinator have conceptually embedded the youth recommendations into our actions and thematic priorities. We look forward to continuing our work in advocating for young peoples' concerns.
8 November, 2022
Ageism and Different Narratives of Ageing
What is ageism? What are the leading factors on the change in how we see and feel about ageing and ageing populations? Can a person have SELF-ageism? In this episode we are getting to know what is meant by ageism and how the narratives could be changed for a more positive look on ageing.
31 October, 2022
The 13th Annual Forum of the EUSBSR
The 13th Annual Forum took place from 28th to 29th of September in Lappeenranta, Finland. Amongst other excellent speakers, Dr Ülla-Karin Nurm, Director of the NDPHS Secretariat, participated in the parallel session "Recovery after shocks" representing Policy Area Health.
24 October, 2022
Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis: People Living with HIV/AIDS
This episode brings our attention to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis and people living with HIV/AIDS. Together with our guests we look for narratives of hope, highlight success stories and create an overview of what has been done in the region.
4 October, 2022
Economy of Well-being
We discuss the Economy of Well-being with a feminist economist Anni Marttinen from SOSTE (Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health).
4 October, 2022
Tune in Health – a new podcast series
We are starting a podcast series. Tune in to health and well-being related conversations with expert guests and listen in-depth analysis of the daily issues in the Northern Europe, Baltic Sea region and beyond.
31 August, 2022
AgeFLAG Roadmap
The project “Roadmap to improve the health and well-being of the ageing population in the Baltic Sea Region (AgeFLAG)” focuses on challenges and needs for supporting this process in the Northern Dimension area.
4 May, 2022
Can culture improve our well-being?
The project "The Art of Staying Healthy" aims to develop collaboration between the arts and health sectors and to pilot arts interventions on the health and well-being of people and communities in the area.
25 January, 2022