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.

Our Interreg CB project's SAFE expert Tiina Tambaum joined the "Expert on Air" podcast to discuss how older people can participate more actively in social life. The Tallinn University's podcast provides an overview of the current situation, future trends, and practical solutions that will help improve the inclusion of people in our society regardless of their age. Tiina Tambaum explores questions such as is older people involvement in work, community and political life sufficiently accessible? And if not, what could help them better apply their skills and knowledge and what is societies role in this process?

In April, the MentalHealthMatters project held its final event in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the project partners shared key findings from this two-year-long initiative to improve mental health in modern workplaces across the Baltic Sea Region. The event, which coincided with the EUSBSR Policy Area Health Steering Group meeting, showcased the project's achievements in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Poland and explored future directions for Baltic Sea Region collaboration in this area.

The nature of our occupation not only influences our aging process, but our evolving age also impacts the types of jobs we can pursue and how we perform. Our Interreg Central Baltic project SAFE seeks to improve employment opportunities for individuals aged 55 and above and will propose solutions for age friendly practices at work. During a project partner meeting hosted by the NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm, we finalized the key steps in developing a self-assessment tool that will help companies to determine their age friendliness culture or a lack of it. The online tool will be piloted later this year.