Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region has been shortlisted in the Public Sector Collaboration in Social Services category. The nomination recognises the project’s strong cross-sectoral and transnational partnership and its work to advance arts-based approaches to mental health and well-being.

The third international meeting of the Arts for Health and Well-being Network (ArtWell NET) brought partners from Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Estonia together in Kolomyia, Ukraine. The meeting focused on how the Baltic Arts on Prescription model could be adapted to the Ukrainian context and what the wider Baltic Sea Region can learn from Ukraine’s experience of supporting mental health during wartime.

The NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm is offering paid internships for 2026–2027. Gain hands-on experience in an international environment while contributing to public health, mental health and health-promotion activities.

Arts on Prescription has now become part of the public discussion in Estonia. At the 2026 Opinion Festival in Paide, the Estonian Coalition for Mental Health and Well-being VATEK invited representatives from healthcare, public health, culture, local government and policymaking to explore what the approach could look like in the Estonian context.

The 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Alcohol and Substance Use Expert Group (ASA EG) was held in Tallinn, Estonia, on 17–18 June 2026. Experts from the Baltic Sea Region, together with representatives from WHO Europe, the Nordic Welfare Centre, NordAN, Movendi International and the NDPHS Secretariat, discussed alcohol policy, tobacco control, nicotine products, drug policy, prevention and regional public health cooperation.

Based on a master's thesis and a review of international studies, the research identifies six key factors that help retain experienced nurses in the workforce: supporting physical work ability, flexible scheduling, mental resilience, a supportive work environment, recognition and role renewal, and continuous professional development. The findings reinforce SAFE's mission to create age-friendly workplaces that enable longer, healthier, and more sustainable careers.

Policy Area Health of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) together with the Estonian Mental Health Coalition (VATEK), organised the Arts on Prescription (AoP) Estonian National Transfer Webinar bringing together experts, policymakers, cultural practitioners, and health professionals to explore how arts and cultural participation can support mental health and well-being and to consider what it would take to bring Arts on Prescription to Estonia.

At the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 in Tallinn, where resilience was largely discussed in terms of security, defence, and infrastructure, the session organised by the Coordinator for Policy Area Health - NDPHS, focused on a more fundamental issue: the people who keep systems running. The session Caring for those who care for us brought attention to the health and social care workforce, not as a supporting element of resilience, but as its core condition.