Knowledge & Resources:
Health in All Policies

In this article, Alison Maassen and Ülla-Karin Nurm examine the topic of social prescribing – a promising approach to complement traditional healthcare. Social prescribing connects people to community activities, like arts, creative events, or nature walks, aiming to enhance their health and well-being. It addresses health determinants, offers a person-centered, health-promoting approach, and helps reduce pressure on health systems. Although interest is rising across Europe, long-term success relies on consistent funding, seamless integration into health and social systems, and investment in community resources to generate widespread and lasting positive effects.

Journal of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

What makes a workplace age-friendly? In the NDPHS podcast’s “Tune in Health” sub-series “SAFE and Sound: Workplaces for All Ages”, we focus on different aspects of career management and attitudes to all ages. Together with Liisa Nuutinen and Heini Maisala-McDonnell from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, and Antti Harjuoja, CEO from NextMile, we share success stories, and explore how to boost job opportunities for individuals aged 55+.

This podcast is part of Interreg Central Baltic funded project SAFE – Solutions for Age-Friendly Employer.

This brochure introduces the Arts on Prescription approach to mental healthcare and provides an overview on health effects, economic benefits, as well as characteristics of the ‘Baltic model’ developed, tested and evaluated in our Interreg BSR project.

The publication outlines the aims, tasks, structure, and target groups of the Interreg project “Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region 2023-2025”.

The glossary outlines the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region project’s organisation, the AoP model, and its meaning and related definitions.

The project „Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region” (2023-2025) is co-funded by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) in the frame of the Interreg Balticc Sea Region Programme.

The Arts on Prescription (AoP) concept is that people dealing with mild to moderate mental health problems such as stress, anxiety or depression as well as those at risk of developing such conditions get a prescription not for medicine or therapy, but for taking part in art activities. This has been proven to have positive health effects and to improve mental well-being.

This video presents museums as places to improve the mental health and well-being of local communities – a good practice from Cēsis, Latvia. The pilot programme is a part of our project “Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region” co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme. For more information visit: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/ar…

Latvian with English subtitles.

The aim of the AgeFLAG project was to contribute to the health and wellbeing of older adults and, therefore, to make the societies more inclusive. Through national and regional needs assessments, the project identified the most important issues in relation to active and healthy ageing that the NDPHS partner countries face. The roadmap proposes joint activities that could be undertaken within the NDPHS context to address the regional needs. This roadmap presents a selection of these activities that the Partnership has committed to undertaking in the upcoming 2-3 years.

How are we doing as individuals, communities and as nations, and how sustainable is that for the future? In this conversation, we discuss the Economy of Well-being that puts people and their wellbeing at the centre of policy and decision-making. We start with Finland – one of the frontrunners of implementing the Economy of Well-being. The guest expert is Anni Marttinen, Chief Economist at SOSTE – Finnish Social Welfare and Health Association.

The report on the follow-up of the Baltic Sea Youth Declaration 2020 lists the recommendations given to the PA Health in the EUSBSR and how the NDPHS as a PA Health coordinator has acted on them. The document lists concrete actions that have been achieved so far and what are the future plans and commitments of the PA Health in order to amplify the voices of young people in our region.