The Healthy Built Environment Program

A/Professor Susan Thompson and Joanna York of the Healthy Built Environments Program have recently been touring the various NSW Area Health Services. This activity forms a major component of the Healthy Built Environments Program’s contract with NSW Health. The tour commenced in August with a visit to the Sydney South West Area Health Service (Liverpool office), and will conclude in early December with a visit to the Greater West Area Health Service (Orange office).

There are two elements to each visit which are explained below.

1. Listening Tour; which involves a face-to-face candid discussion with AHS staff about their current involvement in urban development processes, their capacity building needs in this area and how the Healthy Built Environments Program can help.

2. Capacity Building Workshop; which has generally involved training the staff of each AHS on how to use the Healthy Urban Development Checklist (http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2010/hud_checklist.html).

The outcomes of the Listening Tour will be compiled and analysed for a report to be submitted to NSW Health in early 2011. The report will contain important recommendations on how to promote and facilitate collaboration between the Health and Built Environment professions. Once approved by NSW Health it will be available on the Healthy Built Environments Program website.