A state-local partnership approach to Health in All Policies

Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health, equity, and sustainability considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. The State of California was the first state in the nation to establish a taskforce specifically focused on HiAP. Now in its sixth year, the California HiAP Task Force has made important strides in integrating health and equity into State programs, projects, and strategies. These state-level activities have important regional and local implications including opening doors for communities to integrate health and equity into planning and policy activities at the local level. These activities provide a model for collaboration and increased government efficiency through the use of the HiAP approach.

This presentation will include a description of five key elements of HiAP that have been essential to the success of California’s Task Force. The presenter will review specific strategies to bring health and equity into the work of non-health state agencies. Focusing on identifying co-benefits and windows of opportunity, the presenter will describe in detail the process, challenges, and lessons learned from embedding health and equity in affordable housing and active transportation grant programs, land-use planning guidelines, and broad departmental and cross-agency policy documents, mission statements, and strategic plans. The presenter will describe the interaction between state, regional, and local governments around HiAP, and how efforts at the state level can support implementation of a HiAP approach to planning and policy development in local communities.