Publication
Healthy Counties and Cities
From Healthy Ireland; Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Accredited to the World Health Organisation, the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network was launched in November 2016.
The aim of the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network is to develop a structure to support Local Authorities to implement the Healthy Ireland Framework. The Network currently has 17 members.
These are:
• Carlow County Council
• Cavan County Council
• Clare County Council
• Cork City County Council
• Galway City Council
• Laois County Council
• Leitrim County Council
• Limerick City and County Council
• Longford County Council
• Louth County Council
• Mayo County Council
• Offaly County Council
• Roscommon County Council
• South Dublin County Council
• Tipperary County Council
• Waterford City and County Council
• Wicklow County Council
The Healthy Cities project is a global WHO movement, set up in 1986. It involves local authorities working to improve health and wellbeing through political commitment, working in partnership with local stakeholders and supporting innovative projects.
A healthy city or a healthy county works to:
- improve health and wellbeing by creating and continually improving its physical and social environments
- develop community resources that help people to support each other and achieve their potential
The network aims to:
- promote lifelong health and wellbeing,
- provide a means where local issues can influence national policy, and
- provide a voice for Ireland in the WHO Network of European National Healthy Cities Networks.
The National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network has representatives from government departments, the HSE, the Institute of Public Health, the Federation of Irish Sport and local political and community representatives.
Local Community Development Committees are helping to create and sustain healthy places for people to be born, grow, live, work and age in. Each local authority has set up an Local Community Development Committee to develop, co-ordinate and implement local and community development programmes.
Working with awide range of organisations including Children's Young People's Services Committees and other groups, the Local Community Development Committees are ideally placed to support Healthy Ireland in response to local people’s needs.
Local Community Development Committeesare key partners in realising a Healthy Ireland through developing the National Healthy Cities and Counties Network of Ireland.
Local Authorities, through their Local Community Development Committee, can apply to join the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network using WHO criteria that are based on the European health policy framework, Health 2020. These criteria set an international quality standard. There are national networks in 20 countries in the WHO European Region, bringing together more than 1,400 cities and towns.
For further information on the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network, please contact:
Fiona Donovan – National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network Coordinator at fiona.donovan@hse.ie
