PRESS RELEASE

12 November 2009

End of an era for Health Action Zone

A reception has been held by the Mayor of Armagh City and District Council, Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon, to mark the impact Armagh and Dungannon Health Action Zone (ADHAZ) has made in tackling health inequalities over the past 10 years.

The event also acknowledged the many partners who contributed to ADHAZ’s achievements over the years and how its work will be integrated into the new Public Health Agency.

The ADHAZ established in 1999, was a partnership body made up of representatives from statutory, community and voluntary organisations and private sectors. Its purpose was to tackle the root causes of poor health, improve health and wellbeing and work with and on behalf of local people living in the Armagh and Dungannon areas. 

Over the past decade ADHAZ has been developing and testing new ways of working to address deep- seated health and social wellbeing issues.

The HAZ team was committed to focusing on issues such as healthy living on farms, particularly relating to mental health and stress, which led to the establishment of ‘Rural Support’ and its associated services such as the ‘Regional Stress Line’. ‘The Healthy Food and Local Regeneration’ programme led to the development of the ‘Decent Food For All’ project which provides funding for healthy eating initiatives in local schools. Other schemes included community garden projects, renewable energy innovations and the ‘Energy Efficiency Improvement’ programme which introduced the very first fuel poverty project in Northern Ireland, now known as ‘Home Is Where The Heat Is’.

Speaking at the event, John Briggs, Chief Executive of Armagh City and District Council and Chair of the ADHAZ said: “It has been a pleasure to have been involved in the ADHAZ journey - a great example of how working in partnership with other agencies can tackle the wider determinants of ill health such as poverty, education, housing and the environment.

“Armagh and Dungannon was the first rural Health Action Zone in the UK. It brought together expertise from a range of sectors, including health, education and local government. By engaging communities in planning and decision making, we have been able to empower people to make real changes in improving their health and wellbeing.” Mr Briggs added: “ADHAZ has made a great impact on the lives of many people living in Armagh and Dungannon areas and has demonstrated the added value of ‘joined up’ thinking in relation to meeting the needs of local people. This work could not have been done without our partners, funders, staff and indeed the local communities. We thank them all for their commitment over the years and look forward to developing our partnerships further.”

The Health Action Zone’s legacy of partnership working, best practice and innovation will now be incorporated into the work of the newly formed Public Health Agency (PHA). The PHA was established in April 2009 as part of the Review of Public Administration. The Agency brings together a wide range of legacy organisations with an overall aim to improve the health and wellbeing of people of Northern Ireland and reduce inequalities.

Congratulating the partners of the Strategic Alliance and staff of HAZ on its success, Dr Carolyn Harper, Director of Public Health from the PHA commented: “The Agency is very grateful to all of the Health Action Zone’s partners and staff for their energy and commitment over the last 10 years, to tackling health inequalities in the Armagh and Dungannon areas. By introducing new and innovative practices to help improve health and wellbeing you have improved the quality of life for local people and I congratulate each and every one of you.”

Looking to the future, Dr Harper said: “As the PHA moves forward into developing its regional and local health improvement arrangements, the work of the ADHAZ will be fully integrated into this process. The ADHAZ experience has emphasised the importance of collaborative working and commitment at all levels if progress is to be made in addressing health inequalities in local communities.

“The PHA work will build on existing programmes and develop new partnerships with local government, community, voluntary and other organisations to address the wider determinants of health and wellbeing. I look forward to taking models of good practice achieved by the ADHAZ and building on them to support our partnership work in the Southern area”.

For more information about the work of the Public Health Agency log onto: www.publichealthagency.org.

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For further information please contact Shirlie Murtagh, Acting PR Manager, HSC Board on 028 3741 4531.