Conditions in the environments where we are born, live, learn, work, play, and age — known as social determinants of health — have a huge effect on how long we live and how healthy we are over the course of our lives. Not all places offer the same resources and opportunities. When populations do not have equal opportunities to make choices that lead to good health, health disparities arise.
To improve health and equity, community partners came together to form the HiAP Pinellas County Collaborative. Partners include: Pinellas County Government, the City of Pinellas Park, the City of St. Petersburg, the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, Forward Pinellas, and the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. Through collaboration, policy change, and institutional transformation, the HiAP Collaborative aims to make the healthy choice the most easily accessible choice for all Pinellas County citizens.
Trained in the HiAP approach, Health Planners are positioned in the governments of Pinellas County, Pinellas Park, and St. Petersburg. These planners serve as internal content experts for health planning consultations and recommendations. Health planners will help decision-makers stay informed about how their proposed policies and programs could potentially affect the health of all communities, and make recommendations to maximize health benefits and minimize health risks.
Through HiAP, the places where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age can be reshaped to encourage healthy choices, granting all Pinellas residents an equal opportunity to live a long, healthy, and happy life.
HiAP Pinellas County Collaboration Objectives:
- Increasing cross-sector collaboration to break down institutional silos and encourage agencies to coordinate their efforts.
- Engaging stakeholders by raising awareness of health barriers and social determinants of health (see below) and potential solutions to reduce negative health outcomes.
- Champion good health for all Pinellas County residents by promoting health and equity in policy making by including data-driven health and equity considerations.