On March 25, 2001, the Municipality of Nocaima, Department of Santander, Republic of Colombia, was launched as a Healthy Municipality. With this event, Nocaima joins the continuously growing Healthy Municipalities and Communities Movement in the Americas.
By becoming a Healthy Municipality, Local authorities and community leaders embraced health promotion strategies, including the development and implementation of Health-Promoting Schools, to address the quality of life issues that affects this community. This process was generated and accompanied by a Community Committee conformed with community leaders and members of the University Del Rosario, including medical students.
As part of this Movement, two members of the teaching community in Nocaima participated in a 40-hours training course that addressed the essential elements for the design, development, and implementation of Health-Promoting Schools. Following this training, the Health-Promoting Schools related activities were designed and implemented following a systematic and integrated approach.
This presentation will address basic data that was taken into account for this municipality to become a Healthy Municipality and the essential elements that facilitated this process. Especially, it will address the significance of collaborative efforts between the community and the University Del Rosario that facilitated the process, through the participation of the Student body. Furthermore, Nocaima is presented as an example of local participatory processes, where the involvement of various sectors and community groups facilitated the launching of a Healthy Municipality.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to: (1) Recognize the basic elements of the Healthy Municipalities Movement in Nocaima; (2) Articulate the importance of participatory processes to facilitate the launching of a Healthy Municipality and the design and implementation of the Health-Promoting Schools Initiative; and (3) Discuss the benefits of the Healthy Municipalities Movement and the Health-Promoting Schools Initiative.
Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Children's Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.