Municipal Startegies for Health
The Environmental Health Behaviour Lab (EnviHeB Lab) has been collaborating with various municipalities in the Greater Lisbon area in developing Municipal Health Strategies, utilizing participatory and co-construction methods. This collaboration enables the identification of intervention and research priorities in the field of public health and its environmental determinants (urban, rural, social environments, etc.).
This is the first step in the strategic vision of EnviHeB Lab, which aims to establish ongoing partnerships that support the implementation of research projects from an Open Science and Citizen Science perspective.
The Almada Municipal Strategy for Health has already been made public, and EnviHeB Lab is currently involved in the development of the Action Plan that will implement the Strategy. Additionally, since 2017, EnviHeB Lab has served as the Health Promotion Observatory for the municipality of Cascais. At present, the Cascais Municipal Health Strategy 2025-2030 is under development. The Municipal Health Strategies for Mafra and Odivelas are also currently in progress.
The EnviHeB is involved in the development of Municipal Health Strategies for five municipalities in the Greater Lisbon area.
What is a Municipal Strategies for Health?
Under the Framework Law for the Transfer of Powers to local authorities and intermunicipal entities, municipalities have been granted new responsibilities in the health sector (Law no. 50/2018, of August 16). This law is further developed by Decree-Law no. 23/2019, of January 30, which assigns Portuguese municipalities competencies that expand their role in health policies within their respective territories.
According to Decree-Law no. 23/2019, of January 30, it is the responsibility of the City Council to develop (and update) the Municipal Health Strategy. Decree-Law no. 84-E/2022, of December 14, revises the framework for transferring competencies in the health sector to municipal bodies and intermunicipal entities, amending Article 7 of Decree-Law no. 23/2019, of January 30.
According to the latest version of the law, the Municipal Health Strategy "(...) includes a description of the existing health facilities at the municipal level, those under construction, or with approved funding, as well as their location. It also contains a prospective analysis that, in terms of facilities and equipment identified to meet health needs, determines the areas and locations of priority intervention at the municipal level" (Article 7, no. 2, Decree-Law no. 84-E/2022, of December 14). Additionally, "it is the responsibility of the City Council, after consulting the Community Council of ACES and the Municipal Health Council, to draft and review the Municipal Health Strategy, which must be properly framed and aligned with the National Health Plan and the Regional and Local Health Plans, serving as the foundation for the Supramunicipal Health Strategy, and submit it for approval to the Municipal Assembly" (Article 7, no. 3, Decree-Law no. 84-E/2022, of December 14).