Healthy Communities Programs in Hungary
AIHA has supported three partnerships in Hungary that have utilized the Healthy Communities approach. In 1998, the hospital-based partnership linking the city of Vac with counterparts in Winston-Salem decided to expand the scope and reach of its interventions, implementing community-focused programs outside of the walls of the municipal hospital. In 2002 with the support of the former US Ambassador to Hungary, AIHA created two more healthy communities partnerships to address women's health issues. Vac (Hungary)/Winston-Salem (North Carolina) The partners established a Healthy Community Task Force to develop and implement projects to educate the population of Vac and its environs about health-related issues. Regular meetings of the Task Force helped to bring together the community and municipal policymakers and stakeholders. In addition to reinforcing partners’ belief in the value of the work they were doing for the benefit of the community, these meetings also demonstrated to the mayor and local policymakers that everyone must share responsibility for the community's health and wellbeing. After assessing community needs, the Vac partners agreed that more effective methods of conducting health promotion activities in the community were required. The partners identified the important role public schools could play as a focal point for implementing effective community health programs in Vac. A team of US community health experts representing NovantHealth taught 25 Hungarian teachers how to lead health promotion efforts in their schools, how to train other teachers, and how to become involved in the overall healthy lifestyle effort in Hungary. In a separate course, 24 students from Vac were trained to be peer counselors, trainers, and role models for other high school students in Vac and the rest of Hungary. In both courses, topics covered included responsible sexual behavior, addictive behavior, and nutrition.
On December 15, 1998, the partners opened the Healthy Community Center in Vac. The center continues to serve as a venue for community education programs, a community-wide resource on health and wellness information, and a meeting place for the Healthy Community Task Force. The Hungarian partners also established the Association for the Health of the Citizens of Vac, an NGO consisting of local government officials, educators, public health officials, and leading businessmen. The Association was created to develop and implement a community health program in Vac. Programs implemented to date include the “Healthy Corner” program, where participating local grocery stores set up a special section featuring healthy foods. The Association sponsored a two-day course in the city's schools on health education and nutrition. Thirty-one teachers and health services personnel from the local schools participated in the courses, where they shared ideas on improving health awareness in the schools and in the community. Participants decided to implement a program for improving school cafeterias by installing a new model school kitchen, where healthy food choice and preparation are practiced. Training programs were developed for the staffs of the existing school cafeterias. Gyor (Hungary)/Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) During the initial needs assessment, partners surveyed 60 community members to determine the perceived health needs of women in Gyor. Upon analysis and ranking in a priority matrix, the following key needs were identified: family planning and contraceptive services, breast health, adolescent pregnancy prevention, healthy lifestyle promotion, smoking cessation, and mental health. The survey also indicated that additional efforts would be needed to fully assess the health needs of women in the Gyor community. To this end, partners conducted eight focus groups with the target population to garner more specific information about the type of community interventions that should be implemented to better meet the health and wellness needs of women in Gyor. Based on the results from the needs assessment, community survey, and focus groups, partners developed a number of women’s health interventions in Gyor. They opened For Women’s Health, a women’s health information and resource center, as well as smaller centers and information points in various locations throughout the community. The Pittsburgh partners conducted training sessions for community nurses and others In Gyor to teach them how to more effectively share information with women. Roma health educators participated in the training and are conducting outreach and education programs for this minority population living in Gyor. Other activities included an education and outreach campaign to prevent teen pregnancy, as well as programs targeting women at various places in the community, such as hair salons public swimming pools. After the official closing of the partnership, the Gyor partners established the Association for the Health of Women in Gyor, an NGO that continues to implement programs utilizing the Healthy Communities model to address the needs of women thereby advancing the work initiated through the partnership. Pecs (Hungary)/Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) The Pennsylvania partners provided assistance to the HAHC to expand the knowledge, and skills necessary to promote sustainable, decentralized community-based approaches to meeting women's health needs and to develop resource materials for the network. After conducting an initial needs assessment, partners developed a survey that was completed by coordinators of HAHC member cities. Through the survey, partners learned what member communities were already doing to address women's health and what additional support they would need to more effectively address these issues. After analyzing the survey results, partners agreed that the member cities should develop stronger relationships with local businesses to enlist their support of community interventions addressing women's health and other issues. In February 2004, partners held a Business Leaders Summit in Budapest to bring together business leaders from the United States and Hungary for a dialogue on strategies for enhancing business involvement in efforts to improve health and quality of life. Seventeen Hungarian business leaders representing HAHC member cities participated in the summit. Four business leaders from Pennsylvania described their experiences in engaging their businesses in community health initiatives, presenting how such involvement is important for the health of the business and the larger community. Discussion around issues, barriers, and possible solutions related to the health status of local communities provided an opportunity for open dialogue among sectors that traditionally do not communicate in Hungary. Following the Business Leaders Summit, partners hosted the HAHC Coordinator’s Training. The goal of the training was to build capacity and optimize organizational effectiveness of HAHC coordinators to improve health with an emphasis on women's health. Sessions were devoted to skills-building in the areas of effective networking, team development, consensus-building, effective lobbying and advocacy.
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