Abstract
Odemira Municipality has worked local policies integration in different areas of its intervention in order to improve the quality of life for its citizens. This integration is only possible with active listening and collaboration with local actors from different sectors - health, social assistance, education, culture and sport; with the establishment of partnerships to respond to specific challenges; and the development of networks that allow structured and flexible work to implement, monitor, adapt and improve ongoing projects.
Municipalities play a fundamental role in promoting well-being in the community, in its different dimensions: mental, physical and social due to their responsibilities and competencies.
Collaboration and integration are key concepts. To act in different topics with different actors, it is necessary to promote collaboration between people and organizations and also the integration of health care, strategies and activities. To put the individual or community at the center of policies and care, it is mandatory to provide an integrated and individualized response between various entities.
As example of strategies developed by Odemira Municipality, the education project ODETE promote the health and well-being of students, with specific actions in nutrition, sleep and promotion of learning purpose; the Sports Charter defines infrastructures and activities to promote sport; the Municipal Culture Plan encouraged cultural and creative activities as a tool for human development and integration of risk groups; the Municipal Strategy for Migration is fundamental in a territory where more than 37% of the population is migrant.
Moving from strategies to activities, the Melhor Desporto, Melhor Saúde program was developed to promote sport activities for all ages; the Synergies Program provides annual municipal funding for integrated projects for community development. “Cultivamos Saúde” (promoted by TAIPA and ULSLA) to mitigate difficulties in accessing primary healthcare for the migrant community and “Subli(mar)” (promoted by APCO) which uses art as a tool for the inclusion of people with disabilities are the most recent projects.
Odemira Municipality has also collaborated on projects that promote the healthcare integration. Cuidar(+) (Municipality of Odemira, TAIPA, ULSLA, EPE and Beja District Center of the Social Security Institute) stands out to improve the quality of life of informal caregivers and dependent people; and Viver Mais, Viver Melhor project (Municipality of Odemira and ULSLA) where a multidisciplinary team promotes healthy behavior in groups with complex diseases to improve their quality of life and better health management.
The involvement of citizens in these policies is also possible. Forum do Território is an initiative where citizens are invited to be involved in local politics through the identification of what individually provides well-being and discomfort (SPIRAL methodology).
Through sharing and collaboration with citizens and organizations, we coordinate common actions and projects to promote quality of life and well-being of the local community, with focus on specific groups as children and young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, informal caregivers and migrants. Through integration we can place people in the center of action.