Horsham Rural City Council Health and Wellbeing Plan 2013-2017

The purpose of the Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan is to protect, improve and promote public health and wellbeing within Horsham Rural City. In doing so, the plan identifies health and wellbeing priority issues and needs of the Horsham community. A plan of action has been developed in response to the identified needs to be implemented over the next four years.

Horsham Rural City Council

The Health & Wellbeing Plan 2013-2017 was adopted by Council on 18 November 2013.  This plan has seven main priorities - Social Connection, Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, Prevention of Violence against Women, Healthy, Safe and Liveable Environments, Education and Economic Development, and Public Health and Safety.

The purpose of the Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan is to protect, improve and promote public health and wellbeing within Horsham Rural City. In doing so, the plan identifies health and wellbeing priority issues and needs of the Horsham community. A plan of action has been developed in response to the identified needs to be implemented over the next four years.

Research shows Horsham Rural City residents are faring better than the Victorian average in a number of areas. These include a reported greater sense of wellbeing, sharing a meal with their families at least five days per week, being more likely to volunteer and being involved in some type of citizen engagement in the previous 12 months. Horsham also has higher breast feeding from 0-6 months of age and immunization rates than the Victorian average.

Horsham Rural City residents fare worse than the Victorian average in some areas such as attending arts activities or events in the previous three months, being likely to have completed Year 12, meeting physical activity guidelines, being sedentary, overweight or obese, not meeting recommended fruit intake and life expectancy.

Horsham Rural City residents also have the 4th highest reported incidences of violence against women in the state and the second highest rate of drug and alcohol clients of all LGA’s.

Horsham Rural City has a higher than Victorian average of residents aged over 65 which is expected to grow over the coming years and a higher percentage of people aged over 75 who live alone.

As a result of these findings the main priority areas Horsham Rural City Council will focus on are:

• Social Connection – supporting opportunities for social connection
• Physical Activity – increased levels of physical activity
• Healthy Eating – encourage all people to choose a healthy way of eating
• Preventing Violence against Women – Increased awareness of rates of violence against women and family violence
• Healthy, Safe and Liveable Environments – Create a built environment that supports active living and social connectedness
• Education and Economic Development – Access to education and employment opportunities
• Public Health and Safety – Ensure compliance with legislation related to public health.

This plan contains just over 80 actions across the seven priority areas that Council will undertake to improve the health and wellbeing in the community over the next four years. This plan will be reviewed annually by an internal reference group and twice yearly with an external partner reference group. The plan will be amended if necessary and progress reports will be presented to Council on an annual basis.