EPHA Operating Grant: Protecting and improving public health and well-being in all policies.

ended

EPHA is a leading NGO advocating for better health for everyone living in Europe. Our mission is to bring together the public health community to provide thought leadership and facilitate change; to build public health capacity to deliver equitable solutions to European public health challenges, to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Our key role is to promote health in the European Union at the highest levels of policy making across the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. 80 million people still live in poverty in the EU, and poor living conditions, low income, poor employment conditions and unhealthy diets due to being unable to afford to buy healthy food are all key determinants of health. In addition, many of the key determinants of health lie outside of the control of individual citizens, such as how healthcare systems are managed, how food production in the EU is organized and how trade regulations enable or discourage healthy food choices and how pharmaceutical policies and the cost of medicines are regulated, for example. EPHA's proposal for an operating grant under a Framework Partnership Agreement covers core operating costs for actions on all four objective of the Third Health Programme. EPHA's work plan covers 4 strategic aims: improve overall population health and healthy life years, strengthen European health systems for better patient outcomes and reduced inequalities, and support institutional and policy frameworks that promote health and to strengthen and increase effective public health. Health in all Policies, prevention-promotion-protection, reduction of inequalities and solidarity are central tenets of EPHA's work plan and are reflected in our approaches to working on food systems, trade and EU governance. Decreasing health inequalities is a core value that we endeavor to mainstream through all EPHA activities. Actions in the 2015 work plan reflect the final year of EPHA’s current strategic plan, and this year will be crucial for setting the 2016 to 2020 strategy.