Baguio beefs up health promotion arm for universal health care

The city government is beefing up the health promotion arm of the City Health Services Office in compliance with Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong in two separate executive orders created the Health Promotion Committee and the Health Promotion Unit at the CHSO for the management and implementation of health promotion policies, programs and activities in the city’s health system.

The HPC will be chaired by the city health officer with the health promotion officer IV/III as vice chair with the following offices as sector representatives: Population Office, Sanitation Division and Mental Health Office all of the CHSO; City Planning and Development Office; City Public Information Office; City Social Welfare and Development Office; Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs; City Persons with Disability Affairs Office; Sangguniang Kabataan Baguio City Federation; 

Dept. of Interior and Local Government Field Office; Dept. of Education City Schools Division Office; Dept. of Labor and Employment; Philippine Information Agency; Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center-Health Promotion Office; health education promotions office designates of the St. Louis University Sacred Heart Medical Center, Pines City Doctors Hospital, Notre Dame De Chartres Hospital and Baguio Medical Center; Baguio-Benguet Medical Society;

Dept. of Health Center for Health Development Cordillera; Dept. of Health Baguio City Office; Dept. of Science and Technology Cordillera; and Health Promotions specialist.

The HPC will provide guidance to the City Health Board to address determinants of health and health risk factors.

Its functions are:  Guide the development and planning of provision of proactive and effective health promotion policies, programs and activities campaigns in the citywide health system (CWHS);

Recommend legislation that strengthens and broadens existing health promotion policies, programs and activities;

Monitor and evaluate the implementation of health promotion in the CWHS and submit a semestral report to DOH and DILG detailing the progress and impact of the health promotion and activities;

Provide guidance to the City Health Board on health promotion-related issues, particularly involving the determinants of health and health risk factors;

Provide technical guidance to the Health Promotion Unit (HPU) on matters relating to health promotion, advocacy and campaigns;

Formulate policies, standards, guidelines and capacity building programs for the operationalization of the HPFS of the Baguio City local health system; Provide relevant guidance to the City Health Board on matters pertaining to the hiring, selection, engagement and mobilization of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as on-the-ground Health Education Promotion Officers (HEPOs);

Prescribe monitoring and evaluation guidelines and recording and reporting mechanisms in the implementation of health promotion activities in accordance with policies and guidelines to be issued by government agencies;

Recommend strategies and mechanisms for financing of health promotion programs, activities and campaigns;

Establish coordination mechanisms and partnerships with the private sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other stakeholders in the planning , implementation and monitoring of health promotion programs; and

Coordinate with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education for the designation of schools as “healthy“ institutions.

The HPU on the other hand will be in support of the operationalization of health promotion in the city and ensure the development and implementation of health promotion policies and programs.

The HPU will be composed of six plantilla positions which is also in compliance with Executive Order No. 138 s. 2021 devolving certain functions of the executive branches to local government units.The HPU will carry out the following functions: a. Ensure the development and implementation of health promotion policies and programs in CWHS; b. Exercise coordination with local government and hospital Health Promotion and Education Officers (HEPOs) and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as barangay-level (HEPOs); c.Lead health education and risk communication -related activities in the CWHS, including but not limited to social mobilization and advocacy and social and behavior change communication; d.Build local capacity and provide technical assistance on health promotion, including Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Participatory Action Research (PAR); e. Establish a local network of health promotion champions and partners that will support the HPU carrying out its functions; f. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of health promotion activities and projects, including the submission of Public Health Management and Mitigation Plan (PHMMP) for HIA; and g. Submit technical and evaluation reports in the implementation of health promotion activities and projects. – Aileen P. Refuerzo