Healthy Towns

People are living longer than ever before, but not necessarily better. Increasing numbers of people are living with multiple chronic conditions, loneliness, social isolation and declining wellbeing. At the same time, many communities are experiencing increasing pressure on healthcare, aged care and community services.

Strong social connections, belonging, purpose, participation and access to support are all protective factors for health and wellbeing. When communities are connected and people have opportunities to participate, health outcomes improve.

That’s why Healthy North Coast is Investing in Healthy Towns

Connection and a sense of belonging are protective factors for both individual and community health and wellbeing. Healthy Towns is an early intervention approach that seeks to strengthen the social, community and environmental factors that help people remain healthy, independent and connected throughout their lives.

By investing in the foundations that support wellbeing, our aim is prevent or delay poorer health outcomes, positively impacting people, community and the health system.

The Healthy Towns model includes:

• A co-designed model tailored to each Healthy Town.
• The development and promotion of community activities that support people to live and age well.
• A volunteer program for community connectors.
• A social prescribing service, supported by a link worker who helps people connect with services, groups and activities that matter to them.
• A Wayfinding Assistant tool that helps people find and access local groups and services.

By strengthening social networks, building community partnerships and supporting early connections to activities and services, Healthy Towns aims to prevent or delay poorer health outcomes and promote healthier living and ageing.

Healthy Towns is formally evaluated to:

• Assess whether the model is sustainable and equitable, and whether it improves health outcomes.
• Assess how well the model is delivered, including what works well and what challenges arise.
• Examine how the model aligns with relevant policies, funding arrangements and service systems.
• Provide recommendations to support the model’s future sustainability and delivery.

Each Healthy Town is designed by community, for community. It brings together the people who live in a community, along with local organisations, health services, councils, businesses and other leaders to talk about what helps their town thrive and how people can better connect with each other and to local supports.

Through a series of community consultations, we will be looking to understand who needs support, what Through a series of community consultations, we are looking to understand who needs support, what already works well, and how a social prescribing service should operate in the community. HNC’s Aboriginal Health Partnerships team co-facilitates yarns to ensure all community groups and individuals are engaged with in an appropriate, and culturally respectful way.

We hear from:

• Local community organisations, activities and services.
• Government services and agencies such as fire, police and schools.
• Health services including general practice, allied health and community health.
• Older adults (45+) with personal experience of navigating health or social challenges.

The program supports communities to set their own priorities, build strong partnerships and create practical solutions that improve health and wellbeing. Because every community is different, each Healthy Town looks a little different too.

Healthy Towns brings different parts of the community together to create a shared vision for a healthier, more connected place to live. Healthy Towns includes a social prescribing service with wrap around supports, complementary community development activities, and an overarching program evaluation.

Social Prescribing

Healthy Towns has a social prescribing service to help people connect with local activities, groups and services. Working with primary care, it supports people to find social connection, get involved in their community and improve their wellbeing, recognising that many people need more than medical care to feel healthy.

Community Development

The program also strengthens communities by working with Councils and local organisations to build local leadership, participation and collaboration. Instead of creating new systems, Healthy Towns builds on the networks, relationships and opportunities that already exist, helping communities grow stronger and more connected.

Healthy Towns Program objectives

• Design and deliver a Healthy Towns model tailored to each community that supports healthy ageing and raises awareness of the role of healthy lifestyle choices in maintaining independence.

• Implement a social prescribing service to help people improve their health and wellbeing.

• Build community capacity to deliver activities and services that support healthy ageing while creating opportunities for social connection, belonging, and purpose.

• Support long-term sustainability through partnerships, sponsorships, and innovative funding approaches.

The Healthy Towns model aims to enable residents to:

• Build stronger social connections.
• Better understand and address their health and wellbeing needs.
• Navigate, access, and participate in local groups, activities, and services.
• Experience a greater sense of belonging, purpose, and community connection.
• In addition, we expect to see improved organisational capacity and use of health care services, along with enhanced wellbeing among health care providers.