The Healthy Galway City Strategy 2019-2021 was launched by Minister of State with responsibility for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne on Tuesday, 4th June in Westside Library, as part of the Healthy Ireland initiative.

The three-year strategy aims to ensure Galway is a city where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential, where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society, and where responsibility for health and wellbeing is shared and supported.

Healthy Galway City is an initiative of Galway City Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and is based on engagement, collaboration and the creation of long-term innovative partnerships.  The strategy is underpinned by an in-depth community consultation process and includes seven key themes:

1. Collaboration,
2. Mental Health and Wellbeing
3. Tobacco Free Galway City
4. Prevention and Reduction of Alcohol-Related Harm
5. Sexual Health
6. Healthy Eating
7. Physical Activity.

The themes included in the strategy reflect national priority areas, ensuring national policies and plans are implemented locally, to meet local needs.

The Healthy Galway City initiative (formerly known as Galway Healthy Cities) began in 2006 with involvement in the World Health Organization Healthy Cities Network and more recently the National Healthy Cities and Counties of Ireland Network.  This national network aims to develop a structure to support Local Authorities to implement Healthy Ireland, the national framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of the Irish population at a local level.  In 2017, the Government introduced a Healthy Ireland fund to support the implementation of Healthy Ireland objectives.  This fund, supported by the Department of Health, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Rural and Community Development, was fundamental to the development of the strategy.

Healthy Galway City is overseen by a steering committee comprising of representatives from Galway City Council, Galway City Partnership, HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, Galway City Community Network and Amach LGBT+.

For a copy of the strategy and further info please see the links below.