4.A. Practice session: Reimagining how to plan investment in health promotion and disease prevention

Introduction Prevention and investment are not terms that have often been combined. Indeed, securing sufficient investment for health promotion (and disease prevention) is a perpetual challenge. In a working environment with increasing scarcity of resources and static public budgets, innovative approaches are needed to maximise public sector assets and perhaps blend this with private investment options including from health insurers. Reason for the workshop In an economy of wellbeing, investing in prevention rather than repair offers a more sustainable return on investment for the economy and its communities. Paradoxically, the 2007-2009 economic/financial crises and the COVID pandemic also reminded us of two lessons learned by government and municipalities since the 19th century; the centrality of health in our societies and economies and the importance of prevention as a strategic principle for planning and investment. Prevention is investment and needs to be designed and financed within an investment paradigm. Accordingly, the workshop will share learning and insights from the EU Horizon project ‘Invest4Health’. The project has 18 partners and 8 regional testbeds across Europe, who have been developing and testing finance and investment models, an alternative governance mechanism and practical tools, that will start to show how this shift can be accomplished using ‘smart capacitating investment’. Objectives This workshop has the following objectives - (i) introduce the concept of smart capacitating investment (ii) explain how we flipped from research to implementing and testing SCI financial and investment models in the 8 regional testbeds (iii) explore the challenges and solutions to working with a wide range of stakeholders in order to deliver real-world impact (iv) discuss next steps in how to fast-track replication and uptake of SCI in new regions including a novel social franchising model. Workshop discussion In this workshop we want to inspire participants to connect with the panelists and each other about how to plan and finance health promotion and disease prevention using an investment approach. This means ensuring spontaneity and real dialogue between panelists and participants. For this, we will use a distributed panel approach with panel interventions and buzz groups to facilitate whole room interaction - using the experience, knowledge and expertise of all the participants. Added value Understanding finance and investment models together with needs are a fundamental skill for prevention planning that for far too long have been left to determinants outside public health. Our project - and this workshop - intends to help change this harmful dynamic for good. Key messages • Smart capacitating investment can transform how health promotion and prevention are sustainably funded for regional and local benefit. • Multi-stakeholder governance and collaborative action spaces are needed to manage SCI locally, and citizen-patient representation can help build trust Speakers/Panellists Joanna Lane Stichting Health ClusterNET, Amsterdam, Netherlands Caroline Costongs EuroHealthNet, Brussels, Belgium Jolanda van Vliet Innovation Skåne, Malmo, Sweden Lars Münter Nordic Wellbeing Academy, Birkeroed, Denmark