Regions for Health Network twenty-first annual meeting report: Florence, Tuscany, Italy, 20–22 October 2014: implementing the Health 2020 vision at the regional level of governance

Overview

From 20 to 22 October 2014 the 21st Annual General Meeting of the Regions for Health network (RHN), hosted by the Tuscany Region was held in Florence, Italy. The main theme of the meeting was whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to improve populations’ health. The 2014 Meeting had an innovative structure using two main sub events to bring theory and practice in health policy closer together: a capacity building event and the RHN business meeting. The capacity-building event involved keynote speakers addressing inter sectoral action; co-production of health; investment in health from childhood through the life-course; management of policy change; and the role of advocacy and communication - with the aim to translate into practice and with a regional perspective the European health policy, Health 2020. The RHN business meeting and workshops provided RHN members with an opportunity to describe and discuss their main activities during the last year, including the revision of the terms of reference of the network and of the knowledge areas, alongside an overview of the functions of the steering group.