NDPHS Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being

21/09/2026

🎉 Great News! Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region is a finalist for the European Social Services Awards 2026!

The project has been shortlisted in the category Public Sector Collaboration in Social Services recognising the strong partnership between health services, social services and cultural institutions across the Baltic Sea Region.

Together, the partners have shown how arts-based activities can support people experiencing stress, anxiety, depression or loneliness while strengthening mental well-being and social connection.

This recognition is also an important milestone for the BSR Mental Health Platform, which is building on the project’s results to advance cross-sectoral approaches to mental health across the region.

Congratulations to Odense Kommune and all the Arts on Prescription partners, especially Interreg Baltic Sea Region! Fingers crossed for the awards ceremony in Rome on 19–20 November. 🤞

🔗 Read more: https://ndphs.org/news/arts-on-prescription-project-for-being-shortlisted-for-the-european-social-services-awards-2026/

21/09/2026

📢 We are opening our paid internship programme for 2026/27!

The NDPHS Secretariat in Stockholm is looking for two motivated interns to join our international team:

🔹 Communications & Social Media Intern
🔹 Public Health Intern

This is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience, contribute your ideas and support work promoting health and well-being across the region.

📍 Stockholm, Sweden
📅 Apply by 5 October 2026

Learn more about the positions and apply here:
👉 https://ndphs.org/career/

Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested!

18/09/2026

The third international ArtWell NET meeting brought partners together in Kolomyia to explore how the Baltic Arts on Prescription (AoP) model could be adapted to the Ukrainian context.

The exchange works both ways: Ukraine’s experience of supporting mental health during wartime can also help communities across the Baltic Sea Region become better prepared for crises and more resilient.

We are grateful to all the partners and stakeholders whose commitment and cooperation have made this project possible 💙💛

Svenska institutet
Коломийська міська рада
Департамент освіти та культури Коломийської міської ради
Відділ інвестиційної політики Коломийської міської ради
Центр професійного розвитку педагогічних працівників Коломийської МР
Sunderby folkhögskola
Region Norrbotten
Pomorze Zachodnie

18/09/2026

ArtWell NET brings together partners from across the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine to explore how arts-based approaches can support mental health and well-being.

We are delighted to see the project in action in Kolomyia, where local professionals gained practical tools they can use in their work with communities 🎨

Thank you everyone who has worked hard to make this project possible! 💛💙
Svenska institutet
Департамент освіти та культури Коломийської міської ради
Відділ інвестиційної політики Коломийської міської ради
Sunderby folkhögskola
Region Norrbotten

17/09/2026

ASA Expert Insights #7 | Why are ni****ne pouches becoming more popular?

At the 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Expert Group on Alcohol and Substance Use, Nina Rehn-Mendoza from Folkhälsomyndigheten shared that alcohol is still the most used substance among young people although the use has been stable for the many years.

However, the use of ni****ne products has increased significantly since the introduction 10 years ago. The main users of ni****ne products are young people. The many flavours attract young people to try the products and also contribute to the perception that they are less harmful.

Nina also introduced Sweden's new national plan to strengthen prevention and addiction care. It sets out 12 goals to improve support across the whole pathway - from prevention to recovery - with children, young people and families at its centre.

As substance use patterns evolve, prevention strategies must evolve too.

However, just as it is important to work on preventing new substances, like ni****ne products, it also important to keep up the work on alcohol and ci******es even when use is stable or declining.

➯ Read about the 30th ASA Expert Group meeting in Tallinn https://ndphs.org/news/asa-expert-group-meeting-in-tallinn/ and follow NDPHS for the next ASA Expert Insights.

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11/09/2026

Alcohol News - 36/2026
https://alcoholweekly.blogspot.com/2026/09/alcohol-news-362026.html

10/09/2026

09/09/2026

ASA Expert Insights #6 | Can banning alcohol advertising protect young people?

According to new research the answer is yes.

At the 30th Meeting of the NDPHS Expert Group on Alcohol and Substance Use, Daša Kokole from WHO Regional Office for Europe shared new evidence evaluating Lithuania's comprehensive alcohol marketing ban, introduced in 2018. The findings showed a 35% reduction in the frequency of adolescent intoxication, alongside decreases in binge drinking and overall alcohol use among young people.

The study also found that comprehensive restrictions were considerably more effective than partial ones. When only some forms of advertising are restricted, marketing often shifts to channels that remain unregulated, reducing the overall impact of the policy.

The presentation highlighted an important lesson for policymakers:
→ When it comes to alcohol marketing, comprehensive measures appear to be more effective than partial restrictions.

WHO also shared updates on ongoing work to support countries through new resources on alcohol labelling, pricing policies and screening and brief interventions, helping translate evidence into effective public health action.

➯ Read more about the research: https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/2/e004245

➯ Read about the 30th ASA Expert Group meeting in Tallinn https://ndphs.org/news/asa-expert-group-meeting-in-tallinn/ and follow NDPHS for the next ASA Expert Insights.

08/09/2026

🎙️ Two new episodes of the Tune in Health podcast are now available on Spotify.

In our latest SAFE and Sound episode Emily Maresch speaks with Britta Elsert Gynning from Karolinska Institutet about the psychosocial work environment in Swedish healthcare. Why do sustainable workplaces require more than individual resilience?

We also welcome Lauri Beekmann, Executive Director of NordAN in conversation with our host Lukas Lorenzen to explore alcohol policy in the Nordic and Baltic region and what happens when strong evidence meets political reality.

🎧 Tune in to explore both conversations:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ps5GHQsc66qRMWLC2jsvT?si=WYdGUSCVSFy3ITV4RdXeuA

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LTZ19J6VncBxIIHiV0Ngv?si=ajTkvKx9S5iTgnTYR_g_VQ

07/09/2026

Link workers are at the heart of Arts on Prescription. They listen, build trust, encourage, support and help people find hope.

But what happens when the people providing that support are carrying too much themselves? Who helps those who help others? And can anyone even be a link worker who carries the heavy weight of other's problems?

In her keynote at the final conference of the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region project, Millie Kealy-Jensen highlighted the often-overlooked emotional demands of the link worker role.

Link workers can hear deeply personal stories: people dealing with bereavement, war and displacement, loneliness, burnout, depression, addiction, chronic pain or feelings of being excluded and powerless.

They may help someone through an anxiety attack or a difficult emotional situation. Yet, unlike many healthcare professionals, link workers often have no formal supervision or debriefing structures.

The consequences can be significant. A recent UK-wide survey found that more than 50% of link workers had considered leaving their role in the previous six months, while more than a quarter were actively considering leaving in the following six months.

Why? Among other reasons, link workers reported feeling undervalued and lacking the support systems needed to protect their emotional wellbeing.

As Millie Kealy-Jensen puts it, the role requires a unique balance of strength and sensitivity holding space for others while often having no space held for yourself.

Supporting those who support others should not be optional. It is a fundamental part of building sustainable mental health services.

Sometimes, it can start with a simple question: “How are you today?” 💛

➯ Read the full keynote from the Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region final conference: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project-posts/arts-on-prescription/acting-on-health-can-everyone-be-a-link-worker/