Policy Initiatives

Local Policy Initiatives

The Portland Plan is the city’s strategic plan, or ‘road map,’ for the next 25 years.  Development of the Portland Plan began in 2008, and OPHI has been active since the beginning to ensure that health objectives and actions are integrated into the plan. Following the development of the Portland Plan, the city and partners will update the 1980 Comprehensive Plan, a land use planning document required by state law. More information on the Portland Plan can be found through the following links:

OPHI is leading the following collaborative efforts to ensure that healthy people and healthy communities are a strong component of this planning effort.

Healthy Portland Plan Workgroup (HPPW)

In 2008, OPHI convened a group of public health stakeholders that were interested in incorporating health into the City’s comprehensive planning process.  Since then, The Healthy Portland Plan Workgroup (HPPW) meets as needed to provide expertise and assistance to City staff, and generate involvement from a variety of stakeholders committed to achieving healthy communities for all Portland residents. The HPPW and OPHI continue to have an important influence on how the Portland Plan considers health.  The following documents summarize some of these important efforts:

HPPW Timeline.  This schematic shows the major evens in the HPPW history and how the group has influenced the Portland Plan process.

HPPW Strategy Model.  This logic model outlines the HPPW and OPHI’s strategy for integrating health into the Portland Plan.

To join the Healthy Portland Plan Workgroup listserve and receive meeting announcements, contact Noelle Dobson at noelle@orphi.org .

Human Health, Food and Public Safety Technical Action Group

There are nine Action Areas within the Portland Plan.  Each Action Area is led by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of city, county, and other local experts in the field.  The TAGs are responsible for creating draft directions, objectives and implementation measures to reach each goal. Noelle Dobson, a Project Director with OPHI, co-leads the Human Health, Food and Public Safety TAG with staff from the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability.

In addition to drafting objectives and actions, the TAG also helped develop two Background reports to inform the Portland Plan process: Human Health and Safety and Food Systems.

OPHI led the development of documents that highlight how other Action Areas in the Portland Plan can have the greatest health impact.  You can read the summaries here.