Heal-thy universities

Abstract

H ealth Promoting Universities I is a recently published World Health Organization document that describes and def'mes the concept, experience, and framework for action involved in promoting healthy The authors of this resource assert that health is everybody's business. As educators of future generations of decision makers, universities can promote an understanding and commitment to health i n their organizational cultures, structures, and working, and their learning, living, and practice contexts. Universities have the responsibility and the potential to enable healthy personal and social development. 1 A health-promoting university creates an environment, a curricula, programs, staff, persons, and a research agenda imbued with the value of health. How would such a goal influence your future and the future of your students, staff, and alumni? How would such a goat be accomplished in your university or practice setting? To what degree is your university committed to health? What would it take for nursing departments within university settings to lead a healthy universities initiative? Such an initiative might indeed heal thy universities. What--specifically--is involved in promoting a healthy University? Health is a core nursing value that has