Community-Centered Epidemic and Pandemic Information and Engagement Platform, the Hive.

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined that communities are key in sharing trusted, timely and relevant information especially during a health emergency where the overabundance of information makes it difficult to make decisions to protect one's health. The WHO Hive project grew out of the desire to create a community-centered solution with the potential to change the way credible health information is shared, adapted, understood and used for health-related decision making before, during and after an epidemic or pandemic. The Hive online platform provides a safe space for knowledge-sharing, discussion, and collaboration, including access to timely scientific information through direct engagement with WHO subject matter experts, and the true innovation lies within the platform's ability to leverage the power of communities to crowdsource solutions to community concerns and needs. The platform is equipped with a set of synchronous and asynchronous features and tools to encourage coworking and facilitate cross-sectorial collaboration. The Hive seeks to leverage the expert communities to share resources and knowledge for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and provide an environment that is able to respond to the challenges faced in a complex information ecosystem.

Implementation of Mexico's Health Promotion Operational Model.

Mexico is undergoing profound health reform, extending health insurance to previously uninsured populations and changing the way health care services are delivered. Legislation enacted in 2003 and implemented in 2004 mandated funding and infrastructure that will allow 52% of Mexico's population to access medical care at no cost by 2010. This ambitious social reform has not been without challenges, particularly financial sustainability. Health promotion, because of its potential to prevent or delay chronic diseases and injuries and their associated costs, is a key component of health care reform. In 2006, the Ministry of Health's General Directorate of Health Promotion developed the Health Promotion Operational Model. Based on Ottawa Charter functions, the model integrates health promotion activities within the overall health care system. The main goal of this model is to build strong human capital and to improve organizational capacity for health promotion starting at the local level by training health care personnel to implement health promotion activities. Organizational development workshops started in 2006, and implementation plans in all 32 Mexican states were in place by end of 2008.