EDITORIAL

Associação Paulista de Saúde Pública(APSP - São Paulo's Public Health Association) has fostered, through its biannual congresses, the debate of themes related to the field of Public Health, in tune with the different moments of the Brazilian social, political and sanitary conjuncture, stimulating the knowledge of the population's health situation, of services provision and trying to value the scientific production of the area, which is evidently a highlight in these events.

Thus, APSP maintains its vocation for articulating, in the field of Public Health in the state of São Paulo, research and services, technical-scientific knowledge and health practices.

Therefore, it has become usual that the Journal Saúde e Sociedade, the scientific dissemination vehicle of APSP, in partnership with the School of Public Health of USP, has instituted the publication of supplementary issues, dedicated to its congresses, in a way that is different from its traditional form of publication of scientific papers and incorporating them into its editorial agenda. It is within this spirit that we publish this issue.

Pursuant to the consultation made by Conselho de Secretários Municipais de Saúde do Estado de São Paulo (COSEMS-SP - São Paulo's Municipal Health Secretaries Council), the journal accepted the proposal for publishing a supplementary issue with compilations of the works that won prizes in the 8^th Exhibit of Successful Experiences of the Municipalities, held during the 22^nd Congress of Municipal Health Secretaries of the State of São Paulo, in the city of Bauru, from March 25^th to March 29^th, 2008.

This was an exhibit of works about management experiences in municipalities of the state of São Paulo that approached themes and problems related to Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - National Health System) according to the view of managers, health professionals and sectors of the civil society that participate in the social control mechanisms in health.

The event's Scientific Committee selected eleven of these experiences, awarding them the prize "David Capistrano", a posthumous tribute to the emeritus and beloved Brazilian sanitarian. In addition, forty innovative experiences were awarded honorable mentions.

These works obviously do not comply rigorously with scientific criteria, since their main object is management and report on a past or ongoing experience, aiming at the consolidation of SUS. Thus, they reflect, above all, the effort and creativity of those who make the system work on a daily basis, concerned about the population's involvement and about better results in health care.

It is necessary to look at this issue in a different way, taking into account the origin of each experience. There are works from very small municipalities, with limited populations and serious financial limitations to cope with the health problems, and works from metropolises like São Paulo, with vast possibilities of implementation of health actions, but which also face other types of obstacles to their fulfillment.

The proposal for the publication of this supplement serves, therefore, an affirmative action that recognizes the importance of the individuals who strive to develop and present their experiences. The aim is to give greater visibility to these initiatives, allowing the exchange of knowledge among the different players of SUS, whether they are from the academy or from the services area.

An opportunity like this could not be wasted, in view of the close relations and affinities of APSP and COSEMS-SP concerning the commitment to strengthening SUS and its guiding principles.

This issue, financed by COSEMS-SP, contains part of these experiences, as not all the authors sent to the journal the texts adapted to the supplement's format. It will be distributed to the Municipal Health Departments of the cities of the State of São Paulo, to different agencies of São Paulo's State Health Department, to the authors and to the public that will participate in the next Congress of Municipal Secretaries, which will be held in Guarulhos (state of São Paulo), in March 2009.

Editors of this issue

Alexandre Nemes Filho

Rosana Magalhães Gaeta

Aurea Maria Zöllner Ianni

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  25 June 2009
• Date of issue
  Mar 2009