[Possibilities for transforming community health reports into action exemplified by Herne city]

This is a report based on the results of an expertise prepared by the "Institute of Sociomedical Research" at the request of the town of Herne (North Rhine Westphalia) at the end of 1989. A method to translate recommendations based on communal health reports into reality was examined in respect of utilisation for the benefit of communal health planning both on a short-term and a medium-term basis. It appears that it is better to concentrate on topical communal problems than on comprehensive large-scale projects, because this makes it easier to maintain a bird's-eye view of the aims and programmes and of their realisation.