The South Limburg region has relatively large health differences compared to other parts of the country. Here, for example, problems such as severe obesity, chronic diseases, loneliness and lack of movement are more common than elsewhere. This also leads to greater demand for treatment and higher healthcare costs. The regional picture of South Limburg presented last year confirmed this once again. A focus on prevention and viability is necessary to keep healthcare accessible and manageable in the future.
Ideal setting
It goes without saying that prevention is better than cure. However, if you need to go to hospital, the doctor’s office is the ideal setting to discuss the importance of vitality and a healthy lifestyle. Coping with an illness can highlight the importance of healthy behavior. It is therefore necessary to be able to offer concrete support. This is now offered in the form of Vitality Desk.
Pilot
The Vitality Desk will start in the Maastricht UMC+ as a pilot project from four patient care centers: the Exercise Center, the Center for Women, Mothers and Children, the Maastricht Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Patient Center chronic. Numerous health workers affiliated with these centers each refer one patient per week to the counter. An action plan is developed for the specific situation of the individual patient. These are initially patients from the Maastricht-Heuvelland region.
Cooperation
This could include offering a smoking cessation program, exercise programs, or encouraging a healthier diet. But topics such as stress, loneliness or debt problems are also discussed. Such psychosocial factors largely influence your health. In practice, not all requests for help are requests for care. In collaboration with regional partners within, for example, mental health, general practitioners or the municipality, suitable solutions to promote vitality are sought through the Vitality Desk. With the ultimate goal of preventing diseases and reducing the demand for treatment.
The Vitality Desk is one of the projects funded by ‘The Next Step’ (to know more).
2024-01-12 09:35:16
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