First stationary hospice in Upper AustriaApart from mobile palliative care teams, the first stationary hos-pice has become operative in Upper Austria in 2016. This facility closes the gap in providing care for people in their last period of life. The aim of the hospice work is to enable a farewell in grace and to arrange the remaining days as comfortable as possible.

In the start-up phase, special rooms have been furnished in the hospital of the Elizabethans in Linz. In the medium term, a new building with 10 stationary hospice beds in the hospital of the Elizabethans is planned. Funding will be shared between the Upper Austrian regional medical insurance company and the state health department.

Integrated care model for children and adolescentsThe competence centre for children and adolescents St. Isidor (operated by Caritas for people with handicaps) together with another facility located in the Innviertel region provides an inte-grated care model for children and adolescents as well as their relatives. A comprehensive diagnostic, therapeutic, curative and social pedagogic offer is meant to improve the physical and psy-chological state and well-being of children and adolescents and to expand their range of behaviour and experience. The closer social environment should be relieved due to this programme. Access to the offer is granted early, targeted and easily (i.e. with- out transfer by a medical specialist).

Therapy offer for children with early childhood autismAutism is a profound innate and incurable developmental dis-order of the brain that can be recognised in the early years. The incapacity to build relationships and to communicate is very characteristic for this condition. Motoric, affective and cognitive disturbances can often be side effects. The earlier an individual and intensive therapy starts, the more sustainable the success will be regarding the cognitive, linguistic and social development of the children.

The state health department and the Upper Austrian regional medical insurance company have set up this offer to close a gap in providing care for children with developmental disorders. The neurolinguistic ambulance of the Brothers of Charity hospital in Linz carries out this pilot project.

Regulars’ table for nursing relatives in the communities Once a month, the “regulars’ table for nursing relatives”, which is accompanied by professionals, offers support in difficult situ-ations and the opportunity to exchange experience and infor-mation. Currently, there are 81 regulars’ tables. Thanks to in-termunicipal co-operation, more than half of the Upper Austrian communities participate in the project.

New basis for the Upper Austrian School Health ServiceThe relaunch of the school health service in Upper Austrian schools ensures continued medical care and improved co- operation with teachers.

New model for dental health promotionSince the beginning of the kindergarten and school year 2012/2013, a new system for the promotion of dental health has been operative. The aim is the sustainable improvement of the dental health of children and adolescents. Therefore, a compre-hensive concept was developed with the focus on infancy, i.e. kindergarten age.

www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/141.htm

Competent health facilities close to home The cornerstone of Upper Austrian health care is, on the one hand, medical centres of competence with top care from hospitals in urban areas and, on the other hand, regional and structured primary care close to residential areas. This was achieved as a result of a coordinated service offer in the hospitals of all parts of the region. Apart from this peak medical care, of which in particular children’s cardiac surgery in Linz enjoys a world-wide reputation, the growing share of older people in the population as a whole is taken into consideration when developing the range of offers in the hospital sector.

Multifaceted health sector in Upper AustriaThe state of Upper Austria believes in the moder-nisation of its hospitals. Since 2006, the state has specifically invested 1.8 billion euros in the extension and new construction of its 14 hospitals (at 19 loca-tions) to ensure the best medical supply all over the state. In addition, considerable sums are being made ready to equip the buildings in technical terms. This will guarantee an extensive range of diagnostic ser-vices and treatments of ultra-modern standards. In the rehabilitation sector, Upper Austria also supplies an optimum structure of care.

Every day in Upper Austria, around 2,000 medical specialists and general practitioners as well as a statewide rescue service and air emergency service are at work. Moreover, the federal state has numerous medical institutions and health spas at its disposal. Regional advisory and information centres and a dense network of health-promoting facilities complete the offer.

NEW: Kepler University Medical Centre and Medical FacultyThe foundation of the Kepler University Medical Centre (KUK) led to the creation of a new centre for state-of-the-art medicine, medical care, education and research in Upper Austria. Thereby, the com-petences of the State Medical Centre for Women and Children, the State Psychiatric Hospital Wagner Jauregg and the General Hospital Linz were pooled and merged. Given its 1,800 beds, it is the second largest hospital in Austria and bigger than other uni-versity medical centres (Innsbruck: 1,542 beds, Graz: 1,508 beds). Thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation, this new competence centre creates an excellent medical infrastructure for all patients. The operative start of the new combined organisation took place on 1 January 2016.

Upper AustriaHEALTHThe essential aim of the Upper Austrian health policy is the best medical care for all Upper Austrians in all regions of the state. Upper Austria offers an extensive network of health facilities for com-prehensive and citizen-oriented hospital care. In addition, preventive measures in health care are constantly broadened and extended.

Amt der Oö. Landesregierung / Abteilung Präsidium, Landhausplatz 1, 4021 Linz / AustriaFotos: Land OÖ, Fotolia © takasu / and.one / udra11 / Smileus / PhotoSG

Around 300 out of 750 kindergartens participate in the network “Healthy Kindergarten” in Upper Austria. The aim is, to have more kindergartens join the network. This is the recognition of the quality-oriented health promotion with the focus on nutrition, exercise and psychosocial health. The kindergartens succeed to integrate these topics into everyday life.

Especially the programme “Healthy Kitchen”, an initiative to improve the nutritional situation of kindergarten and school pu-pils, is scheduled to be expanded. The aim is that in the coming years all kitchens that provide kindergartens, schools and af-ter school centres with lunch, can be awarded the certificate “Healthy Kitchen”. The respective consulting service for compa-nies is free of charge.

In addition, 75 caring institutions have already joined the project “Moved Afternoon”, which supports exercise-friendly afternoon care. Model lessons and workshops offer the staff important im-pulses on how to get children more active. In the school year 2016/2017, 30 caring facilities are fee to participate.

The aim of the next years is to further develop the preventive offer and to increase people’s motivation for prevention and a healthier life style.(www.gesundes-oberoesterreich.at)

Strengthening primary health care Currently, different projects in the area of primary health care (PHC) have been started in Upper Austria with the participation of the state of Upper Austria, the Upper Austrian regional medi-cal insurance company (OÖGKK) and the Upper Austrian medi-cal chamber. Funding of pilot projects is usually shared between the state and the regional medical insurance company. The first PHC models will go into operation in Enns and Haslach. The aim for the next years is to create different PHC models in several Upper Austrian districts.

In addition, the Upper Austrian Red Cross has started an initia-tive on a patient information and guidance system (PALES) that is the first contact point for health and social issues and thus contributes to the further improvement of primary care.

The aim of all these projects is to systematically link existing care offers and care providers and to punctually complement certain areas. This creates a “level of primary health care” that meets the needs of patients and distributes the workload of the care providers more equally.

General practitioner emergency service (HÄND) The established general practitioners are the centrepiece of the health provision of the Upper Austrian population. They ac-company and support the patients in the regions. Based on the demographic development, the changed framework conditions as well as the needs of the practitioners, the so-called general practitioner emergency service (HÄND) has been developed further in accordance with the medical chamber, the regional medical insurance company and the Red Cross over the last months and has been implemented all over the state since 1 April 2016. The new flexibility of the organisation makes it possible for regional practitioners to apply their preferred HÄND model. This HÄND concept will be limited until the end of 2017. Until then, the effectiveness of HÄND will be evaluated and the model will be developed further.

The aim is to secure a sufficient general practitioner emergency care for the Upper Austrian population outside office hours.

Health in transition: Geriatric medicine and palliative careThe demographic development requires corresponding adapta-tions in the intramural field concerning the care structures. This health policy aim is met by providing 409 beds for acute geriatric care / remobilisation according to the Upper Austrian health facil- ities plan. The regional distribution of these beds among the six care regions guarantees a balanced care of the Upper Austrian population close to their homes.

In order to provide medical care for terminally ill people, Upper Austria chose the way of staged, close to home, stationary and mobile care.Currently, eight Upper Austrian hospitals have palliative stations with 68 beds in total, and its further expansion is planned. Since the year 2013, mobile palliative care teams have been installed and will be further expanded in all care regions or districts.

In a common effort, politics in Upper Austria have achieved the implementation of the Medical Faculty project and thus reached a milestone. With the start of the new Medical Faculty at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU), many fields in Upper Austria have entered a new era. “Clinical research into aging”, “care re-search” and “medical technology” have been chosen as unique characteristics for research. Since autumn 2016, the first medi-cal students have continued their clinical training in Linz after having studied for four semesters in Graz before.(www.kepleruniklinikum.at, www.jku.at)

University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions with international recognitionThe University of Applied Sciences for Health Professions en-joys international recognition in terms of training and profes- sional qualification of students and graduates. The study degree programmes are offered without tuition fees. However, the ad-mission procedure in the area of health professions is very de-manding. Thus, the university of applied sciences tries to select the best applicants in order to provide them with an academi-cally based and, above all, practice-oriented training.The locations of Linz, Wels and Steyr enable a very close net-working and linkage with the hospitals there. In total, seven ba-chelor and two master degree programmes are offered. In the year 2016, 255 future health professionals started their studies. (www.fh-gesundheitsberufe.at)

Health and Nursing Schools all over Upper AustriaAt 18 facilities with around 2,000 diploma training positions, one has the opportunity to go for diploma training in health and nursing care in Upper Austria. Currently, this service includes the three areas of “general health and nursing care”, “children and adolescents care” as well as “psychiatric health and nursing care”. The trainings are based on the law for health and nursing care.

From the MedTech Location Upper Austria to the “Medical Valley“The Medical Technology Cluster of the Upper Austrian business agency “Business Upper Austria” is the central interface for economy, science and medicine. The aim is to bring together the around 230 partners in the field of MedTech and to initiate com-mon projects. Since its creation (initially as a health cluster) in the year 2002, 50 ideas from the health technology sector have already been successfully implemented in cluster co-operation projects with 177 partner companies. The corresponding focus has gradually shifted towards the MedTech sector though.

In order to further strengthen the MedTech location Upper Aus-tria together with the Medical Faculty, the Medical Technology Cluster has positioned itself as MedTech transfer point with the aim of bringing together companies, researchers and doctors, as well as initiating co-operations, innovation and common projects based on the topic of medical technology.

The medical technology sector has an enormous growth poten-tial and is, above all, a future chance for the economic location Upper Austria. The inauguration of the Medical Faculty at the JKU and of the MedTech transfer point of the Medical Tech-nology Cluster in Linz will become the future starting point for a “Medical Valley” in Upper Austria. (www.medizintechnik-cluster.at)

Preventive health care „Healthy Upper Austria“Medical prevention is a focus of the Upper Austrian health policy and is encouraged from infancy onwards. With consistent medical care, Upper Austria offers a package of health promo-tion measures which are directed at all age groups, starting with nursery-school children and schools and through to old age. Moreover, the concept of health promotion is implemented via the umbrella brand “Healthy Upper Austria”, in which local com-munities (“Healthy Community“) throughout Upper Austria are organised.