Report available: EuroHealthNet Annual Seminar ‘Growing strong in times of crisis – Investing in wellbeing and health equity for young and old’

Date: 31 May 2022
Time: 13:30-17:30 CEST
Venue: Join us in person at the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium, Rue Ducale 1, 1000 Bruxelles

Read the report of the seminar here.

Our societies are currently at a crossroads. Demographic change, growing inequalities, the climate crisis, COVID-19, and the impacts of the war in Ukraine are all having a negative impact on the health and well-being of our societies. These challenges are straining public resources and the social fabric of our communities. How can we overcome these issues and grow stronger in times of crisis?  

The early years and later years of life are crucial stages in the life-course. How we approach health and wellbeing during these phases has a direct impact on the long-term resilience of our health systems and our wider societies. We must prioritise health equity and wellbeing among children, youth, families and older people to ensure they have the essential conditions and resources to thrive, setting them up for lifelong health and wellbeing. Alternative economic and care models, such as the Economy of Wellbeing – as well as socially-conscious public and private investments offer the potential to grow stronger and more sustainably out of the current crises.

This in-person seminar will gather experts and policy makers to explore the necessary conditions in which all members of society, including young and older people, feel like capable and valued members of their immediate and wider communities. New and innovative approaches and investments will be presented, in the context of current European policy developments, and with a critical focus on their impacts on health equity. Discussions will be centred around the following themes:

• Securing conditions for health equity and wellbeing in childhood and adolescence in times of uncertainty    
• Prioritising public investments for healthy and active ageing in the wake of multiple crises
• Exploring how we can turn our current uncertainties into opportunities for strength, through concepts like the Economy of Wellbeing

Agenda

Chaired by Dr Mojca Gabrijelčič Blenkuš, President, EuroHealthNet; Senior Advisor, National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia 
Co-chaired by Lorna Renwick, Organisational Lead, Health Equity, NHS Scotland

13:30-14:00 Registration

14:00-14:15 Introductory remarks

• Opening remarks
  – Dr Mojca Gabrijelčič Blenkuš, President, EuroHealthNet; Senior Advisor, National Institute of Public Health in Slovenia 
• Presenting the EU context
  – Mr Toma Šutić, Member of Cabinet of the Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, European Commission 
  – Prof Silvio Brusaferro, President, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy, coordinator of JAHEE

14:15-15:15 Session 1: Securing conditions for health equity and wellbeing in childhood and adolescence in times of uncertainty

• Setting the scene 
  – Professor Terje Andreas Eikemo, Leader of the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN)
• Presenting the EU context
  – Ms Jana Hainsworth, Secretary General, Eurochild
  
• Promising approaches
  – Dr Ana Carriazo – Senior Advisor, Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health and Families
  – Prof Didier Jourdan – Chair holder, UNESCO Chair on Global Health & Education
  – Ms Vicky Jones – Deputy Leader, Adverse Childhood Experiences Support Hub, Public Health Wales
  
• Q&A session & wrap-up by moderator

15:15-15:45 Coffee break

15:45-16:45 Session 2: Prioritising public investments for healthy and active ageing in the wake of multiple crisis

• Setting the scene
  – Ms Gemma Williams, Research fellow, London Hubs Coordinator and Economist, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
• Presenting the EU context
  – Ms Susanna Ulinski, Policy Officer, Unit D.2 Social Protection, Directorate-General of Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission 
• Promising approaches
  – Dr. Ülla-Karin Nurm, Secretariat Director, Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being
  – Mr Klaus Niederlander, Director, Ambient Assisted Living Association
• Q&A session & wrap-up by moderators

16:45-17:00 Closing remarks

• Ms Tatjana Buzeti, Policy Officer, WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development  
• Ms Caroline Costongs,  Director, EuroHealthNet

17:00-18:00 Evening reception 

With speech from Ms Marianne Takki, Team leader of European Commission unit DG SANTE C1-health promotion, disease prevention

Read the report of the seminar here.