A trip to the doctor, hospital or dentist can be an amost insurmountable task if you're homeless, or if  leaving your home can seem overwhelming in itself. And when socially disadvantaged people do manage to get out and make it to a consultation, they don't always leave with a clear understanding of their illness or treatment. Having an arm to lean on and an extra ear to hear what the doctor says can make all the difference.  A new agreement with the national organisation Social Sundhed, gives students at Health the opportunity to make a crucial difference by breaking down some of the barriers as companion bridge-builders for vulnerable citizens.

Social Sundhed facilitates contact between healthcare students and socially disadvantaged people so that they can attend health related appointments together. The new collaboration agreement between Health and Social Sundhed will enable more students to help and learn through citizens' encounters with the healthcare system, says Dean Anne-Mette Hvas:

"Social Sundhed aims to fulfil an important and extensive social task by supporting the most disadvantaged patients in their dealings with the healthcare system. At Health, we work for better health for everyone, and we share responsibility for reducing social inequality in health. Our students will find that they can make a crucial difference for citizens, and that they themselves gain fundamental and important learning that they can't read about in books," she says.

Several students from Health are already volunteers with the organisation, but the new agreement paves the way for even stronger collaboration, says Kristina Louise Bliksted, director and founder of Social Sundhed:

"A strengthened collaboration between Health and Social Health is an exemplary example of moving from words to action. It is necessary for society's major institutions to take a stance and share responsibility. We are very proud that our efforts and training of healthcare students are recognised and highlighted as crucial in the fight for greater health equality," she says.

Students meet the whole person - and see the complexity of the healthcare system

The idea behind Social Sundhed originated at the Department of Public Health, where a Case Competition was the first step in the development of the organisation, which today operates in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Fredericia and has over 200 volunteers. Thus a formal collaboration was an obvious possibility, says Assistant Professor Knud Ryom from the Section for Health Promotion and Healthcare at the Department of Public Health, who suggested a partnership with Social Health in Health's business network.

"We work with Novo Nordisk and other large organisations and that's definitely important. But collaboration with an organisation that carries out a very important social task is also of great value. It’s very much a privilege to be able to study and work within the yellow walls of the university. Meeting citizens with challenges adds perspective that students don't expect, and they grow from this both personally and academically," he says.

And it is precisely the understanding of the whole and complete human being that is crucial, says Vice Dean of Education Lise Wogensen Bach:

"Health inequality is unfortunately growing, and it’s important that our students are equipped to see and understand the whole person from early on in their studies. They also gain unique insight into how particularly vulnerable patients are met by the system, and the consequences that comes with not having the resources to deal with a large and complex system."

Moreover, the students make a big difference when they volunteer their time and expertise says Director of Social Sundhed Kristina Louise Bliksted:

"We have citizens who have previously abandoned treatment programmes, who don't understand the paperwork they receive, or who simply don’t feel seen in the healthcare system. But now they’re suddenly more than just a CPR number. Now they have their own counsellor to support, translate and help them to show up for appointments and to understand the messages and information they receive. This has a huge impact on these citizens and their health."

Unequal health in both teaching and research

Today, many Public Health students meet Social Sundhed as early as in their bachelor's programme, when Knud Ryom and others invite the organisation to give a presentation on the bridge-building scheme, and this has already recruited several students. But the long-term ambition is for collaboration with Social Sundhed to grow to become part of both teaching and research, says dean Anne-Mette Hvas:

"We’re formalising the collaboration, and hopefully many more of our students will have an opportunity to volunteer as a bridge builder. But it's also interesting to look at how we can integrate bridge-building activities and knowledge from Social Sundhed into teaching. We hope that the collaboration will strengthen research into health inequality, for example through PhD and research-year projects."

Contact

Dean, Anne-Mette Hvas,
Health, Aarhus Universitet
Mail: dean.health@au.dk
Phone: +4587152007