Speaker
Description
In recent years, the field of spatial science and spatial planning has seen a resurgence of interest in health-related issues. This development can be partly attributed to the impact of the pandemic and the ongoing demographic shifts, leading to a growing lack of skilled labour (see ARL 2023, p.14). This has long since ceased to be just about preventative health protection (keyword: health-related resilience) and the creation of health-promoting structures in line with the ‘Health in all Policies’ (HiAP) strategy. HiAP aims to integrate health as a societal responsibility across all policy domains, encompassing the provision of health infrastructures as a foundation for public health and health-related equality of living conditions. Although this approach is still in its infancy in Germany (Köckler and Geene 2022), there is an increasing focus on providing the population with healthcare infrastructure close to home and in line with their needs as a task of public services of general interest (ARL 2023, p.14). This commitment is further underscored by the most recent draft bill on fortifying healthcare provisions at the municipal level (GVSG), which, in its current iteration, outlines a pronounced expansion of municipal involvement in outpatient healthcare. Despite subsequent refinements in the legislative process, the issue of empowering local authorities to play a more active role in shaping healthcare at the local level remains salient. The question, therefore, is how local authorities can effectively fulfil this potential role.
Given this background, this contribution discusses a structured collection of possible municipal options for actively shaping healthcare provision, which was developed as part of a more complex DSS as part of the ‘Ageing Smart - Smart structured areas’ project funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation (see www.ageing-smart.de). Building on the analysis and problem definition, the solution-orientated provision of possible options for action in the DSS represents the second step in decision support in the area of healthcare. The aim of this is to safeguard the status quo and avoid qualitative losses in healthcare provision as well as to avoid the threat of an increase in scale in the provision of services combined with a deterioration in accessibility. The options for action provided answer questions about different ‘interventions’ with corresponding recommendations for decision support and, if necessary, alternative futures as a consequence. In addition to the planning administration and municipal decision-makers, the addressees are also the providers of medical services. The DSS thus enables local authorities to recognise and evaluate options for action in the areas of healthcare, mobility, health promotion and prevention, and to implement them within the framework of various roles. The DSS is therefore not only a tool for data exploration, but also an instrument for actively finding and shaping solutions for existing or foreseeable gaps in care. The analysis and further development of healthcare provision can serve as a model for infrastructure development as a whole.
References
Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (ARL) (2023): Forschungskonzept 2023 bis 2028, räumliche Transformation in Zeiten multipler Krisen. Hannover. 2023.
Köckler, H. & Geene, R. (2022): Gesundheit in allen Politikfeldern / Health in All Policies (HiAP). In: Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) (Hrsg.). Leitbegriffe der Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention. Glossar zu Konzepten, Strategien und Methoden. [Online] available at: https://leitbegriffe.bzga.de/alphabetisches-verzeichnis/gesundheit-in-allen-politikfeldern-health-in-all-policies-hiap/
Stiewing, M.; Weber, T.; Mangels, K.; Ruzika, S.; Fröhlich, N.; Hausbrandt, N. (2022): “Black Box Babyboomer” – Was kommt auf Kommunen zu? Decision Support System mit Hilfe mathematischer Erreichbarkeitsmodellierung medizinischer Versorgungsstandorte. In: Schrenk et al.: REAL CORP 2022 Proceedings/Tagungsband 14-16 November 2022, S.131-141. Wien.
| Keywords | smart regions; planning support system; public health; demographic change |
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