project management

"Lausitz Vital" awarded - ENO receives the German Demography Prize 2022

The ENO was honored in Berlin for the conception and organization of the health network "Lausitz Vital" in the category "Working together - forging alliances".

Annabell Krause, the project coordinator of "Lausitz Vital", accepted the coveted prize, which honors those who "anticipate demographics, think ahead and lead the way and thus actively shape the future". From a total of 101 submissions, 25 projects in eight categories were nominated German Demography Prize 2022

The "Lausitz Vital" project is an ENO success story (which we don't say about ourselves, but the encouragement of the participants confirms).

Because: Thanks to the appealing concept and Annabell's commitment, more than 50 participants from the fields of health management, health science and care were brought together in a very short time. Through the strategic networking of all players in the healthcare industry, science and care, long-term partnerships can be established and projects can be initiated together.

Today we present our colleague and the background to "Lausitz Vital". But first we want to know how it feels when you sit in the audience at a gala in Berlin and suddenly hear your name and that of the project and are asked to come on stage...

Annabell: That was a funny story. I hadn't actually dreamed of bringing the prize home with me - but I was looking forward to the networking! When we were on our way to the accommodation in Berlin, my colleague Lisa Graen found two 1 cent pieces in quick succession - our "lucky pennies" of the day! We both pocketed a lucky cent and headed to the gala. Until then, our excitement was contained. After almost an hour, the juror for our category stepped onto the stage - only then did my heart start pounding, my hands were shaking - and then the words "The Winner is 'Lausitz Vital'" tumbled out. Totally surprised and overwhelmed, we accepted our prize I had to swallow hard before I could even get a few words out of me.

Congratulations on the well-deserved award! That's a great confirmation of your work from people who may have never heard of or from our Lausitz before. A nice nationwide visible recognition and a "keep it up" from an independent body. Great! Annabell, can you tell us how “Lausitz Vital” came about and what exactly the goal of this project is?

At the beginning of 2020, together with the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the district of Görlitz, made the first considerations and without further ado submitted a project application to the federal model project 'Enterprise Revier', funded by the then Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. After approval, we were able to start research and inventory in February 2021 in order to hold the kick-off event with over 50 participants in summer 2021. In the meantime, several project ideas have emerged, and our newsletter is also enjoying increasing popularity. The aim of the project is the development of a holistic approach for the development of a model region of health management, health science and care in Lusatia."

What does that mean specifically?

“The basic prerequisites for the development process and any obstacles are determined and analyzed, stakeholders are identified and involved. The spectrum of topics ranges from ensuring medical care by recruiting skilled workers and further expanding health science research and product development to establishing everyday solutions in the field of health and care.”

That sounds wonderfully correct. But what does your day-to-day work look like, what can you envision?

The daily work is very diverse. Networking and the workshops have already resulted in some project ideas that we are now pursuing in working groups. Of course, I am present at the work meetings. This also includes the preparation and follow-up, further information research and processing. Then we look for other partners and do research. From suitable supporters to sponsors. It is similar with the workshops or network meetings, trade fair appearances and conferences - there is always a lot of work behind it. In addition, a major focus is the inventory, ie not only identifying actors but also their deficits, challenges and needs. There is quite a lot of data that needs to be evaluated and presented clearly. The university is always a good support. Last but not least, the newsletter , which has been published every 2 months so far, is always a small highlight. There I pack in funding opportunities, offers, events and news that I encounter in my daily work. At the same time, I also maintain the Lausitz Vital database and website and do public relations work... I've probably forgotten a lot, but that should give you a rough overview^^

And what does the cooperation with the university look like?

My contact person, Prof. Heese (professor of education, especially educational and counseling processes in nursing) is always very open and I can knock on her door with any concerns. She integrates other colleagues, provides support, for example, with the creation and evaluation of surveys and the conception and implementation of events. The university is always a good source of input and also participates in working meetings on specific project ideas.

There is a saying, “No one wants to grow old, but everyone wants to live long.”. With "Lausitz Vital" you have now taken up the cause of counteracting the demographic change - more and more people getting older - with a positive sign, but you also work on other health issues. So can “Lausitz Vital” be viewed as a project with a cross-generational approach for all of Lusatia? And: what else are you planning, can we get a little preview?

There are other ideas, for example, in the “medical care” field of action. The topic of telemedicine is ubiquitous - our idea: a joint exercise of activities by the resident doctor and teledoctor as well as the corresponding qualification of medical staff. This is intended to intercept the critical medical care in the region. further training for health pilots with the educational institution Institute for Nursing, Health and Management But I don't want to reveal too much here either, as the idea is still very fresh.

Dear Annabell, we thank you for the interview and wish you and your projects continued success!

Interested parties can also become network partners and thus subscribe to the newsletter !

More at: https://lausitz-vital.de .

Best regards!

Your Annabell & Lisa & Jasna