Reduction of Health Inequalities in the Roma Community

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Description
Action Promoting health and prevent disease through addressing health determinants across all policies and activities Area of activity Socio-economic determinants of health Summary The European Network Sastipen aims at the reduction of the health inequalities suffered by the Roma population in Europe, whose estimated population is of 8 million. Studies show that health status of Roma are far below the mainstream society in Europe: The life expectancy rate for Europe's Roma population is approximately 10 years lower than the overall average. The incidence of environment-related illnesses is higher for Roma than for the general population. Lack of vaccination and nutrition deficiencies are detected in the case of children. There is a higher incidence of accidents and involuntary injury such as: burns, falls, traffic accidents, bone fractures, intoxication, etc. It has been detected a special vulnerability of Roma to drug and alcohol dependency, and their generalised lack of sexual education puts them vulnerable to HIV/AIDs. Roma popultion of the countries involved in the project are or will be soon European citizens, however their life standards and particularly health status of Roma are poor making this minority seriously vulnerable to diseases which have been mostly overcome by mainstream society. The erradication of health inequalities suffered by Roma in Europe should be araised at the political agenda to guarantee European's citizens human rights. The project aims at gathering information on health status of Roma, their comparasion with mainstream society to produce recommendations and intervention strategies addressed to decision makers; identifying main causes of the lack of proper acces of Roma population to mainstream services, and the lack of proper use of these services due to particular cultural habits in order to address them through trainning and mobilisation of main stakeholders; analysing the influence of socio-economic and environmental causes in detriment of health standards and the role of community leaders, social mediators and romani women in the promotion of healthcare in order to empower them with skills and know-how. More info...
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
Financing
Leader organisation Fundacion Secretariado General Gitano Antolina Merino 10 28025 Madrid SPAIN Tel: (34-91).4220960 Fax: (34-91).4220961 E-mail: fsg@gitanos.org Web site: www.gitanos.org	Contact Person Patricia BEZUNARTEA
Associated beneficiaries - REAPN - Rede Europeia Anti-Pobreza established in Portugal - CNCA - Coordinamento Nazionale Comunita Di Accoglienza established in Italy - EFXINI-POLI - Information and Support Centre for Socially Excluded Groups established in Greece - Initiative for Health Foundation established in Bulgaria - ROMANI CRISS - Roma Centre for Social Interventions and Studies established in Rumania - PDC - Partners for Democratic Change established in Slovakia - AZIENDA ULSS 5 established in Italy - Regional Health Centre Sliven established in Bulgaria - Foundation Roma Health established in Bulgaria - Kethanipe established in Hungary - Department for Human Rights Council for Roma Affairs established in the Czech Republic
Starting date and duration of project - 01/01/2005 - 24 months	Total cost 861.513,18 € Subsidy from the Commission 476.500,00 €
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
Outcomes
Results to be achieved Work package n° 1 - Coordination of the Project: Creation of the platform in charge of promotion strategies and actions addressed at improving Roma community helth standards to the mainstream society average. Follow up of the national actions This workpackage is linked to the overall project and therefore to all the objectives and results expected. Through the activities corresponding to this workpackage the aim is to coordinate effectively activities undertaken by the project and assure the succes of the program. Work package n° 2 - Dissemination of results The dissemation of results is an instrumental workpackage by definition related to all the objectives of the project as well as results. The project foresees the productions of material for different purposes, that coincide with the projects specific and general objectives: for the information gathering (general objective 1), awareness raising of public administrations and diagnosis of situation (2), identification of good practices and intervention strategies (3), transferring skills and empowering key actors (4) and promotion of synergies between public and private spheres (5) Work package n° 3 - – Development of an information gathering system (quantitive and qualitative) on health status of Europe's Roma Community complementary to the existing one This workpackage is linked to the objective of gathering information (1) on health status of Roma population and the situation of inequality in regard to access to mainstream health services and its rooted causes. It is also related to objetive 2 and 3 in the sense that as a consequence of the information gathering, the analysis on health status of Roma population and the awareness raising will be better funded, being the conclusions better argumented and more precise. The information gathering is a basic pillar to upraise knowledge on the issue. Work package n° 4 - Analysis of health inequalities suffered by Roma populations and withdrawal of conclusions: diagnosis, health indicators, best practices The working groups will provide the adequate exchange context between public and private spheres, gathering together experts from health fields, Roma issues, and public administrations. This will contribute to the identification of good practices and health indicators which will be a good tool for health professionals and health agents in their understanding of the day to day work with the Roma Community. Work package n° 5 - Training and empowerment of key stakeholders in healthcare assistance to the Roma Community On one hand the training is addressed to personnel in the public health services in order to transfer them skills and provide them with intervention strategies so they are able to better understand the particularities of Roma culture and family habits in order to provide a better healthcare assistance. On the second hand the training is addressed at the social mediators and health agents to provide them with know-how in order to achieve a better promotion of healthcare and disease prevention among the Roma families. Work package n° 6 - Technical assistance provided to public and private entities working in health field with the Roma Community, on methodology, intervention tools, good practices, etc... The technical assistance provided to public and private entities working in the field of health with Roma community is linked to the general objective which describes the need of exchanging of synergies between public and private spheres. Through the creation of a technical assistance service the project seeks the interaction between health centres, hospitals, social organizations, networks and competent public administrations that are in need of counselling and advice in their respective field of actions when related to Roma health status. The counseling service will act as provider of information connecting the entity requesting to other institutions or organizations capable of contributing to the specific problem. Due to the expertise accumulated in the associated partners, the technical service will provide the requesting entity with methodology, intervention tools and good practices in order to help solve the problem.  The European Network Sastipen Annual Report 2005/2006 (3.5MB) Final report (112KB) Manuals
Description      -      Financing      -      Outcomes      -      More info
More info
Statement of project aim(s) and objectives General objectives: 1.To gather the health information available in Roma community in order to develop actions and recommendations to improve health policies and intervention strategies by disseminating results to health stakeholders and policy-makers. 2.To mobilise public administrations through awareness raising and train them to tackle health inequalities within the Roma community. 3.To identify the good practices and create a forum for their transfer among public and private European entities for the improvement of healthcare to Europe's Roma population 4.To train and transfer skills to Roma health agents/ mediators in order to help Roma population to have access and use mainstream health services. To train and transfer skills to health services professionals as regards to intervention strategies with the Roma community 5.To promote synergies between public/ private sphere (health centres, hospitals, social organizations, networks, competent public administrations, Roma representatives, etc). Specific objectives: 1.To initiate a co-ordinated information gathering process and disseminte results through internet, Annual Reports and other documents on health inequalities suffered by Roma Community and health standards. To exchange information at national and international level through key actions. 2.To analyse and withdraw conclusions on the health status and inequalities faced by the Roma community between main stakeholders (public administrations/ healthcare professionals/ health agents/ Healthcare Networks, etc). To elaborate materials for targeted groups containing intervention strategies in the main health areas 3. Exchange at national and European level best practices and identify health indicators applicable in Sastipen Network partners. To establish strategies in healthcare assistance. 4. To organise courses address to targeted gourp for the transferring of skills. 5. Creation of spaces to exchange know-how, experiences, etc, through seminars, working groups and consultation service.
Methods Based on a network structure, with a prepared staff hosted in the leader organisation and the associated partners integrated in sSteering Committee, the methodology will integrate the following characteristics: Participatory methodology appropiate to integrate know.how, experiences and lessons learned of partners; flexibility of instruments and actions defined according to particularities in different contexts; binomial logic: Public Administation-Civil Society partnership; clear definition of partners' responsabilities. The main methods that will be used for the implementation of the project are the network and partnership work, connecting national and trans-national spheres, intervention methodology tailored to Roma community, empowering and trainning health professionals, technical assistance and accompanying actions and communication and information circulation. Institutional political changes and withdrawal of partner organisations as a consequence of such change is the main risk.