ECHAA and EuHPN

The European Health Property Network (EuHPN) and the European Centre for Healthcare Assets and Architecture (ECHAA)  now have a common web portal, designed so that you can access content from both our websites. We hope this will give you an opportunity to explore a broad range of cross-linked information about healthcare infrastructure, as well as further information about ECHAA and EuHPN. Click on either of the organisation names to navigate to site-specific information, including reports, articles and news features.

According to the most recent findings of the World Health Organization, heart disease, tumors, respiratory illnesses and diabetes are responsible for the majority of deaths, illness and health care costs in the world. In Italy and in the rest of Europe, this group of chronic illnesses, which share several risk factors linked to unhealthy lifestyles (smoking, alcohol abuse, improper nutrition, excess weight and/or obesity, little physical activity) is responsible for 86% of deaths, 77% of the healthy years lost and 75% of health care costs.

This phenomenon is not associated with wealth: in fact, such diseases more frequently strike the most disadvantaged classes of society. A common element in these risk factors is that they mostly relate to individual behaviors, although they are strongly influenced by the social, economic and environmental context in which one lives and works.

The report "Stewardship and governance in decentralised health systems: an Italian case study" discusses the challenges. Download the full report here.