Good Practice - Project
A project to improve access to health in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region
Attracting health professionals to the rural area by renovating an abandoned building in the village centre of Tannay.
General information
RDP Priority
- P6. Social inclusion and local development
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M07: Basic services & village renewal
Beneficiary type
- Local / regional authority
Summary
In 2015, the village of Tannay, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France, was facing an ageing population and the phenomenon of medical desertification. The EAFRD-funded project aimed to attract medical professionals to the rural area by renovating an abandoned building as a new, well-equipped health centre. The idea was that this would help improve the availability of healthcare, and ease access to relevant services. The location of the building in the village centre was planned to re-invigorate the central square of the village. In 2017, the new health centre opened, accommodating 12 permanent medical specialists across a range of disciplines and services. The centre also offers a dedicated space for medical students. In addition, various other local associations use the building for their health-related activities, facilitating exchange and sharing of information. The continuing aim is to keep developing the health centre and maintain good access to healthcare services throughout.
Results
- A significant improvement of available health services has been achieved in Tannay.
- The centre accommodates three general practitioners, three physiotherapists, three nurses, an osteopath, a psychologist and a pharmacist. Three days per week, the centre is also used as an outreach clinic for psychoeducators.
- Furthermore, the centre offers telemedicine services in dermatology, and can accommodate three medical students per year. Each medical service / specialism registers around 1 000 patients.
Promoter
Tannay Municipality
Funding
- Total budget: 1 125 152 (EUR)
- EAFRD: 336 205 (EUR)
- National/Regional: 75 000 (EUR)
- Private/own: 332 955 (EUR)
- Other sources: 380 992 (EUR)
Resources
Good Practice Report - A project to improve access to health in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region
(PDF – 1.11 MB)
Context
Tannay is a village of around 500 inhabitants, located in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. For several years, the village had been facing a decline in the number of medical practitioners. At the same time, the population continued to age: people over 60 represented 37% of the local population in 2017. To address the rising problem of medical desertification, local elected officials supported the development of a health project and the creation of a multi-professional health centre. This commitment led to the renovation of an old building in the centre of the village, to attract and welcome medical practitioners to the village. Funded by EAFRD, the refurbishment of the building took place from 2015 to 2017, after which the health centre opened. Today, the health centre accommodates 12 practitioners, including several specialists (physiotherapists, osteopaths, psychologists, etc.). The building is also used by local associations to raise awareness and prevent health issues.
Objectives
The objectives of the project were to attract medical practitioners to the rural area, improve access to healthcare services, and provide a diversified medical offer in the rural area.
The selection of a central location for the project aimed to bring life back to the village square. A further goal was to maximise the use of the newly created space and to support local residents with activities aimed at exchanging and sharing information about health issues.
Activities
Project activities included:
- Renovating an abandoned building and an annexe in the village square of Tannay. Beginning in 2015, the refurbishment was completed two years later. The building was divided into different areas. On the ground floor, the health centre has one emergency room and one meeting room. On the first floor, there are several meeting rooms, including one room that is equipped for delivering telemedicine services. In addition, the building incorporates three rooms that are available for medical students throughout the year.
- Purchasing equipment and attracting medical practitioners to Tannay to work from the new Health Centre.
- Implementing several awareness-raising events and activities relating to the new health care centre and the services it provided.
- Reaching out to other local associations by encouraging them to use the building for setting up their health-related activities throughout the year.
Main results
- The completion of a fully renovated and refurbished health centre providing accommodation for conventional as well as telemedicine health services in line with the demands of the area.
- A significant improvement of available health services has been achieved in Tannay. Nowadays, the centre accommodates three general practitioners, three physiotherapists, three nurses, an osteopath, a psychologist and a pharmacist. Three days per week, the centre is also used as an outreach clinic for Psychoeducators. Furthermore, the centre offers telemedicine services in dermatology ,and can accommodate three medical students per year. Each medical service / specialism registers around 1000 patients.
- Improved awareness of healthcare. The health centre hosts numerous associations, such as diabetes prevention associations, the federation of social centres in the region, the federation of health homes, a tobacco prevention association, etc.
Key lessons
- Engaging with relevant stakeholders is of great importance. In the experience of the health centre project, the support of stakeholders was crucial in developing the care offer.
- It is recommended to acknowledge the wider opportunities such a project can offer. For example, the building is able to accommodate several practitioners as well as young medical students. It thereby supported the development of a well-rounded rural care offer, while creating new opportunities for future practitioners.
This project was essential for our territory. It answered a strong need, deeply expressed by the local inhabitants, and allowed to bring back care services in the Tannay area.