Raising awareness

Raising awareness, make things change

Find out how Swiss Health Network for Equity raises awareness of health inequalities and encourages people to commit to more equitable healthcare.

Targeted awareness-raising initiatives and campaigns developed by Swiss Health Network for Equity raise awareness of health inequalities and encourage stakeholders to commit to change. This objective is achieved through a combination of activities. In this way, all members of the network can, as far as they are able, help to improve healthcare for disadvantaged population groups and enable all patients to benefit from the best possible healthcare. Examples of individual activities can be found in the boxes below:

Training courses, workshops and summer schools

are designed, organised and delivered to raise awareness of health inequalities among staff and professionals from other institutions, and to show them how and what they can do to reduce them.

Promoting diversity and inclusion within the institution

is achieved through the active engagement of individual members of Swiss Health Network for Equity in their own working environment. A diverse composition of staff in terms of background and experience can help to improve understanding of the multiple needs of patients and their relatives and eliminate health inequalities.

Social media campaigns

Members of Swiss Health Network for Equity use these tools to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion among a wide audience. Infographics, videos and blog posts highlight the causes of inequalities and suggest possible solutions.

Joint events

in collaboration with partner organisations are also used to raise awareness of health equity indicators and possible promotional measures in a wider context. These events can be organised at national level (such as the first national meeting of the Swiss "Migrant Friendly Hospitals" network in September 2013) or at local level (for example, in the form of joint health or fitness events, at which local experts give advice and raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle).

Collaboration with other organisations

Swiss Health Network for Equity also works closely with its partners (the Federal Office of Public Health, the State Secretariat for Migration, cantonal integration services, Interpret and other non-profit organisations) to raise awareness and bring about change or improvements in disadvantaged communities through the development of joint strategies.