Health

We are looking to connect with the activities of MooiMaasvallei to promote 'positive health' in UNESCO Maasheggen MooiMaasvallei is a cooperation platform in the Land van Cuijk and the head of North Limburg. Affiliated are organizations from education, care, welfare, municipalities, housing corporation and business/industrial circles and financiers.

MooiMaasvallei has signed an Integral Care Agreement (IZA) with health insurers. This stipulates that up to and including 2027 MooiMaasvallei wants to bring about "a movement from 'disease and care' to 'health and behavior.'" The parties, who have committed themselves to the IZA, thus want to reduce the pressure on care (more accessible help, shorter waiting times) but at the same time enthuse residents of, among others, the Land van Cuijk to live a 'healthier and more active' life.
The result of the 22 projects mentioned in the IZA should be that:

• residents stay healthy longer;
• residents continue to live at home longer (because: clean, safe and social environment);
• patients go home sooner after an admission;
• there is more digital contact with residents and that they solve more problems themselves and together

Collaboration Maasheggen UNESCO
Program team Maasheggen UNESCO and Mooi Maasvallei have talked to each other about what both organizations do, what possible cross-links there are and how to collaborate on projects.
This has led to 4 conclusions:

1. there are plenty of opportunities for cooperation;
2. the program Maasheggen UNESCO is not going to initiate health-related projects itself. On the one hand because there is insufficient knowledge of the subject within the program team and on the other hand because the knowledge and resources needed are already present in another organization (Mooi Maasvallei), with concrete plans and a large health network;
3. the program team Maasheggen UNESCO and MooiMaasvallei will meet at least twice a year to discuss the progress of current IZA projects, to determine together which projects may also be of interest to The Maasheggen and to make concrete agreements about how we will shape the cooperation and communication about those projects. During these discussions we will also explain what is going on in the program Maasheggen UNESCO and which Maasheggen projects may also be of interest to MooiMaasvallei;
4. part of the Integral Care Agreement is that scientific research will also be conducted into the effect of the projects on the well-being of the inhabitants of North Limburg and Land van Cuijk. Those studies may also provide interesting (partial) conclusions for The Maasheggen and in that case can be added to the list of scientific publications, which also form the basis of the UNESCO Man & Biosphere program.

Examples of possible cooperationOnwhat topics is cooperation between program Maasheggen UNESCO and MooiMaasvallei possible?
Some examples:

• Mooi Maasvallei has indicated in the Integral Care Agreement to set up a citizens' council in which residents of Land van Cuijk and North Limburg are regularly asked for their opinions on regional and local health topics;
• the Integral Care Agreement talks about so-called "care circles," intended to strengthen social cohesion in villages.
  Where necessary and desirable, the program team Maasheggen UNESCO, through the Maasheggen team, can provide access to a network relevant to this project, namely the neighborhood and village councils;
• promoting more exercise and healthier eating.
  Possibly contacts can be made here between initiatives of Maasheggen UNESCO (MaasheggenKids and Smaak van de Maasheggen) and organizations involved in IZA (Taste Center, Class Farmers, ZLTO, Goei Leven). From these contacts, new initiatives can arise but also existing ones can be strengthened;
• encouraging the greening of one's own living environment (from IZA), for example by creating green corridors from village boundaries to The Maasheggen (from ambition document The Maasheggen);
• MooiMaasvallei is setting up centers where residents - initially in Vierlingsbeek and Afferden - can have a health test done. Together with a lifestyle coach they will then look at how their health can be improved.
  The Maasheggen can play a role in this, as a place for healthy walking and cycling, for example by creating extra footpaths around villages or by improving existing footpaths.
  In addition, the pilot in Vierlingsbeek and Afferden will pay attention to issues that affect the living environment, such as how to deal with heat stress and climate adaptation.