Co-operative Health

1. IHCO Health Seminar
   The International Health Co-operative Organisation (IHCO) has recently reported on its seminar om "Co-operative Opportunities for Health Care" held in Washington, D.C., USA, on 21 July 2010.

   The seminar was the first attempt on behalf of the international health co-operative movement to inspire American health co-operatives in view of the opportunities that the new USA Health Care Reform legislation offers.

   "Things have started to move, and we are initiating a new international dialogue, "says IHCO President Dr. José Carlos Guisado, also CEO of Fundación Espriu.

   Dr. Guisado stresses the fact that the Washington seminar has to be put into a realistic context.

   “The progress of health cooperatives in the United States is an enormous process”, he says. “It would be extremely presumptuous to assume that a single seminar would solve any of the problems that lie ahead. But our hope was to initiate a new dialogue, to inspire American actors to move ahead and to stand by and see how the IHCO and its organizations can best assist in the process.”
   
   Read the full IHC0 report on the IHC0 Seminar.
2. Largest Social Enterprise Sector in the World
   The Department of Health in the United Kingdom wants to hand over services to National Health Services staff. The Department has released a whiite paper which proposes that power will be devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals - Equity and Excellence: - Liberating the NHS. 
3. Girudala Health Centre
   The Girudala Community Co-operative Ltd has opened a medical centre in Bowen, south of Townsville, Queensland, which will operate as a GP clinic for Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients. The co-operative already provides health services at Collinsville and Proserpine. The co-oerative is a member of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation which has 141 members - employing 2,500 full-time equivalent staff including 180 doctors and 230 nurses. The Aboriginal community health sector is the single greatest non-government employer of Aboriginal people in Australia.
4. USA Health Care Legislation and Co-ops
   The National Cooperative Business Association in the USA has issued a statement on the passage of Health Care Reform in the USA. The NCBA is concerned that the final bill contains provision for "Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan"?(CO-OP) - providing USA$6 billion to foster the creation of non=profit, member-run health insurance companies but that co-operatives are not the only entities that can qualify for funding. The program does not require that the entities be member-owned and controlled co-operatives recognised as such under relevant law. NCBA wants the program to change so that only member-owned co-operatives are formed.
5. West Belconnen Health Co-operative
   Australia has a new health co-operative - the West Belconnen Health Co-operative in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The co-operative is open for business with its first doctor, medical director, nurse and reception team. The co-operative opened in December 2009. Work on the development and establishment of the co-operative began in 2004.? The patient users of the co-operative will be the owners of the co-operative.