Danish healthcare experts visit VA Boston Healthcare System's West Roxbury campus
Members of the Danish Consulate in Boston and a delegation of Danish health system directors visited the VA Boston Healthcare System's West Roxbury, Mass., campus March 21, 2023.
The Danish healthcare representatives are working to establish network of innovation partners aimed at addressing various health equity challenges, and wanted to learn more about VA health care, how it differs from the private healthcare sector in the U.S., and how VA is working to overcome health equity challenges.
Despite the difference between the Danish and U.S. healthcare systems, the VA and Danish representatives found they shared similar challenges, including providing care to underserved communities, hiring and retaining clinical staff, and the management of chronic conditions in some populations, such as diabetes and cardiovascular issues.
"It’s at the same time frustrating and encouraging to see how key challenges seem to be shared in our respective healthcare systems in Denmark and the U.S.,” said Jørn Emborg, innovation advisor for life science with the Innovation Center at the Consulate of Denmark in Boston. “It’s very noticeable how addressing the shortages of nurses and doctors is a top priority on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as finding ways to foster staff well-being.”
“While less racially diverse than the U.S., Denmark still wrestles with economic healthcare inequity and providing high-quality, accessible health care in rural areas,” said Dr. Aruna Pradhan, a VA Boston cardiologist and researcher, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “And we both have found that being able to deliver high quality care is critically important to job-satisfaction among clinical staff.”
Following the discussion, the Danish visitors were provided with a tour of the VA West Roxbury Primary Care Clinic.
In addition to Emborg, the Danish delegation included, among others, Joan Hentze, counsul general and CEO of the Innovation Center Denmark at the Danish Consulate in Boston, Mette-Marie Harild, chair of the board for the Fiers Foundation for life science innovation in Denmark’s Zealand region, Jan Kanne, executive secretary for Fiers Foundation, Ricco Dyhr, CEO of Nykøbing Falster Hospital, Thomas du Plessis de Richelieu, director of Lolland municipality, Marianne Søgaard head of training and development in Guldborgsund municipality, and Peder Fabricius CMO at Nykøbing Falster Hospital.
VA Boston HCS participants, in addition to Pradhan, included Cecilia McVey, associate director for patient care, Dr. Bonnie Charland, associate director for quality management, Dr. Paul Conlin, chief of medicine, Dr. Scott Kinlay, chief of cardiology, and Dr. Yelena Kamenker-Orlov, medical director of the West Roxbury Primary Care Clinic.