State Secretary opens Care and Recovery Center for displaced Ukrainians in Bleiswijk

On June 26, State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Eric van der Burg, together with Mayor Pieter van de Stadt and Yvonne van Duijnhoven, Director GGD & GHOR, opened the Care and Recovery Center (ZHC) for Ukrainian displaced persons in Bleiswijk. The directors emphasized the importance of the ZHC during a brief interview. They then unveiled a work of art incorporating symbolism around the theme "Welcome," which was created in collaboration with municipal poet Woes Ploum.

The Care and Recovery Center (ZHC) provides temporary medical care to 22 patients. This mostly involves more serious care requests. The Regional Medical Assistance Organization (GHOR), part of the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region, coordinates daily care in the ZHC. For this purpose, the GHOR has a team of specialized nurses. They work together with other care providers such as general practitioners, physiotherapists and a home care organization.

"Recovering at a municipal shelter is not possible for Ukrainians who are seriously ill or dealing with serious medical injuries," said Yvonne van Duijnhoven. "Through good cooperation in the region, we can offer the necessary care at one location with the ZHC. In this way, care personnel can be used more efficiently, regular care is relieved and patients receive the care they need." Once patients have recovered sufficiently at the ZHC, they will go elsewhere or return to their original residence.

The reception of Ukrainian displaced persons is coordinated regionally from the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region (VRR). For specific care requests, the region works together with the 13 municipalities, reception sites and health care institutions to provide the required care centrally as much as possible.

The Lansingerland municipality saw the search from the Rotterdam-Rijnmond Safety Region for a suitable location for a ZHC as an opportunity that came along. Pieter van de Stadt: "This fully equipped location had been vacant for some time. Because of the former recovery center that was located here, the location could be made suitable for this specific target group relatively quickly. It is great that we can make this contribution as a municipality".

State Secretary Eric van der Burg is also pleased with the realization of the ZHC. "Nice to see that with this care and recovery location, the municipality of Lansingerland offers targeted care to refugees from Ukraine who need it. In this way they receive tailored care and can recover in a peaceful manner before moving to a regular reception location. It is great that the municipality and the GHOR have taken this up in this way and are providing customized care to this vulnerable group."

The ZHC is part of the larger regional task of receiving Ukrainians. Besides care, we also offer housing. Mayor Pieter van de Stadt: "In Lansingerland we offer Ukrainians sustainable housing through flex housing in small-scale, decentralized locations. In which we also create housing for people who are looking for housing urgently."

More information on the realization of shelter locations in Lansingerland can be found at www.lansingerland.nl/loo.