Netherlands Heart Foundation Challenges for the 'new Netherlands Heart Foundation new, pussycat ?' Tom Jones sang this classic song W.Ahat's in the late 1960s. The same question holds for the
'new' Netherlands Heart Foundation (NHF). Since the incidents at the top of the NHF organisation in 2004, a number changes have taken place: new governance structure, a new management team headed by the author of this contribution and recently appointed as director, but far more important, a new mission and vision about the essential goals and targets of the NHF. Mission The mission of the NHF has not changed but has been rearticulated: The NHF fights heart disease and stroke by investing in the development of knowledge (research), by educating the public in innovative ways thereby promoting a healthy way of life (prevention), and by initiating improvements in healthcare. The NHF strives for improvement in the quality of life of patients who suffer from heart disease or stroke. The NHF is the inspiring captain and teamplayer in the complex interactions between the many stakeholders and participants in the battle against heart disease and stroke and their consequences. Vision 2008 The NHF operates in a society undergoing rapid socioeconomic change. This affects the way the NHF sets about fulfilling its mission. Within the new NHF organisation, a Strategic Unit will therefore be set up to help the NHF interact with society and its actors in a productive and resultoriented way, i.e. the successful fight against heart disease and stroke. In the long run, the battle against heart disease and stroke and the improvement in the quality oflife of patients and of those who run an increased risk can only be successful if the NHF promotes research to further unravel the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that play a role in heart disease and stroke, and subsequently to stimulate new clinical applications derived from that research. In the short run, the NHF will accomplish its mission by placing a sharper focus on prevention and education, stimulating risk-lowering programmes for high-risk groups, and fighting the mortality and morbidity rate after acute cardiac arrest, stroke and myocardial infarction. In summary, larger investments in knowledge development and knowledge sharing are the primary goals of the NHF in the forthcoming years. It is our goal to increase the overall financial investment in research programmes by 25% in the next five years.
qCpc
Netherlands Heart Journal, Volume 14, Number 5, May 2006
Research and health education, also including a grant to stimulate cardiology within paediatrics, will be continued as NHF priorities: * The well-known bottom-up research subsidies and the Dr E. Dekker programme, now also including paediatric cardiology. The NHF will seek cooperation with other organisations (such as the Diabetes Foundation) to start a pilot for combined investment in overlapping research programmes; * Improvement of the quality of the NHF's educational activities by closer cooperation with the various groups of professionals, patient organisations, governmental departments and related health promoting organisations. The Scientific Advisory Board of the NHF, with a 'new' chairman (Professor Maarten Simoons from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam), will play a key role in costeering the abovementioned actions. Thematic new NHF actions will be: * Campaigns to educate the general public on recognising the first signals of-stroke, cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction. To improve survival rate, the NHF will increase its efforts to tighten cooperation with local Reanimation Partners, first responders and the relevant professional organisations; * Bundling of forces with the patient organisations to improve prevention in high-risk groups and patients in one coherent prevention programme. Moreover, the NHF will contribute to the battle against overweight and the National Programme on the Discouragement of Tobacco; * The NHF will invest in the young! Supported by our Children's Heart Fund, we will focus on innovative health education programmes for young people in general and patient education for people with congenital heart disease in particular; * The NHF will promote quality of life and autonomy of heart and stroke patients with models for psychosocial care and through continued and increased support for the recently united patient organisations; * The NHF intends to initiate a broad national lobby with all stakeholders (United Hearts) to increase national awareness ofthe tremendous impact of heart disease and stroke on society, and to combine forces in dealing with this.
Within the new NHF organisation, the Department of Knowledge and Innovation, headed by Dr Marina Senten, will pick up these challenges in cooperation with all stakeholders through scientific, prevention and information programmes. 193
Netherlands Heart Foundation Friends and funds To carry out our new plans, the NHF will need more friends and more funds. This prompts us to keep the NHF organisation lean and mean. Moreover, the newly formed Department of Marketing and Communication, headed by Marc Tijhuis, will develop a new and open strategy of communicating with our volunteers, sponsors, benefactors and contributors. Current relations will be intensified and new relations and partners will be acquired. This also holds for partners in the private sector, a promising area to discover and explore.
To keep the organisational operations transparent and sharp, and financial control up to date, the Department of Operations, headed by our controller Robert Wagter QC, will support the key activities ofthe NHF in an entrepreneurial way without losing ground.
194
Conclusion With our strong history, stature, knowledge, independence and integrity as basis, our readiness to 'open our windows', our intention to cooperate with all the stakeholders involved, the governors, the management and the complete staffofthe 'new' NHF are ready to enter a new era in the fight against heart disease and stroke. I trust you will join and support us in this effort!
My answer to the question put forward by Tom Jones at the beginning of this contribution is therefore: A lot, a promising lot! E Hans Stam, Director of Netherlands Heart Foundation
Netherlands Heart Journal, Volume 14, Number 5, May 2006
PC
'new' Netherlands Heart Foundation (NHF). Since the incidents at the top of the NHF organisation in 2004, a number changes have taken place: new governance structure, a new management team headed by the author of this contribution and recently appointed as director, but far more important, a new mission and vision about the essential goals and targets of the NHF. Mission The mission of the NHF has not changed but has been rearticulated: The NHF fights heart disease and stroke by investing in the development of knowledge (research), by educating the public in innovative ways thereby promoting a healthy way of life (prevention), and by initiating improvements in healthcare. The NHF strives for improvement in the quality of life of patients who suffer from heart disease or stroke. The NHF is the inspiring captain and teamplayer in the complex interactions between the many stakeholders and participants in the battle against heart disease and stroke and their consequences. Vision 2008 The NHF operates in a society undergoing rapid socioeconomic change. This affects the way the NHF sets about fulfilling its mission. Within the new NHF organisation, a Strategic Unit will therefore be set up to help the NHF interact with society and its actors in a productive and resultoriented way, i.e. the successful fight against heart disease and stroke. In the long run, the battle against heart disease and stroke and the improvement in the quality oflife of patients and of those who run an increased risk can only be successful if the NHF promotes research to further unravel the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that play a role in heart disease and stroke, and subsequently to stimulate new clinical applications derived from that research. In the short run, the NHF will accomplish its mission by placing a sharper focus on prevention and education, stimulating risk-lowering programmes for high-risk groups, and fighting the mortality and morbidity rate after acute cardiac arrest, stroke and myocardial infarction. In summary, larger investments in knowledge development and knowledge sharing are the primary goals of the NHF in the forthcoming years. It is our goal to increase the overall financial investment in research programmes by 25% in the next five years.
qCpc
Netherlands Heart Journal, Volume 14, Number 5, May 2006
Research and health education, also including a grant to stimulate cardiology within paediatrics, will be continued as NHF priorities: * The well-known bottom-up research subsidies and the Dr E. Dekker programme, now also including paediatric cardiology. The NHF will seek cooperation with other organisations (such as the Diabetes Foundation) to start a pilot for combined investment in overlapping research programmes; * Improvement of the quality of the NHF's educational activities by closer cooperation with the various groups of professionals, patient organisations, governmental departments and related health promoting organisations. The Scientific Advisory Board of the NHF, with a 'new' chairman (Professor Maarten Simoons from the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam), will play a key role in costeering the abovementioned actions. Thematic new NHF actions will be: * Campaigns to educate the general public on recognising the first signals of-stroke, cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction. To improve survival rate, the NHF will increase its efforts to tighten cooperation with local Reanimation Partners, first responders and the relevant professional organisations; * Bundling of forces with the patient organisations to improve prevention in high-risk groups and patients in one coherent prevention programme. Moreover, the NHF will contribute to the battle against overweight and the National Programme on the Discouragement of Tobacco; * The NHF will invest in the young! Supported by our Children's Heart Fund, we will focus on innovative health education programmes for young people in general and patient education for people with congenital heart disease in particular; * The NHF will promote quality of life and autonomy of heart and stroke patients with models for psychosocial care and through continued and increased support for the recently united patient organisations; * The NHF intends to initiate a broad national lobby with all stakeholders (United Hearts) to increase national awareness ofthe tremendous impact of heart disease and stroke on society, and to combine forces in dealing with this.
Within the new NHF organisation, the Department of Knowledge and Innovation, headed by Dr Marina Senten, will pick up these challenges in cooperation with all stakeholders through scientific, prevention and information programmes. 193
Netherlands Heart Foundation Friends and funds To carry out our new plans, the NHF will need more friends and more funds. This prompts us to keep the NHF organisation lean and mean. Moreover, the newly formed Department of Marketing and Communication, headed by Marc Tijhuis, will develop a new and open strategy of communicating with our volunteers, sponsors, benefactors and contributors. Current relations will be intensified and new relations and partners will be acquired. This also holds for partners in the private sector, a promising area to discover and explore.
To keep the organisational operations transparent and sharp, and financial control up to date, the Department of Operations, headed by our controller Robert Wagter QC, will support the key activities ofthe NHF in an entrepreneurial way without losing ground.
194
Conclusion With our strong history, stature, knowledge, independence and integrity as basis, our readiness to 'open our windows', our intention to cooperate with all the stakeholders involved, the governors, the management and the complete staffofthe 'new' NHF are ready to enter a new era in the fight against heart disease and stroke. I trust you will join and support us in this effort!
My answer to the question put forward by Tom Jones at the beginning of this contribution is therefore: A lot, a promising lot! E Hans Stam, Director of Netherlands Heart Foundation
Netherlands Heart Journal, Volume 14, Number 5, May 2006
PC
