Badalona, Spain
Region profile
Badalona, a Mediterranean town situated to the north of the mouth of the river Besòs, just ten kilometres from Barcelona, is one of the most ancient, historic towns in Catalonia. With nearly five kilometres of coastline, the town has eight beaches which represent one of its top tourist attractions and resources. Badalona has a subhumid climate, with mild winters and dry summers.
The municipality of Badalona covers an area of 21 km2 which is varied in relief, running from the sea to an altitude of 465 metres. It is bounded to the north-east by the steep Marina hills, the town's green lung where a wide variety of flora can be found, as well as a rich historic heritage in the form of country houses and farms.
Badalona is a town with plenty of history and a significant Roman archaeological legacy. Around the 1st century AD the Romans founded a series of sites, among them Baetulo (modern Badalona), which over time became one of the most important towns in the region of Laietania thanks to the export of wine.
The bustling neighbourhood of Dalt la Vila sprang around the church of Santa Maria in the 17th century.
In the hilly parts of the municipality, around the town, over the years the former Roman villas gave way to old farmhouses, creating distinctive balance between urban and rural Badalona.
With the coming of industry to Badalona, the town's middle classes built their factories and homes, constructing Art Nouveau buildings which now form part of the town's heritage.
Nowadays, in economic terms Badalona is a dynamic, rich and diverse town. Trade and industry have played a major role in its history and still do in its economic development today.
The city is particularly renowned for sport, in particular basketball, thanks to the mark made on it by the Club Joventut de Badalona. The town was the venue for basketball and boxing events in the Barcelona Olympic Games of 1992.
And, if we talk about culture, we have to highlighted the traditional Cremada del Dimoni ("burning of the devil") on the night of 10th May, St. Anastasius eve, which has been declared an event of tourist interests.
Health and Social Care in the Region
One of Nadalona - the third one in population size in Catalonia - is to become a point of reference in the field of care. In order to achieve this aim, its health network:
- Covers all health needs of its citizens by offering public services regarding primary healthcare, specialised healthcare, socio-medical healthcare and, of transverse form, home assistance and pure social services.
- Includes four significant facilities offering a quality service: the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, the Municipal Hospital of Badalona, the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the Guttmann Institute.
- Fosters research, mainly in oncology, HIV, comorbidities and neurorehabilitation.
- Fosters education to professionals by hosting University students.
Badalona Serveis Assistencials, with a comprehensive view on care, is set up in this town of health in order to provide an effective assistance and to respond to people's needs.
BeyondSilos in Badalona
The BeyondSilos service in Badalona consists of health and social care services provided by Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA), an integrated private health and social care organisation with entirely public capital.
Multidisciplinary teams led by case managers and comprising physicians, nurses, social workers, family workers, volunteers and third party organisations, continuously assess the needs of the service users and deliver appropriate integrated care services to meet their identified needs. This includes an integrated homecare plan set-up during the assessment and monitored continuously. The Homecare Department, through its Case Managers, is the single point of access for all clients.
Stakeholders involved in the delivery of integrated care services have access to (subsets of) the Integrated Care Record (ICR) which facilitates efficient and high-quality provision of the BeyondSilos services.
Links
Badalona Serveis Assistencials -international website-
Institut Municipal de Serveis Personals de Badalona
Oficina de Turisme de Badalona
