Project overview
CASO, the French acronym for Centre d’Accueil en Santé et Orientation is a health and counseling center. In this pilot project, anyone who visits the center can consult with a nurse and ask them any questions related to their health, free of charge. The health team provides counseling and care and refers patients to the appropriate services. A social worker at CASO helps patients with the procedures for receiving healthcare, such as obtaining entitlement from a social service or insurance organization. CASO is also fully equipped to provide dental care from a dental hygienist.
Welcoming all people in the greatest need for healthcare
The CASO health and counseling center is a front-line service that provides guidance and referrals to the social and health network for vulnerable people. Solutions can be found for any situation, no matter the person’s background or needs. Everyone, regardless of their circumstances, is accepted at CASO.
Our approach is primarily aimed at overcoming the socio-economic barriers to accessing care and health. These barriers affect more than just highly vulnerable people, which is why we make our services available to everyone. In Switzerland, a large proportion of the population give up on obtaining healthcare due to lack of resources, including many working people, students, and retirees. The CASO project thus seeks to reach out more broadly to anyone for whom the cost of care is a challenge. This includes but is not limited to people in low-threshold treatment programs, such as those who are unsheltered or struggling with addiction.
CASO, which opened in September 2024, is based on the very innovative premise of enabling free-of-charge access to a health professional and the healthcare network for all persons – a first among cities in Switzerland. Its outcomes will be closely monitored, with an obvious focus on the volume and nature of its consultations. The data obtained will vary according to factors such as location, knowledge of the service, and patient referrals by our partners, etc.
During the hours when nurses are available for consultation, we offer more than just medical help: we also offer counseling services and crucial moral support. Some people come in just to talk, and giving them a chance to be heard reassures them. When relationships of trust are created, people feel more comfortable talking about their health problems, thereby helping us to support them better. These moments of sharing are crucial, and by establishing this relationship we can guide them more effectively toward solutions adapted to their needs.
Gaël Glories, nurse and project manager
A network-based approach
CASO was created following a request from the city of Yverdon-les-Bains, which approached Médecins du Monde to set up a care facility for vulnerable people, modeled on Fondation Point d’Eau Lausanne. After conducting an assessment of the region’s needs, CASO is now testing its services and refining the recommendations that will be presented to the city in a final report.
This project, led by Médecins du Monde, brings together several actors in the fields of health and social work in the Nord-Vaudois region. From the start, its various stages have been developed along with its partners – under the sponsorship of the city of Yverdon-les-Bains – and with the help of the competent cantonal authorities. This network collaboration is important because it ensures a localized understanding of the issues and encourages helpful input.
The project is partnered with the medical office of the Nord Vaudois hospital network (Etablissements hospitaliers du Nord Vaudois – eHnv), which acts as the medical referral hospital for the project. This partnership enables the CASO healthcare team to refer patients to eHnv, in order to better address situations requiring medical expertise. The pilot project thus offers a care model that is locally integrated into the healthcare network, without replacing it.
Other key partnerships in our operations have also been created, similar to the arrangements with eHnv.
