CIVIL SOCIETY: 269 PRACTICES
Panhellenic Association for the Protection, Information and Assistance of Heart Diseased Children "The Child's Heart", was officially founded in 1983 by the President of the Association, Athena Varela Koltsidopoulou, and by parents of children suffering from Congenital Heart Diseases.
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The goal of the Association through the programs was to support children suffering from Congenital Heart Diseases and their families by offering them the possibility of equal access to comprehensive care and rehabilitation services. At the same time, the reduction of poverty and the support of the families and children of this vulnerable social group which, in addition to the health problem, is also affected morally, financially and psychologically.
The action is aimed at children with congenital or acquired heart diseases and their families who come from all over Greece, as well as children from other countries who live in our country
This action is permanent and not limited to any specific period of time.
"The Heart of the Child" having as its guiding principle the needs of children suffering from Congenital Heart Diseases and their families, offered the Program "Financial Contribution to Hospitalization and examinations of children with heart disease". The purpose of this program was to contribute financially to the hospitalization and examinations of children with serious Congenital Heart Diseases whose families, in addition to the health problem, were also facing financial problems. In particular, the Panhellenic Association "The Heart of the Child" in 2018 undertook the contribution to the coverage of hospitalization, surgeries, catheterizations and interventions that were deemed absolutely necessary for the timely treatment of the condition and were not covered by the insurance funds, for 185 families of heart patients of children who were in financial difficulty and unable due to the poverty situation in which they had fallen to even cover the cost of the necessary examinations and visits for the health of their children. In parallel with the financial support program, "The Heart of the Child", in order to offer a comprehensive service to children and their guardians, implemented the "Psycho-emotional support of children with heart disease and their guardians" Program, providing the beneficiaries with individual sessions by a professional patient psychologist, with a dual purpose: on the one hand, to face their fears and anxiety during the pre- and post-operative period and on the other hand, to strengthen and educate the children and guardians, so that they can cope with courage and optimism, in everyday life their fight. In the year 2018, the Association offered 180 sessions of psychological support to 50 families of children with heart disease, spending a total of 360 hours.
The results of the action "Psychosocial, material and moral support of children with congenital heart diseases and their families" have a special impact and recognition in the vulnerable social group it represents.
The results for the organization were the increase in the registrations of the members and friends of the Association, the increase in the requests for help and the coverage of 80% of the requests as well as the attraction of additional donors and supporters.
Overall, we would say that the beneficiaries of these actions were initially the children suffering from Congenital Heart Diseases and their families, but also society as a whole, as the action produced as a social impact the value of prevention and awareness among its members, in addition of the direct stakeholders.
The action is implemented at the national level as the requests and the members of the Panhellenic Association come from all the geographical divisions of the country.
The employees of the Panhellenic Association actively participate, as they come into contact with heart disease children and their families in order to cover, understand and investigate their requests. In addition, they implement and participate in activities inside and outside the Association's offices with the aim of entertaining and socializing children with heart disease.
The benefits of the action for the Panhellenic Association are multiple. Initially, the benefits that the Association obtains are social and ethical, since through its action it maintains a responsible attitude towards society and develops a relationship of trust between both. At the same time, through the support of this vulnerable social group of heart disease children and their families, the Association reaps the benefit of its self-fulfillment. Finally, the improvement of the recognition and promotion of the work carried out by the Panhellenic Association "The Heart of the Child" is deemed particularly important.
