Good practice:

Private and public co-financing of the Education Model for Health as a measure of development

The Spanish Health System lacks its own resources to care for patients who need treatments from a thermal center.
Spas in Spain are health centers that offer a therapeutic service with the support of the national and regional government. The public programs of hydrotherapy offer the opportunity to enjoy the services provided in the spas at an affordable cost to the target public, which makes it possible to democratize the proposal and make it accessible to a greater and wider number of people.
In the Ariño Spa we have developed a comprehensive health program that includes, apart from the hydrotherapy and physiotherapy techniques, a Health Education Cycle. This program offers the public workshops on nutrition, ergonomics, sleep hygiene and skin health. Furthermore, physical activities in group as heart-healthy walks are organized.
This program is developed to bring up the target that is spa more than a space of relaxation and immersion in the water. It is a space where you can learn how to take a better care of yourself as well as prevent diseases for an active aging, not with the main objective of live longer but with a better quality.
Our silver clients come through the hydrotherapy social programs (Public adm. aid). During their stay, the treatments are supervised by the multidisciplinary team of the termal medicine unit and the staff of the center, who inform and try to raise them awareness of the benefits of participating in the health education cycle.

Financing of the program: 30% is paid by the administration, and 70% by the client, but administration returns 35% .
Financial aid from public administrations.
Professional multidisciplinary team made up of 51 people. Among them: hydrologist doctors and other professional therapists.

Continuous annual increase of clients (40%).
Average annual occupation of 83%.
Consolidation of the population of a rural mining area that is going through a period of critical economic development due to the closure of the mine and the thermal power plant.
Financial support from the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Government of Spain, with 4 million euros for a project to expand the Thermal Centre, 26 new jobs.
Recognition of the management model and the business development.

Recruitment of qualified personnel willing to work in depopulated areas, far from large urban centers.
There are no close or tourist activities in the environment that attract new private clients
The key of the success is to keep ensuring the welfare of the external and internal clients.

The objective of the Ariño’s spa project is to change the perception of the traditional spa concept compared to the 21st century one.
Life expectancy has increased in today’s society, but habits for healthy aging have not been improved. Food, sanitary improvements and other aspects make us live longer, but not always with better health. This project gives the solution to a need of today's society since it does not only seek therapeutic treatment but raise awareness on prevention. To accomplish that, it offers guidelines so that the client can practice every day from home healthy life habits.
The traditional therapies must be complemented with actions to heal, reduce and, especially, prevent physical and mental pathologies.
The clients especially value the treatment received, the attention and the dedication and time invested in each treatment. They feel as if they were “at home", and that is because they are part of our "spa family".