Associação Saúde Criança/Brazil Child Health

Associação Saúde Criança was founded in 1991 by Dr. Vera Cordeiro, a general practitioner specialized in psychosomatic medicine. It is a non-profit social organization that has no political or religious orientation. The idea of founding the association emerged from a rising sense of indignation amongst the health professionals at Hospital da Lagoa in Rio de Janeiro as they noticed a worrying cycle of hospitalization, discharge and rehospitalization amongst sick children: when they were sent home, there was not even the minimum structure in place for them to carry on their treatment at home. Sometimes, patients would be readmitted to the hospital in an even worse state than originally and some even died. In response to this, a group of doctors, nurses and members of the public decided to take matters into their own hands and founded the association. The main aim of Saúde Criança is to restructure these children’s families through its Plano de Ação Familiar (PAF) (Family Action Plan, or FAP program), which encompasses five core areas: health, vocational training, housing, education and citizenship.