Community nurses new:

“Many municipalities will not be able to afford them”

The Styrian state government has given the green light for the continuation of the successful "Community Nurses" project. However, from January onwards, the municipalities will have to cover 40 percent of the costs. In many cases, this will not be possible.

Last week, 16 Styrian mayors made a dramatic appeal to the state. They called for the continuation of the "Community Nurses" project, which has been largely financed by the EU to date - a project in which qualified nursing staff visit and advise those affected and their families, thereby taking preventative action. The pilot project expires at the end of the year.

On Thursday, the state government gave the green light for the project to continue at least for the next year. Two million euros will be made available for this purpose. 32 full-time positions are to be financed - however, the municipalities will have to cover 40 percent of the costs in future. Ideally, they should also employ the nursing staff.

"Rushed and bungled action" and an "indictment of poverty"
There is also a lot of criticism from the opposition parties. Claudia Klimt-Weithaler, leader of the KPÖ parliamentary group, speaks of a "rush and bungle operation": "This is probably the way to turn around the vast majority of projects because the municipalities cannot afford it - especially not in the short term." Sandra Krautwaschl, head of the Green Party, is similarly harsh in her assessment, seeing this as an "indictment of the state government" and saying: "With this half-hearted funding, Kornhäusl is ushering in the creeping death of community nurses. Kornhäusl has already failed as a care politician after just one year."

Neos top candidate Niko Swatek also criticizes the current solution: "The community nurses should not only be continued, but must also be extended to other municipalities.2

Many municipalities will drop out
However, affected mayors are also skeptical in view of tight municipal finances. "Many will not be able to afford it," says Ewald Haingartner from Pölstal, for example. Jakob Frey (Hart bei Graz) also assumes that a large number of municipalities will now opt out and that the two-million-euro pot will not be exhausted. In his municipality, however, the money for the community nurses has already been reserved following a unanimous decision by the local council: "Because this service is so valuable!"

Mayor Matthäus Bachernegg from Kapfenberg argues similarly: "It won't be easy, but we will finance it because we absolutely want to maintain this project." Two nurses are currently working in the Upper Styrian steel town.

Karlheinz Kornhäusl, State Councillor for Health, and Hannes Schwarz, Chairman of the SPÖ parliamentary group, will invite the community nurses to the provincial parliament next week to explain the details. They promise to find a long-term, sustainable solution by 2025.