The Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Welfare, Health and Family, Wouter Beke,

provided final approval of the application for a new "health home" on the CAT site in Vilvoorde.

This gives AZ Jan Portaels green light for the further development of the only regional hospital in the northern Flemish periphery. AZ Jan Portaels' project,

which is part of the Briant hospital network, meets the need for sustainable care infrastructure of tomorrow: a smaller, agile and sustainable "health home."



In this way, AZ Jan Portaels fully invests in preventive care, integrated care delivery

and a conversion from inpatient overnight stays to day hospital admissions.

Alternative technological opportunities such as Robotic Process and digitization are also being explored with external partners. The COVID crisis also reminded the hospital of the

need for flexible infrastructure. For example, a modular building concept will be used to adequately respond to a changing and sometimes acute healthcare demand.



But also sustainability plays an important role in the plan. Tomorrow's hospital will

invest in an energy efficient building using renewable resources.

The location of the site, within walking distance of Vilvoorde station and the city center, also offers the possibility of sustainable mobility. The project contributes significantly

to the development of the CAT site (former Renault site) in Vilvoorde into a mixed

city district. Construction of the "health home" will start in 2023.



The Board and Management of AZ Jan Portaels are delighted to have the confidence of the Flemish government & Minister Wouter Beke for the implementation of this strategic project for the Flemish periphery.

They also expressly thank the mayor of Vilvoorde, Mr. Hans Bonte, and the representative of the province, Mr. Tom Dehaene, for helping to shape and achieve this project.



The Halle-Vilvoorde region will see a sharp increase in care needs the coming decades, from 15% to 50% for all inpatient overnight stays combined by 2030. To this end, the health home is an important project for the inhabitants of the Flemish region around Brussels. The plan is based on the Flemish government's vision of the future as contained in the Green Paper "Hospital Of The Future" (2019).

With its ample capacity, the health home will be fully committed to a collaboration with primary care providers such as GPs and home care nurses, but will also seek partnerships with other BRIANT network hospitals, for example, for certain support activities.

Flemish Minister Wouter Beke:

“The Flemish government is investing 900 million in new hospital infrastructure in order to

address new challenges. Just think of the ageing population, the increasing need for

chronic care, innovations,... And the pandemic has made it clear that the need for flexibility is also essential. One of the most important investments is the construction of the new "health home" in Vilvoorde.

This is the example of what we want to achieve with our hospital infrastructure as the Flemish government, with a focus on sustainable and agile infrastructure where patients

are key and receive the best care. Hospitals of the future will focus on a good collaboration with all healthcare and care stakeholders. This includes GPs and home care nurses. The new Health Home in Vilvoorde will be a great example of this."

More info on the brand new concept? Download a brief information sheet here.