Meet Patricia Huijbregts - the new chair of the LBS Target Group Network Association
27 September 2024Meet Patricia Huijbregts, chair of the LBS Target Group Network Association and director at WoonZorgcentra Haaglanden (WZH), a leading nursing home organization in the The Hague region. The LBS Target Group Network association focuses on promoting care and cooperation for people with LBS and on the development of knowledge and the promotion of the quality of this care. WZH offers care to people with dementia, acquired brain injury (ABI) and chronic physical disorders, among other things. WZH is a cooperation partner in the EENnacoma network. The WZH Nieuw Berkendael location, with a Target Group Expertise Center (DEC), specializes in the care of people with long-term disorders of consciousness (LBS) and also functions as a Regional Expertise Center (REC) for people with LBS.
Patricia Huijbregts
Tell us something about your background
I was trained as a nutritionist and epidemiologist and have always had a passion for research, but my heart is with the patient. A personal experience when I ended up in hospital as a patient at the beginning of my studies touched and shaped me deeply: I realized then how important it is that we continue to see people, instead of just focusing on the condition or the medical problems. This insight has driven me to focus on the quality and organization of care in my work. I think it is essential that we organize care in such a way that we not only treat the disease, but also see and get to know people. Based on that vision, I have been working for years in various roles, including as a director at WZH. I always try to ask the question: what is the added value for the resident, client, patient or citizen?
Why does the position of chairman of the LBS Association appeal to you?
This position is close to my heart, because it concerns a small and vulnerable target group in long-term care. This affects fewer than 50 people a year, but the problem is serious and has a major impact on a person's life. My experience in various administrative positions, together with the expertise that has been built up within WZH Nieuw Berkendael as a Target Group Expertise Center (DEC) and Regional Expertise Center (REC), comes in handy in this role.
What are you most looking forward to in your role as chairman?
With the network of DECs and RECs, we have set up a good infrastructure that helps low-volume and highly complex target groups such as those of people with long-term disorders of consciousness. I hope that with the association we can ensure that people receive even more of the right care in the right place and that institutions know where these patients can go. That is why I hope that we will generate more national awareness, so that we can optimize the care for these special groups. I would like to contribute to that.