Getting to know our Members: CBI Cross Border Institute – Interview with Daniela Gornyk & Adriana Perez Fortis
EUREGHA is excited to put spotlight on our great Members from CBI 
Today, we are pleased to share a new interview featuring Daniela Gornyk (Scientific Coordinator Cross-border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI -German side) Gesundheitsversorgung in der Ems-Dollart Grenzregion and part of the INGVER Project team) and Adriana Perez Fortis (Scientific coordinator Cross-border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI -Dutch side) and Project leader Health4DE-NL Interreg project ) , who offered valuable insights into CBI’s work and their contribution to strengthening regional health collaboration across Europe.
Through this interview, we aim to showcase the expertise and commitment of our members, and highlight the important role CBI plays within our network.
You can find the full interview below!
EUREGHA continues to grow, and we look forward to bringing more stories and voices from our community to the forefront. Stay tuned for the next Member Interview!
Could you briefly introduce your organisation/region, highlighting its role in healthcare, your main priorities or flagship initiatives, and what makes it unique in this field?
The Cross-border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention (CBI) is a joint initiative of Universities of Groningen (UG) and Oldenburg (UOL) and their medical faculties, supported by the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health and is staffed on a parity basis.
The geographical region in which the CBI is active, is the Northern Dutch-German border region. Specifically, the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe from the Dutch side of the border and the Weser-Ems region from the German side (Wilhelmshaven, Wittmund, Aurich, Emden, Leer, Friesland Wesermarsch, Ammerland, Stadt Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Delmenhorst, Cloppenburg, Emsland, Vechta, Osnabrück, Stadt Osnabrück, and Grafschaft Bentheim).
While crossing the border for holidays, shopping, commuting, or socializing is common, seeking healthcare across the border often involves significant challenges – and this is where the CBI comes into play with its mission to enhance the well-being of residents in the region, contributing to better healthcare services and policies by acting as a hub of cross-border health research, innovation, networking and translation for and with the region.
How has your organisation benefited from being part of EUREGHA, and is there a particular project, achievement, or moment that stands out for you?
Which EUREGHA activities, working groups, or projects have been most valuable for you?
Do you have a story, best practice, or success you’d like to share with the EUREGHA community?
The Cross-border Institute of Healthcare Systems and Prevention has recently started a new INTERREG project called HEALTH4DE-NL. This project is focused on strengthening cross-border cooperation in healthcare for more healthy years in the Dutch-German border region.This initiative, led by the CBI, has a total cost of 3.2 million euros. The HEALTH4DE-NL project is being implemented within the framework of the Interreg VI Germany-Netherlands program and is co-financed with 2.33 million euros by the European Union, the Ministry for Federal and European Affairs of Lower Saxony and the provinces of Groningen and Friesland. With this project, the CBI aims to better connect healthcare structures and promote equal access to healthcare for all citizens in the border region, which is home to approximately 2.8 million people. In addition, the project seeks to improve the cooperation between Dutch and German healthcare institutions so that both healthcare systems are better prepared for future health crises.
The HEALTH4DE-NL project focuses on four main domains:
First, establish a cross-border health network, in which healthcare professionals, policymakers, hospitals, Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdiensten (GGD’en), and Gesundheitsämter/NLGA collaborate.
Second, analyse healthcare systems and compare them at the regional level, the results form the basis for formulating policy recommendations that promote equal access to care.
Third, improve cooperation between public health services, by organising regular meetings and workshops and appointing cross-border contact persons to strengthen communication.
And fourth, engage citizens actively, with a focus on vulnerable groups, through public engagement activities around prevention, self-reliance and community participation, citizens are encouraged to take a more active role in their health.
Can you share a concrete example of a cross-border initiative, project, or best practice from your region?
Between 2021 and 2025, the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur) funded ten pilot studies conducted by interdisciplinary teams and aiming at the comparison of healthcare structures, processes and outcomes in the northern German and Dutch cross-border region (CHARE-GD I and II).
Background: Being among the best in the world, the Dutch and the German healthcare system still face various but similar challenges. At the same time, both healthcare systems are organised very differently. Thus, this border region serves as a perfect living lab and an intellectual pipeline in which lessons learnt on each side of the border can be leveraged for more healthy years in the Netherlands as well as Germany. The studies led to a number of publications, which deal with a broad spectrum of topics such as: how health indicators have evolved over time in European cross-border regions, trends in bloodstream infections at hospitals in the northern Dutch-German border region, strategies to contain multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) across national borders or the differences in patient’s expectations and self-efficacy after total hip arthroplasty in Germany and in the Netherlands.
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