VARHA
Varsinais-Suomen Hyvinvointialue (Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland, VARHA) is responsible for organizing social and health services, including specialized medical care and rescue services, across 27 municipalities in Southwest Finland. Within VARHA, the Hospital District of Southwest Finland (VSSHP) provides comprehensive tertiary healthcare services covering all major medical disciplines, with strong expertise in pediatric subspecialties such as neonatal intensive care, neonatal follow-up, and pediatric neurology.
In IMPROVE PRETERM, VARHA contributes essential clinical expertise in neonatal follow-up and rehabilitation. The team provides valuable data from the Finnish Neonatal Register and the PIPARI cohort – one of Finland’s key longitudinal studies on outcomes after very preterm birth. By combining hands-on clinical experience with high-quality population data, VARHA supports the project’s efforts to better understand developmental trajectories and improve long-term care for children born very preterm.