Maternity and child health clinics in Helsinki will celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, as Finland's first child health clinic began operating in Helsinki in 1922. The past hundred years have seen many social changes, including the baby boom and the development of the welfare state as well as the growth of the city.
“Residents of Helsinki continue to consider maternity and child health clinics an important service. Clinic staff meet nearly all children, families with children and pregnant residents of Helsinki,” says Director of Family Services Hanna Viitala.
“Delightful customers are our greatest motivation. We get to know our customers well, and we become particularly familiar with families with multiple children. We may be a part of their life for up to 15 years – or we may even see former children come back as mothers and fathers,” says Paloheinä Maternity and Child Health Clinic Public Health Nurse Kaisu-Liisa Hänninen.
Stories from the clinic, sand buckets and coffee with cake
City of Helsinki maternity and child health clinics will be celebrated throughout the year. At the clinics during early summer, we will distribute a limited amount of sand buckets for children to play with. Stickers commemorating the 100th anniversary will be glued to the buckets in the Uusix workshop of the City of Helsinki Social Services and Health Care Division, where people with partial work ability and disabilities work.
In the autumn, customers will be treated to coffee and cake and music performances at clinics and family centres. At that time, we will be publishing maternity and child health clinic stories from years gone by submitted by residents of Helsinki.
The maternity and child health clinic work jubilee seminar held on 6 October 2022 at Tampere Hall will be the most important event of the centennial. The seminar will be organised as part of the national event for public health nurses (Terveydenhoitajapäivät).
Read more (in Finnish):
Ensimmäinen neuvola Helsinkiin 100 vuotta sitten – Paloheinän neuvolan terveydenhoitaja tekee unelmiensa työtä
Photo: Kaisa Sunimento