The Health Institute of South Iceland (HSU) was founded on October 1, 2014, and has been operating for 10 years. The merger 10 years ago included The Health Institutions of South and Southeast Iceland, and Vestmannaeyjar, and HSU therefore manages the largest health district in the country. The merger aimed to strengthen health services in the region and to share the professional knowledge and skills of the staff to provide better and more cost-effective services. I'm certainly not unbiased, but I'm going to allow myself to say that these ambitious promises have been fulfilled.

AMAZING HUMAN RESOURCES
I have had the honor of leading this great workplace for the past five years and took the helm at HSU on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not without reason that HSU is earmarked for 12 billion ISK in the budget. The topics are exciting and the scope is of course sometimes overwhelming, but I am fortunate to have around 850 employees in around 550 full-time positions. This is a large and powerful group; with incredible human resources. In our work, we place great emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork to maintain job satisfaction and ensure both the quality of service and the satisfaction of our clients. Surveys among both staff and clients repeatedly show that these limits are being met with great respect.

CLIENT WELFARE IS THE GUIDING LIGHT
HSU provides intensive health care, hospital, and geriatric services. HSU operates 9 health centers in 10 establishments, 2 hospitals, and 4 nursing homes, in addition to which we arrange emergency services and ambulances throughout the district 24 hours a day as needed. Everything from Þorlákshöfn to Höfn in Hornafjörður with stops in Hveragerði, Selfoss, Uppsveitir Suðurlands, Rangárþing, Vík, Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Vestmannaeyjar. Our values ​​are professionalism, cooperation, and respect. The well-being of our clients is our guiding light.

CHALLENGES IN A GROWING POPULATION
The population in Suðurlandi is today around 35 thousand and the community is growing rapidly. Here are also some of the most visited tourist spots in the country and around 8,000 holiday homes. This results in a lot of traffic. Of course, these numerical facts present many challenges, but our policy at HSU is to ensure that all residents, clients, and service users have smooth access to the best health care available.

HSU HOME HOSPITAL: PROGRESSIVE INNOVATION
In line with all the above, it was really happy to sign in the middle of the anniversary month in October an agreement with the Ministry of Health on the operation of a home hospital, which is a progressive innovation in the operation of HSU. We started operating the home hospital at the beginning of 2024 as an experiment and have been working hard to develop the service since then. HSU's home hospital provides increased health services, including medical services, to people who live at home and need more support than general social services and home care.

GREATLY IMPROVED HOME SERVICE
The home hospital is mainly designed for two main groups: on the one hand, elderly people with severe and multiple illnesses, and on the other hand, people of all ages who are receiving palliative care. The service aims to offer person-centered care for people who need complex integrated solutions, both in the field of health and welfare services. The home hospital thus greatly strengthens the services that are generally provided in nursing homes. The goal is to reduce the elderly's need to visit the emergency room and reduce the number of days they spend in the hospital.

SUCCESSFUL JOURNEY
It is my hope and belief that HSU's patients and residents in our service area feel that the institution has been successful over the past decade. I wish the HSU staff every success and look forward to our journey in the coming years. I would like to thank you very much for your great performance in the last few years. It is more than saying that to be able to lead such a workplace. Happy 10th Anniversary, HSU staff, patients, and all our many patrons!