In 2009 Viva Rio celebrated its 16th year of activities, and we felt that we were ready to do more. Motivated by a desire for social justice and inclusion, we saw the health sector as an opportunity to contribute to a quality public service in communities impacted by poverty and violence. We therefore started bidding on and then co-managing public health centers with the municipal and state governments.
Our first role as service providers was with the Family Health Program run by the City of Rio de Janeiro. We had already conducted extensive research in this field and supported the launch of family care centers – preventive healthcare facilities crucial for the development of primary care in the city. Thus, we decided to officially classify Vivo Rio as a social health organization, and over the years we have earned the right to manage 75 healthcare centers while maintaining our non-profit status and fighting for the fundamental rights of the population.
Today we are in charge of 85 public facilities, including hospitals, emergency care centers and preventive care centers, with the support of over 7,500 employees. We have assisted more than 17 million people since 2010. Viva Rio is responsible for the following processes: personnel recruitment, supply of materials, maintenance of equipment, structural renovations, computerization, sanitary transportation, continuous professional development and technical support. Any financial surplus is invested back into the development of the clinics.
The time has passed and Viva Rio has changed with it, but we never lost our identity. The values and skills we have learned over the years enable us to provide basic services in vulnerable locations. We work passionately and efficiently and our goal is to establish new and improved procedures in Brazilian public health.