#05: The Desire for Passionates

What keeps health and care ecosystems alive? It’s not just money. Meet the passionates behind Europe's most human-centered care ecosystems and the beacon elements that make them thrive long-term.Commitment and passion often matter more than funding. This episode of the THCS Podcast builds directly on the WP9 Activity Report’s insights into the identification of 30 ecosystems across Europe. Many of them were not new inventions but existing networks, funded projects, or reference sites. Yet, what makes them transformative is their ability to align strategies, decisions, and actions over time. With Sanna Tuurnas, we introduce the analytical lens of “beacon elements” and why they matter. We then explore 2 successful ecosystems: the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit in Aragon, where compassion and multi-actor commitment redefines support forchildren and families and Mooi Maasvallei in the Netherlands, a dynamic alliance that started small, thrives on open discussions, and fosters a citizen-first design. Our guests are telling a human story of ecosystems held together not by contracts or money, but by trust, persistence,and shared purpose by the passionates who keep them alive.Guests in this Episode:■ Sanna Tuurnas, Expert on Beacon Ecosystem Elements, Tampere University (Finland)■ Fatima Parra, Physician with the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit, Aragon (Spain)■ Pauline Terwijn, CEO of Pantein and Chair of the MooiMaasvallei Ecosystem (Netherlands)Topics in this Episode: ■ Which beacon elements make health and care ecosystems work in the long run■ Why passion, trust, and long-term commitment matter more than funding in sustaining ecosystems■ How the Pediatric Palliative Care Unit in Aragon built an ecosystem around multi-actor commitment for childrenand families■ How Mooi Maasvallei in the Netherlands grew from a small, passion-driven alliance into a citizen-firstcare ecosystem ─•────👉 Follow the THCS Podcast, it really helps the show:▪️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11EcezW9VSuNdgoCcbIi4U▪️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ecosystems-in-health-and-care-the-thcs-podcast/id1887092760▪️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@THCS-HorizonEU