Improving Community and Primary Care Services for Children, Adolescents, and Their Families in Europe.

Many healthcare systems in Europe are undergoing significant reconfigurations toward a more population-oriented delivery model1, 2, 3 to tackle the “new morbidities.” These transformations should be backed by reforms, which emphasize the importance of community and primary care services for children, adolescents, and their families, and the key roles that legislators and governments contribute to Public Health. In fact, equitable financial investment in public health policies are a key factor to overcome the current concerns of rising healthcare costs, substantial gaps in quality, and increasing demand for services. This approach will require greater collaboration and coordination between traditional health service sectors, public health, and nonclinical services to accomplish cost containment, while simultaneously improving patient outcomes. New models and programs that link clinical, social, community, public health, and governmental programs are needed. The essential elements of a consensus statement that examines the community and primary care elements of the system are described in the article.